We had four young visitors from the UK and the East Coast just recently who raved that this was the best pie they’d ever had. And, of course, we were thrilled! Since we are really just learning how to add aronias to our diet, their confirmation spurred us on to continue collecting aroniaberry more recipes. (Pie recipe below).
I know many of you have the heart of a homesteader and love looking for ways to build your medicine chest, reduce your food bills, increase sustainability, and live healthier off the land. Like the amazing elderberry, the aronia could be a small part towards that goal.
It is very satisfying to learn of new ways to lessen our dependency on others for food and health care.
So please allow me to tell you why we are so excited about growing aronias, and I will share some aronia berry recipes in a minute.
One Super Healthy Berry!
I want to rave a bit about the superfood Aroniaberry, an amazing edible berry given to us by God for our health and vitality. It’s ‘off the charts’ EXCELLENT for those interested in slowing down the aging process (that would be me and, maybe, you) and so many other health benefits.
“The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.” ~ Thomas A Edison
The Aroniaberry contains a powerful natural blend of polyphenolic antioxidants. Antioxidants are important because they combat free radicals in our body that are created from daily living, stress, environmental pollution, medical x-rays and even exercise. Free radicals can damage cells which can lead to health problems. Consuming foods high in antioxidants like the Aroniaberry may help support the body’s defense against these radicals. Many studies show they are powerful in Alzheimer’s and other diseases.
Antioxidant levels in foods are measured by a test called ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity). Scientists have found that antioxidants increase our bodies natural defense systems. The higher the ORAC, the higher the antioxidant activity.
Few Know About the Aroniaberry
- that you can grow it in your yard
- that it is easy to pick
- that you need only one plant
- that is has reliably no pests
- they are very tart, but delicious when sweetened
- they become naturally sweeter after freezing
- it is a homesteaders dream for a reliable harvest
- berries stay separate in freezer bag if drained when bagged
- Aronia berries stand alone or blend compatibly with apples, red raspberries, peaches, strawberries, cherries, pears and oranges
We grow Viking chokeberry/aka aronia.
And last, but not least, there are many delicious recipes (my adaptations) to use them in. I found several of them at Bellbrook Berry Farm.
1.) Super Antioxidant Aronia Smoothie:
Blend together and serve immediately:
- 3-4 bananas
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 – 1 1/2 c. coconut milk (or other milk)
- 1 c. frozen aronia berries
- 1 cup frozen raspberries or other fruit
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt for electrolytes
2.) Aroniaberry /Cherry Sauce or Syrup:
- 1 c. aronia berries
- 1 c. tart cherries (or blueberries, etc.)
- maple syrup or honey to taste
Add aronia berries and cherries to sauce pan and cook down while stirring over medium heat. Add sweetener to taste.
If using RAW HONEY, wait until the fruit mixture has cooled to add honey so as not to destroy the enzymes and pollens, etc.
Enjoy over cream cheese and crepes.
3.) Aroniaberry Oatmeal Cookies (with GF option):
Ingredients:
- 1/2 c. butter, softened (we used coconut oil, melted)
- 1 c. brown sugar, 5/6 c. honey (Sugar-free: favorite stevia to taste or Lakanto monk fruit sugar replacer)
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract (or diy with my recipe)
- 1 c. old-fashioned rolled oats (optional for Gluten-free, use GF oats or delete and double flour)
- 1 c. flour of your choice – Gluten-free mix of choice or almond flour)
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 c. fresh or frozen aronia berries
Directions:
- In a bowl, cream butter and sweetener.
- Beat in egg and vanilla.
- Combine oats, flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
- Gradually add to the creamed mixture.
- Stir in the aronia berries.
- Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto lightly-greased baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 min, or until golden brown.
Yield: 35 cookies
4.) Aroniaberry Bars:
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 c. sugar or Sucanat or Sugar-free Lakanto monk fruit sugar replacer
- 1 c. flour of choice – Gluten-free mix of choice or almond flour)
- 1/3 c. butter or coconut oil, melted
- 1 c. fresh or frozen aronia berries
- 1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1 tsp citrus peel (zest)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch baking pan. Beat eggs in a medium mixing bowl until thick. Gradually add sugar, beating until thoroughly blended. Stir in flour and melted butter; blend well. Add Aronia Berries and walnuts, mixing gently until combined. Spread evenly in pan. Bake for 40 to 45 min, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool and cut into bars. Yield: 16 servings
5.) Rebecca’s Berry Oat Breakfast Bread ~ Soaked/Gluten-Free:
Recipe here.
6.) Classic Aroniaberry Pie:
Ingredients
- Pastry for a 2-crust 8″ pie
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 4 cups frozen aroniaberries
- 2 cups sugar or 1 3/4 cups maple syrup or honey
- 5 tsp lemon juice
- 3/4 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
Directions
- Melt butter in saucepan
- Stir in and heat berries, sugar and lemon juice
- When juice of the aronia berries flows, stir in flour and cook until translucent
- Cool to room temperature
- Meanwhile, line pie pan with crust
- Pour in cooled mixture
- Put on top crust; flute the edges; slit the middle to vent
- To catch juice, put foil on pie skirt or cookie sheet. Shape upward around pie pan without covering pie.
Bake at 425° until browned, about 40 to 45 minutes. Cool. Refrigerate overnight. The filling should set up nicely.
I wish you could have been here for a piece of this pie 🙂
‘And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.”‘ ~Genesis 1:29
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Thanks for reading!
Jacinda says
I have never heard of aronias before this post! Thanks for enlightening me. 🙂 I think I need to find myself a shrub.
Hannah says
Grimmsgardens.com carries the Aronia berry/choke berry bush.
They also have a u-pick patch in the fall. They may ship them too as they r a tougher skinned berry than blueberries.
Jacqueline says
That is wonderful to know and I’m so glad you shared it here for others! Thank you, Hannah! 🙂
Toni says
“The longer I lives, the more I learns.”
-me 😉
Thanks to you! I can see that I need an aroniaberry plant. If our house doesn’t sell soon I’ll be ordering several different plants in a month or two. I’ll have to tell Goodman about this one for sure. The pie really does sound delicious, and I love the idea of all those antioxidants. I need all I can get.
JES says
Wow, I am sold on this berry! It is off the charts “literally”… I will see if I can somehow get my little mitts on them… It would be a good addition to my morning kefir smoothie!
Hannah says
Grimmsgardens.com carries the plant to purchase online. And they also have a u-pick patch for Aronia berries also.
teri S. says
I am so glad I came across your blog just a week or so ago! You have blessed me so already and I can’t wait to see all the wonderful things you have to share. The pie looks so scrumptious. I will have to ask my husband if we can fit a bush in our yard. Seems to me we could dehydrate them and make our own berry powder for later use!
God bless you and your work!
Jacqueline says
Thank you, Teri.
Oh, well, I hadn’t thought of making it into powder…it would be quite powerful in capsules! Thanks for the idea 🙂 Blessings!
Jill's Home Remedies says
I have not tried this berry – would love to! Thanks for the information!
maria says
Thanks for a great post – I never heard of arionberries! And it is good to know that they can be grown in your own yard with many benefits! Recipes look great!!
Jedidja says
Thank Janqueline, I never heard from this berry. Here we have only blackberries, and blueberries 🙂
Janet says
I’ve never heard of these berries! Thank you for all the information you share, Jacqueline. You have blessed me so many times!
Jacqueline says
The aronia is so easy to grow, but make sure it has moist roots for the first 4-6 weeks after planting. It will establish itself in the fall and through the winter. It may even bear some its first year, the second for sure! Thank you!!
finger food catering says
I made this last week, & I LOVE it! I’m making an alternate another double batch tonight! Yummmmmmm..
Carol says
I found your site when searching for recipes for Aronia berries. I have not been able find information on what to do after I pick the berries. How to process them after I harvest them. Do I need to blanch them to freeze them? Do they need to be pre-cooked? What if I want to can them? I think the health benefits would be greater if I can store them to use over the winter season that just consume them right after harvesting them. I have seen comments about extracts and possibly drying them to make a powder for use in recipes or to put in a capsule to take like a supplement. Any information or links would be greatly appreciated!
Jacqueline says
Hi, Carol,
I freeze gallon bags full and throw them into all our red-based smoothies. I also have dried some and we eat a small handful each time we are by the bushes…they are mighty powerful raw, but great in a smoothie with an extra dollop of honey and cinnamon :-/ HHmm…aronia tincture. That is an interesting idea…our elderberries are LOADED! I hope that helps a little 🙂
Taf Parsons says
I have been growing Aronia (Black Chokeberry) here in Cardiff, Wales, UK, for a few years after Eastern European neighbours let me taste Aronia-flavoured ice cream. They tell me it’s the top flavour all over their home region! Commercially it is used to adulterate Pommegranate juice by some manufacturers.
Cindy Sparby says
Thank you so much for the recipes, I have made muffins before but that is it. The cookies are delicious can’t wait to try more recipes instead of just throwing them in the freezer every year.
My berries were very plump and juicy this year, I am thankful for that since my Sour Cherry tree didn’t make the harsh winter we had.
God’s Peace,
Cindy
Joyce says
Thanks so much for the helpful information as well as the recipes. My mom planted a bush that she was given by a my sister, and it’s now full of shiny blue berries! She sent me on an internet search to see how she might use them – I especially like the look of the breakfast bread!
Jacqueline says
Joyce, we just picked our two bushes clean and froze most of them, but I also made spiced aronia/cranberry sauce with a boiling syrup of vinegar, sea salt, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and a ‘less sweet’ stevia/sugar mix. I love it when the lids pop down and I can store it on the shelf. Enjoy!
Dave P. says
I picked 2 gallons of aronia berries from our 5 bushes today (we live in NW Washington state). This is only their second year in the ground, and last year I made syrup, which was good for pancakes and smoothies. Today, I baked a pie using your recipe, following the directions exactly. The pie is delicious! Thanks for making the recipe available.
Jacqueline says
Ohh, yay!
Dave, we had a great harvest again this year, too. I am happy the recipe lived up to your expectations!!
Aronias are becoming one of our favorite fruits considering their health benefits! We also make dynamite smoothies with them using almond milk, coconut cream and bananas.
Thanks for sharing your enjoyment with me 🙂
Heidi says
I would love the recipe for syrup!! I have 25 bushes and probably should open up for public picking! This is our third year and we are loaded!!
Jacqueline says
The aronia/cherry syrup recipe is in the post. You can adapt it without the cherries and experiment with how much sugar or honey to use. I would thicken your syrup slightly with Great Lakes gelatin. Read about it here: http://amzn.to/20UxjSy Scroll down for how to use, etc.
I am so glad you have a great crop this year! Excellent product to market as you Pick!!
Sarah says
Yum! I just finished making the syrup using strawberries and aronia berries. I added a small amount dark brown sugar to add to the dark rich flavor the berries have and it is great. With a bit of vanilla it becomes very dessert like. Have you ever canned the syrup before?
Thanks SO much! I can’t wait to try the berry pie!
BTW…I’ve also love aronia berries mixed into apple crisp, it adds a more jammy flavor and eliminates the bright aftertaste.
Diane Paxford says
Just moved to Broadstairs,Kent and walking the dog in our little park found a dozen shrubs which look like miniature damsens. Thought I would look it up on Google and lo and behold Aronia berries, would like to make some jsm. Just checking they were edible.
I will definitely add them to my celery, carrot apple and berry smoothie. Thank you for your post.
Jacqueline says
Wonderful find, Diane! I love that you found them, and yes!, they make awesome jam 🙂 Very good for your overall health!
Enjoy 🙂
Heidi says
Doesn’t the cooking process kill off the benefits (much like cooked veggies lose the vitamin content)?
Jacqueline says
Cooking can reduce the levels of Vitamins C and some of the heat labile vitamins, but many phytonutrients/antioxidants are still viable: http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/antioxidants-destroyed-heat-9263.html
Fred says
If the cooking process killed off all the benefits, humanity would be almost extinct by now 😉
Jacqueline says
Yes! Great way to put it, Fred 🙂 Cooking actually increases many antioxidants and many phytonutrients are intact.
Judy says
Thank you so much for posting your wonderful recipes! I bought a pint of aronia berries at the grocer yesterday, having never heard of them. When I got them home and tried them I thought omigosh, what did I buy? They tasted so sour and bitter! Hoping to make some use of them, I searched the Internet for chokeberry recipes, and finally baked them into your pie recipe. Since I had only 2 cups I cut the recipe in half and added 3 large sliced apples. The pie is scrumptious and I know it’s not going to last long. Thank you!
Jacqueline says
Haha! I’m blessed you are enjoying them!! I LOVE your adaptation, Judy 🙂
George Dobrin says
We are growing and marketing aronia berries in Georgia. Go to ETSY thefarmacyshoppe
George and Mike
Longwood Farms
678 817-1266
Jacqueline says
Thanks, George! Aronias are fabulous!
Fred says
Jacqueline,
We wish you all the best with your new aronia crop. In Utah state, we trust you will do great and probably better than the growers in the Great Lakes region as you’ll enjoy higher amount of sunshine.
Your aronia recipes are great, thanks for that, and we will share them on our facebook page soon.
Best wishes for 2016.
– A Cooperative of Aronia Farmers in Bulgaria
Jacqueline says
Thank you, Fred in Bulgaria 😀 I wish you well and will visit your FB page and say ‘Hello’!
Carole Riet says
My berries r tiny & red, but when I bought it, it was supposedly an aronia bush. Are there different varieties of it? It is loaded w/tiny little berries (!)
Carole in Michigan
Jacqueline says
Hi, Carole,
Hmmm…I am thinking maaybe not, but not being able to see them I couldn’t say for sure. I am glad you are IDing them first before eating! The reason I’m doubting it is because my aronias have already been picked for a month. When ripe, they are a deep purple, almost black. And they are the size of a regular cultivated blueberry (not small like those that we see from the wild boreal forest areas). I wish I could be more help!
I hope that helps! 😀 J