Photography by Marie Viljoen.
Aronia melanocarpa is no ordinary shrub. But once harvested it can be turned into juice, syrup, and a fermented dried fruit that finds its way into all kinds of dishes and bakes.
Including Aronia in our diets can only be beneficial.
Aronia berries although technically the fruit is a pome like an apple not a berry contain exceptionally high levels of anthocyanins...
...a subclass of phenolic phytochemicals that are powerful antioxidants associated with cardiovascular health with antidiabetic anticancer anti inflammatory and antimicrobial actions
The species we’re focusing on is , black chokeberry (melano means black).
Grown in high shade, the shrubs will thrive but they will be slender and lanky, with fewer flowers and consequently less fruit.
In full sun, clusters of Aronia flowers appear in mid-spring for about two weeks.
Later in the season, in October and November, Aronia often tastes less astringent and can be eaten out of hand. It is not unusual to see the fruit persisting into early winter, when it feeds resident birds and critters.
I press the fruit through a simple food mill (I like Oxo’s).
Thanksgiving-ready syrup-fermented Aronia and cranberries. The result of the drying is a craisin-like delicacy.
The leftover fruit (with cranberries), transformed by the sweet fermentation, is laid out on parchment to dry for around four to ten days. Once dry, the Aronia fruits are chewy and sweet while retaining their dark, antioxidant character.
Dried Aronia, hoshigaki and marzipan cakes.
In winter, dried Aronia as well as a cube of frozen juice finds their way into slow-cooked beans.
Dried Aronia with roasted beets makes a killer vegan pâté. Cooked with herbs and spices the fermented fruit makes a memorable chutney for cheese boards and charcuterie plates.
Aronia chutney atop soft cheese.
Aronia Chutney
Use fresh Aronia, or the sweet fruit leftover after making fermented Aronia syrup. • 7 cups (about 2 lbs) ripe or fermented Aronia. Cook at a steady simmer until the Aronia and raisins are tender and the mixture resembles jam—about 30 minutes.