it's meant to be a superfood that has the highest antioxident levels than all the other superfoods ie., blueberries. it's more tart and it's recommended for cooking with, or for juicing. i saw some reduced plants from The Range the other day down to £1.25. here's an article to explain the benefits of them -
http://livelonger.hubpages.com/hub/aronia
think i'll get some for the lotti, and hopefully in a few yrs time, i'll be able to have more success with them than the blueberries i've tried to grow! Anyone with any tips on UK cultivation, btw?
they are highly invasive taste very strong when eating raw.
I've got one aronia bush growing on my lottie..it is not invasive bush so it is better to grow as 'specimen' rather than getting it mixed up into hedging.
Mine took 4 years to produce useable amount of berries and like the name..chokeberry..it is good description what they are like if trying to eat them raw.
On they own they don't have much taste and are better to use mixed up with black currants or any other berries.
They are very easy to grow..no fuss...no need for pruning and very hardy. Plant them like you would any other chrub and let them get on with growing.
Don't be dissapointed with the size of the berries though..no bigger than black currants.
not sure but might thinking of different plant choke cherry.
after all the excitement about discovering this wonder plant that when i went to The Range this morning (after catching 2 buses! >:( >:( they had chucked them out! not a happy bunny...
I have an aronia in a pot that I bought about 3 years ago.
I noticed a few berries on it this autumn and ate them - they had good flavour in the nose but not much taste ie: not much sugar or acid: - but certainly not choky!
They were soft and may have been over-ripe, but from what others say it's probably the best way to eat them raw.
However they are supposed to be cooked anyway.
The best thing to come out of this is that they obviously aren't particularly attractive to birds...
Cheers.
thanks for your reply vinlander, i shall be on the look out for this as and when i come across this again (only if it was cheap tho ::)) it's not a plant i've come across before esp. in a big commercial DIY store like The Range.
In Estonia it is grown on commercial scale.They make juice,jam and even wine with it!
Yesterday my eye court few berries still hanging on my bush and I had a little nibble...
For my surprise, now that they are really over ripe..the 'hairy' dryness in their taste that make them 'choky' wasn't that bad anymore..they were edible...but not that extent that I would nibble them by the handfull.
In Finland the Aronias are used commercially too..but you rarely see them used on their own. Aronias are not big in flavour..rather bland..and I've always seen them used mixed with other berries.
that's interesting GL. I'm still undeterred from finding these to grow. I noticed in one of the many Polish shops we have in Nottingham, that they sell Aronia herbal tea. Are these plants native in Eastern Europe, I wonder?
There is plenty of nurseries selling Aronias..but they can be pricey.
I'll try to find out where I bought mine few years go..that wasn't bad price at all..I bought it from hedging company.
In Finland you often see Aronias used and ornamental plants..single species hedge.
Other than that..you could try.. http://www.cooltemperate.co.uk/ (http://www.cooltemperate.co.uk/)..Nottinghamshire nursery...they haven't updated their list yet..maybe its worth of giving them a call to enquire if they stock them or could get it for you.. ;)
Other than that..I can offer few berries for you for seed...but it is sloooow option.. ::) I'm planning to do some cuttings next year though.. ;)
thanks for replying GL. i've been meaning to put my order thru' Cool Temperate's to get some fruit trees. I'll have a look for the Aronia whilst I'm there. glad to know that they sell a dwarf variety too.