Harvest time for aronia berries is usually late summer into autumn, generally from mid-August to early September. How to harvest and store aronia berries and how you can use them, read on!
Aronia berries are delicious and healthy and are rich in antioxidants. You can use them in many ways. If you can tolerate the spicy taste, eating raw or frozen fruits is healthy! Most of the time they are used in a processed state. We give tips on how to harvest and store them correctly so that you can enjoy the berries for longer.
When are aronia berries ripe?
How do you know when the berries are ready to harvest? If the berries are reddish, they are not yet ripe. Let them continue to ripen on the vine. When they are black you can pick them because they are ready.
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Some bushes can produce up to several liters of berries. These berries are very easy to harvest once they are ripe. How do you harvest aronia berries correctly? Simply grasp the grape and pull your hand down to remove the berries in one fell swoop. Collect the berries in a bucket. Be sure to harvest the berries as soon as they are ready to harvest. Then they are easily picked.
Inspect the fruit after harvesting
After you have harvested the berries, examine each individual berry to see if it is usable. If there are some spoiled or overripe berries, the others will soon spoil too, so it is important to leave only good berries. Separate the good fruit from the bad. You can puree overripe berries and use them for cakes or smoothies.
Preparation for storage
In order to store your aronia berries properly and enjoy them for longer, you must prepare them correctly. Place the berries in a colander. Drain them under cold water and run your hands over them to loosen anything stuck to them. After washing, place the berries on a paper towel, then take another paper towel and dry them. Be careful not to crush the berries. The berries are rolled between the paper towels and dried on all sides.
How long do aronia berries last?
Aronia berries can be stored at room temperature for a few days, but they will last several days longer in the refrigerator. If you freeze the berries you can use them for a few years. And once you dry them, you can use them for several months.
How to freeze the berries
After the berries have been picked, washed, dried, bagged and labeled, all that's left is to freeze them. Take a bag in which you will put the berrieswant to freeze, and label it with a felt-tip pen. Just put them in the freezer until you need them. If the berries are dry, the fruits will not stick together and will be easier to use later.
Can you dry Arionia berries?
Yes, it is entirely possible to dry the berries for later use. One of the most common methods is drying aronia berries in a convection oven. Drying removes most of the water content, so the dried berries are much sweeter than when fresh. How do you store the berries after drying them? Dried berries can be stored in a sealed container in a cool, dark, dry pantry for three months. Protect from sunlight.
How to use the berries
Aronia berries weigh 1 to 1.5 g and have deep red-purple flesh. The taste of the berry is bitter-sweet. Although aronia berries can be eaten raw, they are more likely to be found in processed form. They can be used as an ingredient in foods such as cakes, juices and tea. The berries are said to have many health benefits, including anti-cancer properties. Many of aronia's proposed health benefits are associated with its high content of nutrients called polyphenols.
Traditionally the berries were used as a cold remedy. They have a strong mouth-drying effect, which is why they are mainly used to make juices, purees, jams, jellies, syrups, teas and wines. A good way to incorporate aronia berries into your day is to add 15 to 20 berries to your oatmeal in the morning and stir another 10 berries into your yogurt in the afternoon. Or add them to a salad.
Due to their high antioxidant content, aronia berries are an important part of the anti-aging program. They help protect the skin from harmful external influences such as pollution, smoke and UV radiation, all of which can contribute to wrinkles and aged skin.
