Recently we shipped berries to Florida and California, sent berries to New Jersey to an organic juice bar, restocked our local stores, sold berries to a farmer hoping to help a pig’s inflammation prior to their County Fair, and learned a mid-wife recommends Aronia to her patients to help with varicose veins!
I’ve been reaching out to new outlets who may have an interest in our healthy, high antioxidant berries. If you know of anyone interested, please encourage them to reach out to Peggy@MyAroniaBerry.com.
Each bloom will become a berry. Fields are loaded with beautiful, fragrant blooms.
Fragrant Spring!
Spring is a beautiful time at our house. We can see fields full of blossoms in three directions. We love watching the bushes awake from their deep woodsy branches to the maroon looking buds, then the pop of the buds, leaves emerging leaving a green cast on the fields, and finally the flowers.
Early to mid-May is when the fields burst into color. If we get a heavy wind, like we have lately, it looks like it’s snowing tiny white petals. The petals fall off and all that is left is the forming berry. It’s amazing to watch the transformation.
It’s time to feed the plants again. This week we used the “fragrant cocktail” to feed the plants. We use an organic foliar spray made of fish emulsion and seaweed to give the plants a quick boost of nitrogen. The bushes love the nutrients, the family, not so much. Our middle granddaughter thinks it makes her gag! Honestly it smells like a nasty fish tank and parmesan cheese. When we spray, sprayer, mower and applicator all get washed! It’s a process we repeat every couple weeks from the time leaves begin appearing. We feed them to help get the best berries.
After months of struggling to figure things out, I am finally ready to share our latest project with you. MyAroniaBerry.com is our companion site where you will be able to purchase Aronia items. Sign up for Aronia 101, where you can learn all about Aronia. Find out about the health benefits, and how to use Aronia. We’re also beginning to post on our new You Tube channel Fogle Family Farm. The granddaughters and I will be showing you how to use our Aronia products.
The high antioxidant benefits of Aronia are highly sought after by those who have done research into using food as medicine. Nature knows best! We want to help you feel better.
One of the products at MyAroniaBerry.com is the Aronia/Chocolate Immune Builder. The A2 Goat Whey and Aronia Berry combination is a powerhouse. I have had friends take this on a motorcycle trip with her because it makes such a difference for her! The Immune Builder is a non-synthetic, non-pharmacological, non-steroidal, naturally produced protein concentrate proven to increase intracellular glutathione. It is a great choice for people with an under-active or poor-performing immune system. Benefits are very real with folks who have:
Chronic Fatique Syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Crohn’s Disease
Ulcerative Colitis
Type II Diabetes Mellitus
Hepatitis
HIV with wasting
Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Cancer
Myocardial Ischemia
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
In addition, folks looking to add muscle have had extremely positive results with the Immune Builder.
These are compounds naturally found in red, blue, and purple foods. They possess high levels of antioxidant activity and cause the dark colors in foods, flowers and plant material.
Why are Anthocyanins So Important?
Scientists have discovered about 300 different types of anthocyanins and research is proving the active role the compounds play in protecting cells, healing the body, preventing disease and hindering premature aging.
Aronia Berries & Anthocyanins
If you’ve seen our berries for yourself, you know they are about as dark as can be. They are a dark, dark purple, almost black berry. Their color is indicative of their high antioxidant levels. You always hear how good blueberries are for you…wait until you see how Aronia berries compare to Blueberries! Check out the chart below:
Yes you read that right, Blueberries have about half the antioxidants as in Aronia. So why haven’t you heard about this? I’ve heard that question so often. The reason is the Aronia industry has had some tough bumps and has been slow to produce products with wide availability. Some of the hurdles are slowly but surely being overcome. We have collaborated with two different companies to bring high-quality Aronia products to the masses.
We are developing MyAroniaBerry.com as a source for high-quality, certified organic Aronia products.
One of the products we are so excited about is a 50/50 blend of our organic Aronia and Elder Farms’ certified organic Elderberry. The finished product is an amazingly good blend of these two anthocyanin rich fruits. The result is a powerhouse immune supporting product.
By this time next week our fields will look drastically different, we will have had commercial harvesters pick our Aronia Berries. We’ll post pictures of the harvesting.
Lately we’ve been getting questions from small growers and folks at home who have berries, wondering why we haven’t picked them yet. Some people picked them when they first started turning purple because they look ripe.
We wait, sometimes impatiently, for the sugar content in the berries to rise. It helps our berries taste better than other berries which are harvested too early.
Our daughter says, “Sugar content?” (She’s not a fan of the fresh berries.) The sugar content in fruits vary from one to another. Aronia is a tart, dry, astringent berry that isn’t always a favorite of folks straight off the bush. We say it’s an acquired taste. Folks who aren’t really big sugar fans will enjoy the berries alone.
How Do I Know My Berries Are Ready?
The berries begin turning purple in July. Through August the berries fill out and ripen. If you have berries at home and wonder when to pick them, wait for the stems to change from green, to reddish, to dry and brown in color.
Berries themselves have a dimpled bottom. As the berries fill out and ripen, you will notice the dimpled area become more prevalent.
If you cut a berry in half, a ripe berry will be uniformly colored all the way through.
If you harvest too early, it’s fine, your berries just will not be as tasty and nutritious as possible. Next year, be patient.
COVID has been on everyone’s mind this past year. Nothing is normal. Hopes are pinned on vaccination and herd immunity, yet no one is discussing boosting your immune system.
Families are stressed. Jobs lost, working from home, schooling students at home, family members ill.
Healthcare is stressed to the max. Long-term care facilities are extremely scary places to be. Folks are dying alone. Families are overwhelmed.
Mental health is a true concern. Long-term isolation and financial stress are known causes for substance and physical abuse. Children not in school are particularly vulnerable.
Eating out has never been so different. As a former restauranteur, I worry about all those small businesses which are at a greater risk for failure in a normal year, but this year could be devastating to many. Not only restaurants, but theaters, non-profits, and many service industries are suffering as well.
Vaccines are coming. We know the time will come when this will all be a horrible memory. What can we do now? Guidelines preach hand washing, social distancing. Many are cleaning more now than ever before. Stay home. Take care of yourself.
Help your Immune System
When things are going well, do we ever really consider how our immune system is functioning? Some of us do because of health issues. But the vast majority of folks don’t really worry about it on a normal basis. Is there a way to help ourselves further? I believe there is.
Reduce toxins, keep moving, calm your mind, eat healthy, and supplement your diet. I know our Aronia Berries are boosting our immune system. Many folks are researching immune boosters now more than ever.
Our Partners In Immune Health
We have teamed up with A-2 Immune, Boone County Organics and Elder Farms. All are companies we fully trust who have developed amazing products using Aronia Berries to help folks boost their immunity.
I’m going to share an article the American Aronia Berry Association recently shared an article by Zachary MacDonald, Ph.D. student, Department of Kinesiology, University of Connecticut, nationally-ranked #3 Kinesiology doctoral program in the United States (by NAK)
We all know that the immune system is our body’s defense system against invaders (or infectious agents) such viruses and bacteria. However, something you might not know is how that the immune system is absolutely critical to normal bodily functions like digestion, regulating blood pressure, and managing chronic inflammation. Having a healthy immune system is not just about defending your body from nasty invaders, but also about overall health of every organ system.
Fortunately, consuming foods in our diet that support and possibly enhance immune function is impactful; making great choices about what we put in our bodies can help us function better and be more healthy. Such foods include berries packed full of compounds that improve cell function, ability to handle stress, and recovery from stress. Even the pigmentation that gives color to berries, some of which are called anthocyanins, are seen to have health benefits. Anthocyanins have a high amount of biological activity in inflammatory-related diseases such as cancer [1], diabetes [2], and cardiovascular disease [3]. Examples of anthocyanin-rich sources include blueberries, elderberry (also known as sambucus), and cherries.
For example, anthocyanins from wild blueberry powder were found to lower a pro-inflammatory protein complex called NF-κB in cell cultures [4], rats [5], and humans [6]. In elderberry, an anthocyanin called cyanidin 3-glucoside has been shown to significantly suppress the transmission of viruses in cell cultures, illustrating promising potential as a nutraceutical treatment for influenza [7].
There is one berry that stands out among the rest: the chokeberry, also known as aronia. There are several species of the chokeberry, but the black chokeberry in particular has been of great interest in the scientific community. This is due to its notably dark purple pigmentation, indicating its dense anthocyanin content, which is estimated to be the highest plant content of anthocyanin measured to date [8]!
Aronia has demonstrated its powerful anti-inflammatory effects in various ways. One way this has been shown is with the chronic digestive disorder colitis. Aronia appears to directly stimulate a type of immune protein called IL-10, which is vital to keeping excess intestinal inflammation at bay [9]. This berry has also shown to produce a mild but significant reduction in blood pressure, a symptom of what’s called “low-grade inflammation”. The reduction of this low-grade inflammation was explained by Aronia’s ability to decrease the inflammatory biomarkers IL-4, IL-5, and tumor necrosis factor-α in a 16-week human trial [10].
Aronia has also been shown to exhibit antibacterial and antiviral properties with its impressive anti-inflammatory abilities. An interesting speculation regarding aronia’s antibacterial properties is that it has shown to inhibit the growth of many different types of bacteria, while at the same time illustrating a lower potential for bacteria to develop resistance to it in comparison to some antibiotics [11]. It has also exhibited its antiviral properties against two types of the influenza virus: seasonal and oseltamivir-resistant (meaning that it is resistant to the common antiviral medication commonly known as Tamiflu). Impressively, it was able to inhibit nearly 70% of both types of virus [12].
There is still much more to be done and especially in human subject studies. There are many studies using bacteria, mice, and cell cultures, but not nearly as many in clinical human trials. However, there are enough out there that do exist that allows us to see the general direction Aronia research is headed in, and it looks like a good one for sure. Consider including aronia and other immune-enhancing foods in your diet to improve your physical and physiological resiliency!
Once again, our little purple gems are garnering attention in the media. We’ve seen for ourselves some of the benefits noted. If you have questions, please leave us a comment.
After struggling along the last few years trying to acquaint folks with the berries we produce on our farm, the fact that SPIN lists Aronia as a #2 trend couldn’t have come at a better time.
Will it instantly translate into more folks trying Aronia berries? Probably not, but it may make folks pause and Google. Because honestly, too few have heard of the little dark purple berry that has become very important in our lives. We hope anyone who Googles Aronia Berries, or Aronia Melanocarpa, will learn what we’ve known for the past 10 years. Aronia does your body good!
After SPINS recognition, folks who are interested in natural foods and health may research Aronia. We know the folks interested in bettering their health will seek items to use. Our hope is the attention garnered here will eventually translate into demand for more products containing Aronia.
Trending is fabulous! Here in Central Iowa, there are a lot of organic Aronia plants just waiting to fulfill the need. We have about 5,000 bushes on our farm ready to produce healthy organic berries next Fall.
Huge boost in visibility for aronia from SPINS this week, which named aronia #2 on their 2019 trends. SPINS is widely…
It’s definitely cold and cough season in Central Iowa! Around our house the grandchildren have all had ear infections, croup or just a crummy cold/cough. Their parents have had sinus and ear infections and Woody even caught the crud and ended up with sinus infection. BUT…guess who just has a little evening tickle and cough? Why?
I’ve been drinking or using more Aronia each day for the past month when all the snotting, sneezing and hacking started around our house. In cereal or oatmeal, in soups, on salads, you name it, I have it with Aronia. One of my most recent creations is to juice some berries and use about 2 oz of juice in a glass of orange juice. It’s also a great icee if you zap the oranges and berries and ice in the Vitamix! I call it my Antioxidant Punch:)
The powerful punch of our little purple berries packs a knock-out for virus germs so prevalent right now. See for yourself!
Most of the weekend we’ve been drenched in central Iowa. A washed out Labor Day weekend. So what do we do? Bake! I wish you could smell our house about now.
Folks are always asking me what we do with “those” berries. We get creative. We use them in chocolate chip cookies, apple pie, fudge, pancakes, beef stew, chili, meatballs and meatloaf, salads, pancakes, lemonade, muffins, banana bread, you name it, I try it. The recipe page includes some of our favorites. It includes the new one that’s in the oven.
The house smells amazing and it tastes just as good!
Pear Aronia Granola
Fogles Organic Aronia Berries – A Homegrown Super Food!
