Let me explain…very few people have heard of an Aronia Berry. I encourage you to do your research after seeing this. You’ll find they’re the healthiest berry you’ve never heard of! Aronia Berries are twice as high in antioxidants than blueberries, higher in fact than grandma’s Elderberries!
If you scroll through our site, you’ll see lots of reasons folks would want to consume Aronia berries every day. We do. Why? For example recently two people I spend time with came down with COVID. I didn’t ever get it. I haven’t had the flu in years. My allergies make me prone to sinus infections which I used to get twice a year like clockwork, haven’t had one in a couple years. We don’t get the grandkids’ crud:).
My husband, who is 87, goes to the doctor, they want to know how he looks so good and is doing so much. He has three doctors now who have purchased berries and believe in them.
Why should you try Aronia?
We have folks who use our Aronia products to help with high cholesterol, Chron’s, IBS, regulate blood sugar, promote regularity, and more than a few who “just feel better”.
Don’t take our word for it, if you’re serious about feeling better without all the pills, visit MyAroniaBerry.com and give Aronia a try. Why else would someone eat something called a “chokeberry”? They’ve were used by native Americans for their medicinal value. Granted, they aren’t as sweet as a blueberry, but you can handle 14-18 per day to get the antioxidant boost you need daily.
Freeze dried Aronia berries (or the frozen berries) are great tossed in trail mix, fudge (see the recipe), yogurt, overnight oats, cereals, meatballs, chili, soups and in salads.
We have some who call the Immune Syrup “Magic Juice”. Teachers especially love the stuff. They don’t succumb to the little germ factories they are in touch with with on a daily basis.
Aronia powder is awesome in energy drinks, lemonade, coffee, water, orange juice, soups and smoothies. Aronia powder is ground so fine, I like it in a carrier oil on my skin instead of an expensive lotion. It’s full of vitamin C, E, and resveratrol. You will find our Aronia powder more expensive than some. Why? You’re getting the full berry and all the nutritional value, not just the leftovers after juicing. We also take great care with a unique process that doesn’t heat up the berries when grinding. Again, preserving all the nutritional value!
If you’re a smoothie lover, you owe it to yourself to give Aronia berries a try. Use a protein? Try our A2 Immune Builder, it’s got the power of Aronia and the protein of A2 goat whey. It’s done amazing things for so many. Everything from building up weightlifters and grandma’s muscles, to calming stomach issues, and even helping eliminate age spots in some folks. We think it’s about as close to mother’s milk as possible. Helping with so many different facets of health.
MyAroniaBerry.com
Interested in giving Aronia a try? Head on over to MyAroniaBerry.com to find yours. We look forward to sending some your way!
2021 Aronia Berry Harvest complete! We had great help for the day to make it a success. Was it all it could be? No, heavy frost and snow in our low lying fields dramatically limited yields. We had no berries in much of the lowest areas. Drought conditions limited the size of the berries, but they’re picked and out.
All total we picked about 8700 lbs of berries! We’d anticipated about 6,000 lbs. We keep thinking what if frost/snow hadn’t impacted our lower field!
John from US Aronia harvestingReady to wrap and load in the refrigerated truckFilled Lugs
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!
Science confirms what we’ve known for a while, daily supplementation with Aronia Berries reduces blood pressure and cholesterol. These little dark purple gems we have growing are great for your heart!
We have a friend who was interested in lowering her cholesterol. She added Aronia berries to her daily diet, usually consuming whole frozen berries in yogurt or oatmeal for breakfast. After her next doctor visit she let us know her cholesterol dropped 30 points. Adding Aronia berries was the only change made in her diet and lifestyle.
You know sometimes when folks tell you something is good for you, you think, yeah right? It’s just hype to sell more. I know think that until I look into it myself or know someone it’s really helped.
The study here discusses the benefits of our little purple powerhouse berries in the fight to lower cholesterol. The study was done with rats. However, we have a friend at church who swears by Aronia Berries. She was struggling with high cholesterol and hesitated to use lipid lowering medications because of side effects. She tried Aronia, just a small handful daily. Her only diet change was adding berries daily to her cereal, oatmeal, or yogurt. Her cholesterol was 30 points lower at her re-check!
Side effects? None. Plus she had the benefit from the anti-fungal, anti-viral antioxidant properties of Aronia. Good enough reason to try? You bet.
Remember, you can find them at Fareway in Carlisle, Indianola, Norwalk and Fleur Drive in Des Moines. In addition, Gateway Market and the Price Choppers in Des Moines also handle Aronia. You can always contact us directly if you need them shipped to you.
Fogle’s Organic Aronia Berries in the Freezer Section
I have been remiss in adding to the blog this spring. We’ve been so busy catching up with things we didn’t get done last year due to health reasons, I’m running way behind!
The berries have lots of beautiful little berries. Even the bushes that we trimmed back too 8″ a year ago in March are loaded with berries and are about five foot tall. It’s amazing to us how resilient the Aronia berries are.
In my spare time I’ve been making Aronia Cayenne Sauce and Strawberry Aronia Fruit Spread. Two of our favorite ways to share the Aronia goodness with others. I plan to take the Fruit Spread and Aronia Cayenne Sauce to the What Cheer Flea Market this weekend. Yet another attempt to educate folks on the wonderful benefits and flavors of Aronia!
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!
I hear this question all the time. Right now is the perfect time to answer that question. Woody just had a hip replaced and I’m fighting a terrible cold after being with him in the hospital and having a weakened immune system, it was bound to catch me. But, we know that our little purple powerhouse berries are anti-viral, so we load up with their vitamins and nutrients to push thru and recover. We even boosted our intake prior to surgery!
Here’s now we use have been using them. I like smoothies for breakfast and mine are always purple! Woody prefers Aronia jelly or berries in oatmeal or pancakes.
For lunch, I just toss Aronia berries in chef salads. Today I’m having them in my vegetable beef soup and salad.
We eat them in all sorts of baked goods as you can see on the recipe section. The kids love them in the cookies, Woody loves the BananAronia bread or the Pear Aronia bread.
For dinner, I use them in meatloaf, meatballs, and in chili. Often times I mix them with apples or pears to make a sauce for pork chops or chicken. Sometimes you can even spice the sauces up with cayenne or creole seasonings for an interesting twist.
We also press them and drink the juice! It’s good with a bit of 7-Up, Sparkling Water, Lemonade, Ginger Ale, or Woody’s been known to mix it in with a little Captain and Coke! But to be fair, he puts some berries in with his coffee grounds occasionally too. There are so many, many uses you just have to be creative!
What a better way to spend a frigid afternoon than catching up on a few things… It’s good Aronia Berries need a cold season. We’re sure getting it now!
After a long fall and exciting preparation for the holidays, things are finally settling down a bit and I can once again re-focus. We’ve been busy making White Chocolate Aronia Fudge, Strawberry Aronia Fruit Spread all fall. We hope those who received some as Christmas gifts thoroughly enjoyed theirs! We’re always looking for new ways to use Aronia and trying to expand our market, and acquaint folks with the powerful purple berries!
We even spent a little time away from the farm in southwest Florida for the holidays with family and shared information about Aronia with folks at farmers’ markets there! It was fun, they were sharing information about a fruit juice full of anti-oxidants and how good anti-oxidants were for you. We told them we knew a little something about that! Because Aronia is a “super food” with their high ORAC score.
Fogles Organic Aronia Berries – A Homegrown Super Food!
