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.
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.
After roller coaster ride of organic Aronia Berry farming, we finally feel like we’re on the roller coaster going up slowly. We are working with great partners who are creating wonderful Aronia products.
You can see for yourself the antioxidant rating of Aronia. They rank much higher than the blueberry or even cranberries that are so good for us. As we all struggle to stay healthy and build our immune systems, we need the antioxidant punch of Aronia.
One of the gentlemen we are working with has been encouraging over the last few years. When I was complaining about being sick and tired of cutting out the same trees over and over and fighting the weeds, he encouraged us to hang in there. He told us about a woman who tested the products he developed and way outlived the doctor’s grim prognosis. He has told us of folks who are living much better lives because of the Aronia berries and the products which are being developed. His exact words were “If you know you are helping others, you can pull a few more weeds.”
So as we keep pulling weeds, and cutting out stray trees, we are looking forward to bringing you these products. Keep watching or visit MyAroniaBerry.com to learn more.
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.
Normally at this time of year we would be working with harvesters, hustling to find a refrigerated truck, pallets, and enough totes to hold all the harvest. This year there’s no competition with the Iowa State Fair’s need for refrigeration trucks because of COVID.
Because of the early spring cold weather and snow, the berries all fell off. We were crushed. Farming is like a roller coaster, highs and lows. Truly a low this year.
I’ve had folks call recently getting ready to come pick their own berries. Since there are none, we are offering them frozen berries. We have lots of those, so if you’re looking for Aronia Berries for your morning smoothies or berries to make wonderful jams, or to bake, we have you covered.
We’ve also sent bulk berries to folks interested in juicing their own berries. Oh the healthy possibilities!
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
The cooler weather is settling upon us in central Iowa, snow is even predicted. So what to do on a cool Sunday afternoon, cook! I wish you could smell our house today. The simmering strawberries and aronia berries release a fresh, sweet, comforting fragrance that makes your mouth water. I’m creating Strawberry/Aronia Fruit Spread. I will have it available at the Holiday Showcase in Carlisle next Saturday. I always have some on hand to share with friends and it makes a great gift. Pure goodness in a half pint for $5.
Leave a comment if you’d like to purchase yours.
Fogles Organic Aronia Berries – A Homegrown Super Food!
