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.
Tag Archives: aronia melanocarpa
Great News for Aronia!
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.
AntiOxidant Punch!
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!
Taking Advantage of the Rain!
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!
Almost Harvest Time
The summer is winding down, the Iowa State Fair begins this week, and before you know it school will be starting. Must mean Aronia berry harvest is right around the corner. The fields have gone from barren, to beautiful white blooms, to being filled with almost black berries now. We’re taste testing and using the refractometer to know when the flavor is at its peak of perfection and nutrition.
Here at our farm, and at farms across Iowa, many Aronia growers will be hosting folks to pick their own berries this year. Why should you? If you look back through some of these posts, you will see many, many reasons to stock your freezer with these healthy little gems. The studies are proving their benefits in so many health issues.
We eat them in so many ways. The other night for example we had them in salad, salad dressing, and in a sauce to be used on the pork chops. Why? Of course they’re free here and we have them all year round, but let me tell you what happened when my husband went to the pain specialist recently. Yes he has osteoarthritis terribly from several orthopedic surgeries (he should almost be bionic by now), but the pain doctor said for his age (82) he’s in really good shape compared to many and looked good. Her question was why. He said we’d been eating the Aronia berries for about the last 8 years. She was going to get some. It was proof enough for her. He recently had blood work done again. His results are always really good. We know why.
This little lady is one of the other reasons why…
So watch here for times and dates to pick your own. Spend a little time in nature, plan to bring the family, stock the freezer, we’ll teach you how to use them. We’ll all be glad you did!
Whew! Settling in the Deep Freeze
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.
Meet the Fogle’s in the Field
A few weeks ago when the Aronia berries were in full bloom, we decided to have a family photo taken. Our family has grown, as have the berries, since we first began blogging about our Aronia plantation.
Those three little beauties in the top picture love to help Grandpa and Grandma. Anytime they hear that mower turn on, the oldest ones know it’s time for a ride. Sometimes we even hitch up a utility trailer and go for “wagon rides”. The beautiful blonde was pictured helping plant berries when she was a toddler. Now she’s nearing 7 and can explain all about Aronia berries. The middle one would just as soon have a handful of purple and a stained face about harvest time. She loves eating right off the bush, as does Abe, our Rottweiler. Aggie, his little sidekick, hasn’t had the chance to enjoy Aronia except in dog treats. Abe and Aggie are our “critter control”. The whole family has helped plant berries and we rely on our son’s horticulture degree and farming experience for advice and muscle from time to time.
We recall the days spent planting those little 4″ twigs and wishing and wondering how they’d grow. Now look at the beautiful bushes over 6′ tall in some areas. As you walk between the rows, it’s like being in another place. They are truly a beautiful addition to our property. We wish you could have seen the beautiful flowers and smelled the aroma of Aronia in bloom along with us that evening. Now we tend, wait, and watch for late August and a bumper crop of berries.
Beautiful No Matter the Season
I always forget to take pictures out in the Aronia berry fields during the winter months. It doesn’t seem possible this was just on Monday as we were going out for a walk and to do some sledding. We knew the snow wouldn’t last, but the fields are beautiful, no matter what season.
Another Aronia Berry Hurdle Cleared
Today we became official! We have become a licensed processing plant. What used to be our garage has been turned into a facility to process foods. We have plans to package and sell our certified organic Aronia Berries online, to customers, and stores. A Preview of our Label
Another step toward sharing these little purple gems with others!
A Day with IPR
Recently I had the opportunity to visit with Amy from Iowa Public Radio about Aronia. It was an interesting morning…Listen Here