Aronia, aka chokeberry...

Lycanthrope

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My first time playing with aronia. So far I like them more than I thought I would. Buddy has some bushes on his farm and let me pick a few gallons today.

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bushes are loaded and hang in large clusters which makes picking fairly easy...
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Sugar content surprised me, they are definitely sweet, but also very bitter which makes it hard to appreciate, should make some good jam tho.
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KDM

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Our bushes produce like crazy, but I have to admit, they aren't my first choice for jelly/jam. We mix chokeberry juice with something else when we use it in stuff. We've found Nankin cherry and chokeberry is a pretty good mix though. However, it has an interesting overtone when you eat it that's a mix of pepper, tartness, and that cotton feeling on your tongue you get from chokecherries. I like it on sourdough bread toast. (Very Not Bad)
 

NDbowman

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I've planted a few on an edge of a shelterbelt. Really produce a lot of berries in a short time. They definitely aren't one to eat off the plant. My mother really likes them for jelly. Likes how the jelly sets up, must be lots of pectin or something. I find the flavor of the jelly to be close but not quite like chokecherry. Chokecherry jelly being slightly better.
 

LBrandt

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Just finished up 64 containers of apple sauce and enough baked apples for 16 pies. If I never see another apple this year it will be OK.
 
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Lycanthrope

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Seem to have some natural pectin in them also, my normal recipe for fruit jam ended up way over pectin, had to dilute it with 1/3 more juice. I think my favorite mixture so far is 4 cups grape puree, 1 c aronia juice and 1c rhubarb juice, 3 c sugar and 1/4c low sugar pectin...
 

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