The chokeberry (aronia), which is now also popular in this country, is not only extremely he althy, it can also be used in many different ways in the kitchen. It is an ingredient in delicious multi-fruit jellies and jams, can be made into juices or added dried to muesli. The fruits also enrich homemade fruit wines and liqueurs or are suitable as an ingredient in sausage products. The berries should be harvested as ripe as possible.
When are aronia berries ready to harvest?
Aronia berries are ripe between mid-August and the end of September, depending on the weather. Ripe berries have a dark purple to black skin, consistent wine-red flesh and a dark stem. You can leave them on the vine until the first frost for greater sweetness.
Rich harvest between mid-August and the end of September
The weeks between mid-August and the end of September are often mentioned as the usual harvest time. However, when the chokeberries are actually ripe depends on the weather during the summer months. If there is little rain and the sun shines often and persistently, you can look forward to a relatively early and rich harvest. However, the rainier the summer, the later the berries ripen.
Sweetter fruits due to longer ripening period
You can also leave the aronia berries on the bush until the first frost in December. This has the advantage that longer-ripened berries can develop a higher proportion of he althy ingredients - and on the other hand, similar to wine berries, they develop a higher sweetness the longer they can remain on the vine. Aronia berries harvested after the first frost in particular have a significantly sweeter taste than the tarter late summer fruits. By the way, it doesn't hurt if fruits harvested later look shriveled, on the contrary. These are often particularly tasty.
How do I know if my aronia berries are ripe?
- Shell is dark purple to black
- Flesh is wine red throughout
- Stem is also dark
- no green spots visible on the shell
You can test whether your berries are already ripe as follows: Pick a few berries from the bush and cut them in the middle with a sharp knife. The flesh should be colored wine red to dark purple throughout. To finally harvest the berries, it is best to bend or cut off the umbels completely.
Protect aronia berries from birds
Since birds also know what is good for them, you should cover your aronia bushes with a bird protection net (€16.00 on Amazon) or a large curtain. Otherwise, it could happen that Blackbirds and Co. will help you diligently with the harvest and there won't be much left for you. The bird protection nets should be put out early, because your feathered friends will know the perfect time for the aronia harvest.
Tips & Tricks
You don't need to leave the aronia berries on the bush until the first frost in order to harvest the best-tasting fruit possible. Instead, you can harvest them ripe in late summer and then freeze them in portions. Freezing also makes the berries milder in taste.