Content
- Aronia berries harvest only mature
- Rich harvest between mid-August and late September
- Sweeter fruits due to longer ripening period
- How do I know if my aronia berries are ripe?
- Protect aronia berries from birds
- Tips & Tricks
Aronia berries harvest only mature
The now also popular in this country (chokeberry) is not only extremely healthy, it can also be used very versatile in the kitchen. It is part of delicious multi-fruit jellies and jams, can be processed into juices or dried into granola. In addition, the fruit enriches homemade fruit wines and liqueurs or are suitable as an ingredient in sausages. The berries should be harvested as soon as possible.
Rich harvest between mid-August and late September
The usual harvest time often refers to the weeks between mid-August and the end of September. However, when the chokeberries are actually ripe depends on the weather during the summer months. If it rains less often and the sun shines often and persistently, you can look forward to a relatively early and rich harvest. However, the rainier a summer is, the later the berries become ripe.
Sweeter 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 matured berries can develop a higher proportion of healthy ingredients - and on the other hand, similar to grapes, develop a higher sweetness, the longer they can remain on the bush. Aronia berries harvested after the first frost, in particular, are considerably sweeter in their taste than the bitter late summer fruits. By the way, it does not hurt if later harvested fruits look shriveled, on the contrary. These are often especially tasty.
How do I know if my aronia berries are ripe?
You can test whether your berries are already ripe by picking some berries from the shrub and cutting them with a sharp knife in the middle. The flesh should be consistently burgundy to dark purple. Finally, to harvest the berries, it is best to fold or cut the fruit umbels completely.
Protect aronia berries from birds
Since birds also know what is good for them, you should cover your aronia shrubs with a bird net or a large curtain. Otherwise, it can happen that Amsel and Co. help you diligently with the harvest and that there is not much left for you. The bird protection nets should be spread early, because your feathered friends fit the perfect time for the Aronia harvest exactly.
Tips & Tricks
You do not need the Aronia berries until the first frost on the shrub to harvest as tasty as possible fruits. You can instead harvest them ripe in late summer and then freeze them in portions. Freezing also makes the berries milder in flavor.