The healthy “chokeberry,” as it’s often called, is actually a North American native! Long ago, it was a vital source of vitamins for Indigenous peoples during the cold winter months. These days, Aronia berries are making a huge comeback as a trendy superfood. Honestly, having an Aronia bush in your own backyard is a total game-changer for your health and your garden.
Freezing Your Chokeberries Right After Harvest
Aronia shrubs are incredibly productive. You can expect to harvest anywhere from five to eleven pounds of berries per bush! Eating that many all at once is pretty much impossible, so you’ll want to dry or freeze them as soon as possible to keep them fresh.
Freezing is my favorite method because it’s so low-effort. It preserves most of the nutrients, and you can just grab a handful whenever you need them.
Simply rinse your freshly picked berries under running water and pack them into freezer bags. If you’re trying to go plastic-free, standard glass mason jars work perfectly too. Frozen berries stay good for about three months—just long enough to keep your vitamin levels up all winter long.
Creative Ways to Use Aronia Berries
You can eat Aronia berries raw, so there’s no fancy prep required. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use them:
- Tossed into your morning oatmeal or cereal
- Baked into cakes, muffins, or tarts
- Mixed into fruit compotes
- Used as a savory “spice” in sauces (they pair beautifully with game meats!)
- Blended into smoothies for a nutrient boost
Pro tip: Fresh berries straight off the bush can be a bit tart and astringent. If you wait until after the first frost to harvest, they get much sweeter! Just be sure to cover your shrubs with bird netting, or your feathered neighbors will beat you to the feast.
Other Ways to Preserve Your Harvest
If your freezer is full, don’t worry! You can also dry them in the oven. Dried berries last for about a year. You can also cook your fresh harvest down into jams that last ages, or run them through a juicer to make a delicious, concentrated syrup.
