To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [NAFEX] Aronia arbutifolia. Red chokeberry.
Date: Sun, 13 Nov 2011 09:24:37 -0500
I just tasted my first Aronia berries. They were red, I believe they are
/Aronia arbutifolia/. I have to admit I am underwhelmed. They are dry
and mealy, bland tasting. They remind me of an inferior rose hip without
as much fruit surrounding the seed core.
When I search for /Aronia/ uses, the web is full of glowing reports for
juice, jams, jellies, even fresh eating. Are the red varieties that
much inferior to the black? I don't know the history of these plants, so
the fruit quality may have been adversely affected by drought.
Does anyone have any comments or experience with using these fruits?