Wellness infusions or herbal teas are very popular, appreciated by all generations, and novelty-seekers are often looking for original variations. An infusion of Aronia berries should appeal to them, as well as to gardeners who favour an edible garden. This small bush indeed has both ornamental and gustatory assets! Treat yourself to a calming moment with a homemade infusion recipe made from its small colourful berries with a blackcurrant-like taste.
Aronia: a bush and small fruits to discover
Interesting on many levels, Aronia (or aronie) is a small bush that often slips in at the foot of larger fruit trees to benefit from their shade, as it naturally grows in the acidic, cool and damp understoreys of Canada and North America. With an average height of 1 m to 2.50 m, Aronia reveals a delicate white flowering tinged with pink in spring, between April and June, typical of the Rosaceae family, then in autumn, its foliage takes on magnificent red colours. Perfectly hardy, this bush can establish in any garden, up to 1,500 metres altitude. In addition to all these qualities, the flowers turn in summer into small clusters of berries that ripen to red or black depending on variety: a treasure for the papillae!
Why use Aronia in an infusion?
The Aronia infusion uses the bush's berries once dried. Its berries are known for their powerful antioxidant properties (twice those of cranberry), their blue and red pigments are very rich in anthocyanins (800 mg anthocyanins per 100 g, versus 165 mg per 100 g for blueberry for example) and in polyphenols. They are also rich in flavonoids, and in vitamins E, C, B1, B2, provitamin A and potassium… Moreover, when infused as dried berries, Aronia has antioxidant virtues far more concentrated than the fruit eaten raw or cooked. It is also an interesting infusion for people who cannot tolerate theine. It would be a shame not to use its fruits to include in a hot drink!
When to harvest Aronia berries?
Note that you will obtain a good harvest from bushes at least four years old. Patience, patience if you have just planted…
Pick berries when they have taken on a deep black colour, from late August through October depending on region. Harvested too early, sugar content will not be optimal and berries will be too acidic and astringent.
N.B. : Black-fruited varieties are particularly suited to consumption, as they have a milder, less acidic and somewhat sweeter flavour when picked at the right time, such as Aronia melanocarpa, the type species, or variety 'Hugin', and Aronia prunifolia ‘Viking’ (berries first red then glossy purplish-black, valued for good fruit yield). ‘Nero’ with large black fruits is also very productive.
Drying Aronia berries
The infusion is prepared with dried fruits. Once harvested and washed, you can choose between sun-drying on racks (if you live in the south and autumn temperatures are still warm, this will take about a week), low-temperature oven drying (a few hours) or using a dehydrator if you have one. Servane tells you much more in How to dry Aronia berries? Once dried, and to preserve their aromatic value, berries keep for about a year in an airtight glass jar. You can also use them to enrich granolas or in baked goods.
Homemade Aronia infusion recipe
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons dried Aronia berries
- 1/2 teaspoon honey or sugar (facultative)
- Heat 250 ml of water until simmering (to 75°C).
- Add Aronia berries, and optionally other fruits or spices (see variants).
- Infuse for 10 minutes.
- Strain preparation and add honey or a little sugar if desired.
- Serve piping hot, at any time of day.
Variants
As with other red-fruit infusions, you can add flavours to this infusion using other plants or spices: dried hibiscus flowers, dried cranberry berries, winter-harvested hips, star anise, cinnamon stick or spice blend for tea, etc.
You can also, as with iced tea, drink this infusion once cooled, enjoyed very cold in summer. After infusion, let cool completely and store in fridge. Add ice cubes and a few zest or drops of lemon or other citrus.
Learn more
- Find our range of Aronias in our online shop.
- Everything about Aronia in our complete file Aronia: planting, to grow and maintain. Unsure which Aronia variety to plant at home: find Alexandra's advice in Choosing an Aronia.
- Discover other unusual homemade infusions or teas: witch-hazel infusion, hawthorn infusion, pine needle infusion, and how to make jasmine tea?
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