Chokeberry is a spectacular shrub with black fruits and glossy leaves. This native of North America has taken root on our land and got here the name Chokeberry. When to collect overseas berry, what is the care of it and what is the nutritional value of chokeberry, in Russia they learned thanks to the efforts of Michurin. Prior to his research, the shrub was grown for decorative purposes, and it was not widely distributed. Nowadays, chokeberry grows in many parts of the country and is appreciated not only for its decorative and astringent taste in fruits, but also for its medicinal qualities.
High productivity, early maturity and the lack of cyclical fruiting are valuable qualities that distinguish chokeberry. When to collect astringent astringent berries and what is useful in them?
The composition of the fruits of chokeberry
Beautiful shiny fruits with an astringent sweet taste contain carotene, vitamins E, C, P and PP, group B, as well as iron, boron, manganese, iodide compounds, molybdenum and copper. In addition, they contain pectins, tannins, folic acid. The chokeberries are superior in vitamin P to all other berries and vegetables. The amount of this useful component is 5 times higher than in blackcurrant, and 10 times more than in cabbage. Having consumed only 1 gram of fresh berries, a person will fully satisfy the daily requirement for vitamin R.
Pectins, which in large quantities contain fruits of chokeberry, are able to remove toxins and salts of heavy metals from the body. They contribute to the outflow of bile and stabilize the intestines. The content of anthocyanins is also high - plant pigments that can give a steady color to light juices. The successful combination of ascorbic acid with vitamin P makes berries an excellent preventive and therapeutic agent for sleep disorders, cardiovascular diseases, headaches and a decrease in immunity. According to the accumulation of iodine in fruits (2-4 times more than the rest of the crops), chokeberry is also a leader. When to pick tart berry to get maximum vitamins?
Flowering and fruiting
The perennial deciduous aronia bush can actively bear fruit for more than 20 years, bringing annually up to 10 kg of healthy tasty berries. Flowering begins late in mid-June, which completely eliminates the freezing of the ovaries. Fruits begin to ripen quickly, by the end of August they are suitable for consumption. But at this time, berries are usually not harvested. This is due to the high content of catechins, which give the fruit excessive astringency. Their content decreases over time, which helps to improve taste.
When to collect aronia
The ripe chokeberry berries hold well on the branches and can sag there for 1-2 months if they are not pecked by birds. Usually, they begin harvesting in September-October. Shields are cut with scissors, then the berries are separated from the stalks and poured into shallow boxes.
The chokeberry is transportable and well stored at a temperature of + 5 ° C. If you cut the shields without removing the berries in a dark, cold place, all winter will have fresh black-fruited mountain ash at hand.
When to collect berries for drying? In order for the taste of the fruit to improve and they have gained all the healing power, the collection must be carried out after the first frost. Dried berries retain healing properties if in the process provide good ventilation and do not raise the temperature above +50 o C.
The berries are also frozen, syrups and compotes are boiled from it. When making wines from chokeberry, healing substances are destroyed by the fermentation process.