Nero Black Chokeberry Seeds

currently unavailable Large Fruited- Prolific- High in anti-oxidants 

Like the name suggests, the chokeberry is an astringent fruit with a strong flavor. Processed with apple, plum or blueberry and a little sugar or better yet a lot of sugar, the flavor mellows like a tart blueberry and with a full bodied anthocyanin punch. The dark purple juice is used in sports drinks under the name Aronia. It has been cultivated overseas for several years and is now catching on here in the U.S. The question is what can be done with the fruit and how to best harness the varieties that are available now. From seed, this plant produces all useful seedlings and little difference in their characteristics. 

The purple fruit is high in minerals, iron and many anthocyanins. It is said to improve circulation and increase mental alertness. Many of my past customers swear by the health benefits of this fruit and recommend it to consume on a daily basis.  Despite the rather acrid raw flavor of the juice if not sweetened, it mixes well in smoothies mellowing the astringency. I have uses the recipe for elderberry and make jam from this fruit. Without sugar, the fruit is essentially inedible making your tongue feel like scorched desert soil. However there are selections that are being developed that are suppose to be more tolerable and lower in astringency. I have a new planting of these and other hybrids with Sorbus called Sorbaronia that can potentially offer a different flavor profile just like apples. There is at least some variation.

It used to be I ate this fruit a lot. It was a common woodland plant in my family's wetlands. I always thought it has to be good for you if it tastes so bad. Well that might be partly true, but really I could only consume a few berries at a time. Usually it was more into the late fall and winter that you could easily find them. The birds also enjoyed those raisin like fruits in mid winter. 

This plant is easy to cultivate and produces clusters of dark purple astringent fruit. Nero is a German selection and is extremely productive with large fruit twice that of what you find in the wild. Nero is the most productive of all selections and can be grown from seed. Self fruitful, this plant can grow in light shade and still fruit even in dry soil types. It has fruited under my bur oaks as well as Norway maple trees.