The aronia berry exploded onto the agricultural scene, and one grower, Dean Tranel, continues to reap its benefits. Tranel plants 10 acres of aronia berries and intends to expand to 15 acres this year. He also propagates thousands of plants every year that he sells to customers.

“We definitely need more destemming and processing for the aronia berry, but I’m very encouraged about its future. They’re still on the uptick. When I’m talking to people about them at the fair or wherever, there’s a growing interest still,” Tranel said. “Juice providers are continuing to purchase the berries and we’re already looking at orders for later this year. More athletes are using them, too.”

Tranel began growing berries six years ago.

He started with just a few plants in the hopes of understanding how the plants worked. Then four-and-a-half years ago, he planted a bounty. As a crop scientist at a crop research company, it was important to him to understand how the plant worked.

-Submitted photo from Dean Tranel
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has certified 80 aronia operations in Iowa that range from small to multiple acres.

“I was considering growing Christmas trees, something part-time on the side. I wanted something that I could do more hands-on and use for my future, for my retirement. I also wanted to raise something profitable and make sure it was something that I was happy about raising,” he said. “It’s a fairly new crop, so I’ve been trying to learn the best management practices and all of its uses. We can reproduce corn and soybeans and crops like that, but I’m producing a fruit that people can enjoy with its health benefits.”

With a farm in Boone County, Tranel relied on experts at Iowa State University and across the Midwest. The Midwest Aronia Association also is an active group that hosts an annual conference and serves as a solid source of information, he said.

Tranel said there are a significant number of farmers who raise one to three acres and can handle the manual labor requirements. As more aronia growers come onto the scene, they tend to be more smaller sized and not large like him.

“My approach is larger scale. Eventually, I’d like to get up to 25 acres, so I’ve been working to discover how to mechanically reach a higher efficiency,” he said. “We do some traditional pest management and use a custom harvester. It’s more intensive than traditional row crops, but it’s doable.”

Tranel, whose operation is called Tranel Aronia Products LLC, shared that he eats them every weekday frozen on his cereal. He also makes his own juice, aronia jam and then snacks on dried aronias. He frequently uses them in baked goods and desserts.

“An aronia pie is just as good as any pie,” Tranel said.

Maury Wills, bureau chief of the ag diversification and market development bureau for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, manages the organic certification program. So far, he’s certified 80 aronia operations in Iowa that range from small to multiple acres.

“Many producers market the aronia berry in a form that makes it enjoyable and focus on the antioxidant characteristics,” Wills said.

Is my site suitable for aronia production and, if not, how do I make it better?

Joe Hannan, horticulture field specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, provided some tips on planting and growing aronia berry plants.

Site selection is critical to successful fruit production.

Choosing a good site and adequately preparing it before planting can mean the difference of a crop in three years or not producing a crop for five years.

While plants will tolerate a wide range of soils, the ideal site is well-drained, deep, flat, and moderately fertile.

Drainage is one of the most critical factors for selecting a site for fruit crops. Well-drained soils are ideal for healthy, productive, and long-lasting plants. In much of the state, soils with less than ideal drainage can be tile drained to improve drainage.

The Web Soil Survey can be used to evaluate site drainage and depth of soil, provided the site has not be previously disturbed by practices such as building a house or road. Level fields allow for easier access with mechanical harvesters and general maintenance.

A soil test will provide estimates of fertility.

The ideal soil should be slightly acidic and have a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5. In Iowa, it is assumed 20 pounds of nitrogen is released into the soil each year for each percent organic matter and is available for plant uptake. Fruits do not require a lot of organic matter; 2 to 4 percent is adequate for aronia.

Fruits will tolerate higher amounts of organic matter, but because the nitrogen released from organic matter is released through microbial decay, it is released from late spring through late fall. When organic matter is too high, it can keep plants actively growing into the fall rather than hardening off and going dormant. Canes and fruit buds that have not adequately gone dormant are more susceptible to winter damage.

This issue is further exasperated when there is a warm fall and a sudden cold snap. In general, 10 to 20 pounds per acre of nitrogen should be applied annually to help with early spring growth. Phosphorus and potassium can be added if low. It is best to correct soil deficiencies before plants are in the ground as soil amendments need to be physically incorporated into the soil to be effective.

An ideal site is weed free. The greatest pests in aronia are weeds, especially during the establishment years. Weeds will compete with plants for moisture, nutrients and sunlight. Competition from weeds will delay plants from reaching maturity in three years to reaching maturity in four or five years.

Many acreage owners will plant into old alfalfa fields or pastures where weed pressure is very high, especially after it has been tilled. It is preferable to spend a year decreasing the weed seed bank before planting any perennial crop to minimize competition to the newly planted crop. This is often achieved through a combination of cover crops and fallow tillage.

It is also recommended to use a plastic or landscape fabric mulch weed barrier during the establishment years, as hand weeding quickly becomes discouraging.

Aronia Recipes

Once you have developed an aronia berry crop or can access some aronia berries, here are some recipes to try, courtesy of Tranel Aronia Products.

Aronia bread

Prep time: 10 minutes total time: 60 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 16 slices (I made into muffins.)

1 cup aronia berries

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup nuts (optional)

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

1/8 cup stick of butter or shortening

3/4 cup orange juice

1 cup sugar

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda together. In blender, combine egg, shortening, orange juice and sugar (I just mixed together with a mixer.) Add aronia berries and nuts, and chop briefly. (I left berries whole.) Empty into flour mixture and mix by hand until moistened. Bake in a greased 9-by-5 loaf pan at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes.

Aronia apple crisp

6 cups apples

1/4 cup butter

1 cup aronia berries (I use 2 cups.)

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch (I use 1 tablespoon)

1 teaspoon orange peel ( I only use this if I have fresh.)

3 teaspoons orange juice (I use 2-4 tablespoons. I have also used apple juice if no orange juice.)

Topping:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/4 cup brown sugar

(I use my topping recipe which is 1 stick of margarine, 1 cup quick cooking oats, 3/4 cup flour and 3/4 cup brown sugar.)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 8-inch square (2 quart) baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix apples (peeled and sliced). [I cut apple directly into baking dish and mix ingredients in baking dish] with berries. Add granulated sugar, cornstarch, orange peel, and orange juice; toss until coated. Spoon into baking dish. In medium bowl, mix remaining ingredients, cutting in butter with pastry blender until mixture is crumbly (I melt margarine). Spoon evenly over apple mixture. Bake 50-60 minutes or until topping is golden brown, apples are tender and mixture is bubbly around the edges. Cool slightly before serving. Tip: If your aronia berries are frozen, you don’t need to thaw them first for this recipe.

Aronia oatmeal cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened (I use margarine.)

1 cup packed brown sugar, or you can use Sucanat or 5/6 cup honey

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup instant rolled oats

1 cup flour of your choice

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup fresh or frozen aronia berries

In a bowl, cream butter and sweetener. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine oats, flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the aronia berries. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 35 cookies.

Aronia banana bread

Prep time: 10 minutes total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 16 slices

1 cup aronia berries

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter (I use margarine.)

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 1/3 cup overripe bananas mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-5 loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs, mashed bananas and aronia berries until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture, stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack.

When I made mini muffins, I ground up the aronias in the food processer first. When I made regular size muffins with whole berries, they took about 20 minutes to bake.

Aronia berry jam

3 1/2 cups aronia berry puree (I used an aronia/apple puree.)

To puree the berries, put them into a blender or food processor. Process until you have a fairly homogeneous mixture, but leave some larger pieces.

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 package pectin (I use Sure-Jell in the pink box.)

4 cups sugar

Combine the pectin with 1/2 cup of the sugar. Heat the pureed aronia berries, water, lemon juice, and pectin combined with the 1/2 cup of sugar until it reaches a full rolling boil.

Add the rest of the sugar and bring it back to a full rolling boil. Boil for two minutes and then pack into clean jars.

Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Cool on your counter for 24 hours.

Classic aronia berry pie

Pastry for 2-crust, 8-inch pie.

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

4 cups frozen aronia berries

2 cups sugar

5 teaspoons lemon juice

3/4 cup flour

Melt butter or margarine in saucepan. Stir in and heat berries, sugar and lemon juice. When juice flows, stir in flour. Cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, line pie pan with crust. Pour in cooled mixture. Put on top crust; flute; slit. To catch juice, put foil on pie skirt or cookie sheet. Shape upward around pie pan without covering pie. Bake at 425 degrees until browned, about 40 to 45 minutes. Cool. Refrigerate overnight.

Aronia applesauce

Fill up crockpot almost all the way full with apples. I think my crockpot is a 5-quart one, but not certain. I put 2 cups of liquid into the crockpot. I have used apple juice, berry juice and just water when no juice in the house and we liked with the water best. Then I put 2 cups of frozen aronia berries on top. It takes about 3 hours on high for the apples to be tender. I do stir the applesauce a couple of times during the cooking time, about once an hour. I like smoother applesauce so at the time the apples are tender I get out my potato masher and mash up the remaining apples and some of the berries. Not all the berries will mash up; most will not.

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