The choke berry is a healthy fruit that contains powerful antioxidants. The berries have substances called anthocyanins (greek origin,anthos and kyanos means dark blue), hence the name black chokeberry. It has been studied in labs that when pre-diabetic (sensitive to insulin) rats were fed extracts over a period of six weeks, they had

Aronia Berries by Gary duboman01

lower blood glucose. They also had reduced levels of plasma triglycerides and low cholesterol. Some of the rats were fed water spiked with the aronia berries while others were fed pure water with low levels of the aronia berry. Both levels of the aronia berry mixture had the same effect.

Aronia berries are full of nutritional value. Human studies show that a daily consumption of at least 200 ml of aronia berry juice per day by diabetes patients helped to lower their blood glucose levels. That gave them a stable amount of insulin. The influence that the aronia fruit juice had on blood glucose is that it amazingly reduces the abnormalities in blood glucose. It can be used to fight against any complications that may be associated with diabetes. In the studies that used aronia berries extract for diabetes, it not only helped the blood glucose levels stay low, but it also stopped damage from occurring to the kidneys as a result of the diabetic condition. Blood glucose is just one of the many ailments that the aronia berry extract has the power to level in our bodies.

The aronia berry, also called choke berry, is considered to be the highest antioxidant berry of all the fruits. Aronia is the name that Native Americans use to refer to the berries since they are dark; hence its nickname, the black chokeberry. In Poland and Russia, the aronia berry juice is a very popular drink that they use to help with their heart conditions. Studies have concluded that the aronia berries help with diabetes, urinary tract infections, cancer, the flu and cardio vascular ailments. 

Aronia Berries by Outdoor PDK

The aronia berry has been proven to improve blood circulation, strengthen the blood vessels, and suppress viruses. The berry also acts as an antioxidant, anti inflammatory and anti carcinogenic in the human body. It prevents cancer and cardio vascular ailments from forming. It is bitter/tart in taste, similar to that of a blueberry. It is a deep purple in color. If the taste of the aronia berry is not to your liking, it can be sweetened. It is proven to work better with no sugar added, however. The berry juice can be consumed as a mixture with tonic water or sparkling water. 

The berry plant is usually adapted in the moist swamp areas. They are grown or planted in just about every national region. They can be grown with little care and effort. Naturally, these berries can be found growing under trees. If you are planning to grow this shrub, plant them where the climate suits them. They grow well in just about any conditions but better where there is partial or indirect sunlight.

The aronia berry is also known as the choke berry. Aronia berries are also filled with nutrients that are great for those who use the alternative choices to being healthy. They are full of benefits for the body as they contain antioxidants that help fight against cancer. This black chokeberry also contains useful mineral and vitamins; vitamins C, E, B2, B6 and folic acid. 

Aronia berries are starting to be found in super markets and households all over the United States. They are sold as yogurts, jellies, pie fillings, candies and sorbet. There is even an aronia berry juice. It is also a flavor that is

Aronia Berries by Birgit F

popular in wines. This delicious berry adds nutrients that your body needs to ensure a healthier life. 

The aronia berry is a great source of antioxidants, fights against heart disease and cardio vascular problems, promotes a healthy urinary tract, has anti-inflammatory properties, fights cold and flu bacteria and viruses, strengthens the memory, aids in digestion, helps the body produce good cholesterol and provides the body with essential oils. There are so many benefits this berry has for the body. It is no wonder this fruit is quite the rage for those who experience its healing power. 

Aronia berries are used as ingredients in other juices such as the pomegranate and blueberry juice that Archer Farms produces. Some have testified that after drinking juices with aronia berries, they no longer experience catching colds.

Sawmill Hollow Organic Farms is the first organic aronia berry plantation in the United States. The farm has done research over the course of the past ten years on the organic choke berry, and developed a whole product line from it. The farm has also opened a store to sell the black choke berry products. Aronia berries contain a high level of antioxidants. They help reduce the risks for cancer, heart disease, diabetes and bacterial infections. Aronia is now native to the United States and is an easy plant to grow organically.

Sawmill Hollow Organic Farm customers purchase these berries and eat them freshly picked right off of the bush or alternatively use them in bread, muffins, and other baked goods. There are customers at the festival that drink the aronia berry juice, or use the berries to make teas, wine or smoothies. A popular reason to purchase these berries at the festival is to make jams or jellies. 

The berry has a taste that is not easy to describe, but it is of a distinctive and pleasant flavor. The berry has a bitter taste that may make your mouth pucker. It gives your mouth a dry-like feeling that is caused by tannis – a chemical used to make wine dry.

Sawmill Hollow Organic Farms has this festival every year in September. They provide tours of the aronia plantation, have educational talks, and let you sample the aronia berry product before purchasing.

The aronia berry is also known by the name, the black chokeberry. Early native settlers referred to it as the choke

Aronia Berries by Outdoor PDK3

berry since they ate it raw, it was sharp. Aronia berries are close in relation to the blueberry. Science has become interested in its deep purple color and concludes that by this berry being black in color, it has to be high in antioxidants and vitamin C. Since the aronia berry is strong in taste, natural aronia berry juice is better sweetened.

An animal study in 2004 showed that the aronia berry’s antioxidant effects had a gastro protective effect when treating the acute gastric hemorrhagic lesion in rats. This study suggested to scientists that it can be a natural effective treatment for stomach problems in humans (including ulcers). Another 2003 study showed that the berry provided a natural defense to fight against colon cancer. A 2002 animal modeled study concluded that the anthocyanins in the aronia berry were useful in fighting against oxidative stress in cardiovascular patients. 2002 studies have also shown that the aronia berry juice without sugar helped to treat diabetic patients.

The aronia berries have been known to prevent spasms in blood vessels, keeping blood pressure from becoming dangerously high and helping to prevent blood vessel spasms. In the United States, the aronia berry was tested by the Department of Agriculture. They found that the aronia berry has the highest ORAC and H-ORAC score (this is the testing unit of antioxidants). 

Do you eat the aronia berry? For a specific reason?

lychees in a bowl

Lychee is a juicy fruit that belongs to the soapberry family. Because of its health benefits, it is also known as an antioxidant fruit. It is a tropical tree that is found widely in southern China, northern Vietnam, the Phillipines, and southern Taiwan. India usually has lychee in the summer as a seasonal fruit, called lychee fruit.  Lychee has a taste that resembles that of a grape, but looks like a strawberry.  This fruit has health benefits as well. It is good for gastrointestinal health and has anti-breast cancer properties. It also has 72 mg of vitamin C for every 100 grams. It is rich in vitamin C and potassium also. The skin of the lychee fruit cannot be eaten as it is too tough. 

Lychee recipes come in many categories from the appetizers to the soups. The lychee recipes include cooking tips and substitutions. Lychees are available dried and canned. Once they are dried, most people refer to them as lychee nuts. Before being able to use lychees in recipes, they must be peeled in order to get to the part of the flesh that is able to be eaten. The outer skin is tough and leather-like, and must be removed before eating (similar to a pomegranate). There are a few who use their fingernail to dig in the lychee stem and peel the skin from there. If your recipe calls for a large amount of lychee, it is recommended to use a serrated knife to cut the skin around the seed length wise.

What recipes do you use lychee in?

lychee fruit

Lychee is a versatile fruit that is easy to cook with. They are also antioxidant fruits that have great health benefits. When serving the main meal dishes, lychees can be used as a puree or to make a glaze. To make a puree, you will need a can of lychees drained. The can of lychees can be drained from the syrup and processed in a blender until it is smooth. This creates a puree that can be served over meats or any part of your main meal course.  Lychee fruit gravy for pork chops or chicken can be made and served in 30 minutes or less. After cooking pork chops for 3 or 4 minutes on each side, add balsamic vinegar to the sauces left in the pan along with lychees and cinnamon to create a glaze. 

If fish is your main dish, lychee sauce can be made to eat as a glaze. The sauce calls for 10 ounces of lychee jam, 4 tablespoons of lychee or rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 3 pieces of chopped ginger. Cashew nuts can be added but are optional. All of the ingredients need to be heated together using one tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken them. After heating the ingredients, pour it over the fish. The cashew nuts can be sprinkled on the top lightly. This provides a better taste and look. The lychee fruit can also be served as a dessert to your main course meal. 

How do you serve your Lychee fruit?

lychee

Lychee fruit offers many gourmet desserts in the form of parfaits and mousses. Lychees are a great tasty fruit for desserts. During the summer months, lychees are found in abundance in the Asian markets. A great thirst quencher that seems to be very popular is the frosty lychee tapioca drink. Canned lychees are also available year round. They are packed in sweet syrup in the same way that canned peaches are. The syrup that they come packed in make them seem even sweeter than they are. The syrup can be used to boost the flavor of the lychee. Since lychees are antioxidant fruits, they are healthy for you no matter how they are served. Lychees can be served as a pie topping whether they have been peeled or not (they will have to be peeled in order to be eaten, of course).

There are some lychee desserts that take about 5 minutes to make. They are low in fat which is another healthy benefit. A good dessert in Asia is the dessert soup that is made with leftover bananas and lychees. Depending on the weather and the type of mood you are in, this simple banana lychee dessert can be served warm or cold. Lychees can be used to make ice cream whether they are canned or not. This tasty treat is a kid’s pure delight! For the best results, make sure they are well ripened. More lychee dessert recipes can be found on the internet or in cook books.

What recipes do you use lychee fruits in?

lychee

Lychee fruits can be used in bread and muffin recipes, or made into a syrup to eat with bread or muffins. To make lychee syrup, combine a ratio of 2:1 of sugar to water and lychees. The mixture can be heated until it is slightly thick. It will not be a really thick syrup mixture, but if it is not thick enough, corn starch can be added. Remove the syrup from the heat and put it in the refrigerator until it is ready to be served. A lychee jam can also be made to serve with breads or muffins. For this recipe, you will need four cups of lychee (shelled and seeded), 1.5 cups of sugar and freezer pectin. Combine the lychee and sugar in a bowl and let it sit for about fifteen minutes. Next, the pectin will need to be added and placed in a jam jar, then put in the freezer. 

Lychee jelly is another bread and muffin side that can be made with the antioxidant fruit. All that is needed is five cups of fresh lychees, two tablespoons of unflavored gelatin powder and the juice from one lemon. Peel and seed the lychees and puree them in a food processor. Strain the pureed lychees through a sieve into a large steel bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the puree until it has softened. Dissolve the gelatin completely by setting the mixture over a simmering pot of water. Next stir in the lemon juice, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

lychees

Lychee is known as antioxidant fruits, so even served as a snack or appetizer, it is healthy. They can be served in dips, spreads and similar appetizer recipes. Appetizers and snacks made with lychees can be served at parties, during the holiday or for special occasions. A lychee chili sauce is made from Thai chili peppers and lychees. It contains the lychee fruit so it is mildly sweet. The chili peppers are what give it the spicy flavor. Lychees can be combined with ketchup, white wine, brown sugar and a few other ingredients to create an exotic tasting barbecue sauce. The sauce is great on meat, poultry and seafood. A lychee dipping sauce similar to a sweet and sour sauce can be made for basting meats or as a dipping sauce for snacks and appetizers.

If you enjoy the lychee fruit, then you will definitely enjoy lychee candy. They are hard candies that taste just like the fruit. They do come in a gummy candy version. Dried candied lychees also make another tasty snack. These are simple to make and only call for one can of peeled lychees in sugar syrup. You will need a food hydrator to make this snack. To make, empty one can of peeled de-seeded lychees. Arrange them on the fruit dehydrator tray and let them dry out for 2 or 3 days (or until the fruit is not moist). The dried fruits can be sealed in a zip lock bag and stored for a long period of time.   

Do you use the lychee in your recipes?  What do you make that also has the lychee fruit in it?  Leave a comment below and tell us what you do with your lychees!