Poor, misunderstood aronia, saddled with a common name like chokeberry. How did such a useful fruit get such a terrible name? My best guess is that someone picked an underripe aronia berry expecting it to taste like a blueberry. Surprise! Aronia fruit is super tart and chock full of antioxidents. Sweet? No, but tasty and useful. So let’s call it…
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You will not Choke on Chokeberry (Aronia spp.)
Aronia Pavlova
Photograph by Douglas Merriam from The Forager’s Pantry by Ellen Zachos, reprinted by permission of Gibbs Smith. I always loved when my mother made this dessert—it seemed so fancy. But pavlova is actually dead simple, and it’s the perfect way to showcase almost any fruit. I especially love using aronia berries in a pavlova because their natural tartness contrasts wonderfully…
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Rose Hip Vodka & Liqueur
I am not a vodka drinker. But even I can get behind rose hip vodka and rose hip liqueur. The fruit gives a vibrant color to the vodka, anywhere from pale orange to deep red, depending on the color of the rose hips you start with. It also lends a silky texture and a mild, sweet/tart taste to the spirit. HOW…
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Wild Pear Crisp: Recipe
feral pear crisp with mugolio drizzle My generous friend Rita dropped off a bag of pears because she’s leaving town and who wants all those lovely pears to go to waste? Do I know what kind of pears they are? Nope. But I know they’re tasty, and that’s what counts. And if you happen to have some mugolio on hand (an Italian…
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Rose Hip Muffins: Recipe
Adding chopped rose hips to this simple muffin recipe makes them a great breakfast item or a the perfect thing to serve for afternoon tea. You can use fresh or dried rose hips in this recipe, but dried rosehips will need to be rehydrated. If that’s how you roll, be sure to save the liquid and use it instead of…
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