Maturing in the fall on black chokeberry small berries have a rather specific taste, so as not to attract the attention of those who are fond of eating delicious children. But adults find these unpretentious externally fruits a lot of applications: they cook compotes and jam, dry and freeze, and make delicious wines and liquors. Thanks to a unique set of vitamins and microelements, the black cherry takes a separate niche in folk medicine, being a recognized remedy for various inflammatory processes, hypertension, obesity, allergies, thyroid diseases and helping to remove radionuclides and heavy metal salts from the body. When you need to harvest the harvest of such a useful aronia tree you can learn from our article.
When are they collecting black ashberry for jam?
Berries of black mountain ash begin to be poured already towards the end of summer - the beginning of autumn. But to collect them at this time for cooking jam is not the best idea - they are very astringent and astringent in this period. Therefore, if you are planning to cook jam or jam from berries of only black cherry, it is better to hold them beforehand on the branches before the first frosts (mid-end of October). But as a flavoring accent for jams from zucchini, pears or apples, you can use them at the end of August. A small handful of black-fruit berries will give any jam a savory flavor and aroma, as well as color it in an interesting color.
When to harvest a black arctic mountain ash for freezing?
If you prefer a freezer from all the ways of storing the crop, then chokeberry for this is the best. In the process of freezing, it not only does not lose its usefulness, but even becomes better, fully revealing the flavor and taste. Therefore, it can be collected for freezing in September, as soon as the berries acquire a rich dark color.
When are black ashberry picking up wine?
For the preparation of home-made wines and strong liqueurs, only fully-ripened berries come into the softening stage. Time to collect them comes in October, and experienced winemakers prefer to do it right after the rain, which rids the plant of spoiled and dry berries. It should be remembered that the fruit collected after the onset of frosts is not suitable for wine - there are many tannins in it that slow the fermentation processes, and after the frost the intensity of the latter and, in general, begin to tend to zero.
How to harvest the black arctic mountain ash?
People who do not have previous experience of "communicating" with the black-cherry often do not know from which side to approach it. For example, they do not know how to act properly - pick berries one by one or cut them whole bunches? Actually, there is nothing complicated in the collection of chokeberry rowan. To do this, you must have patience and a sharp pruner. To prevent the tree from becoming a victim of fungal diseases and annually enjoying a good harvest of useful berries, they must be cut with clusters-umbrellas, and then, if necessary, remove stems-peduncles. And when preparing wine and without this operation it is quite possible to do, using berries together with pedicels. Freed from the harvest, the tree will quickly regain its strength and overwinter without loss. But if you collect berries one by one, then not only will this process take a lot of time, but also some of them will remain wintering on the tree, becoming an excellent breeding ground for pests and fungal diseases.