A large handful of elderberries. A plate of delicious beach plums. A plate full of chokeberries.

When of my pet projects is to establish orchards of native fruits and berries. The species I have chosen- Elderberries (Sambucus canadensis), Beach Plum (Prunus maritima), and Aronia or Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) each have their respective properties that make such a venture desireable.

Elderberries are highly regarded for their nutrional and medicinal properties; vitamins and minerals are abundant, and high potency phytochemicals yield mega-ton sized antioxidant potential. Elderberry co-operative orchards are common place in Austria and Germany, but sizeable plantations are rare in the US.

Beach plums are more of a delectable treat, as a valued added product, that is. Beach plum jelly especially on Cape Cod is consumed in overwhelming quantities by visitors in the Summer. Generations old, traditional Beach plum sites are becoming limited due to privitization of land, and developement. Several studies done by Cornell University in Ithaca, NY and the Cape Cod Co-operative Extension Service has proved that demand far outstrips supply; established orchards would provide a potentially lucrative niche market.

Aronia, like Elderberry, is loaded with beneficial phytochemicals. News to Americans, but old hat to the Europeans. Commercial Aronia orchards many hectares in size have been growing in northern and eastern Europe for well over a half-century now. The irony in the matter? Aronia is native only to the eastern part of North America; Europeans collected seeds and bred imroved strains using berries they collected here.

I am in the begining stages of the orchard establishment. I collected some Beach plum seeds last year (2007) from Cape cod, and hope to establish a bumper crop of seedlings in 2008. My Aronia plants are about three years old now and will be put into their permanent locations hopefully in 2008. The Elderberry part is a work in progress; I have been unable to successfully establish plants in the field for any length of time; cultural considerations seem to be the issue here. I will keep this area of the site updated as things progress.

A plate full of chokeberries.

2008 Season Review (written December 30th, 2008)

In November I was able to get my Aronia orchard underway. Several hundred plants were put into the ground in raised rows. These plants were seed grown from a mother plant that I found at the Fryburg fairgrounds in Fryburg, Maine in 2005. This plant was notable because it had produced large numbers of big,fat juicy berries. Sadly, this plant was removed by 2006 to make way for new construction, but its genetic legacy is alive and well.

In terms of size, the Aronia planting covers about .75 hectares. I dare say that this is probably the largest, and maybe first commercial attempt at growing Aronia for nutraceutical/food purposes in Maine.Please e-mail me if anyone knows of other commercial plantings, so I can post that information here. There is a demonstration planting at the Common Ground fairgrounds in Unity, Maine of the variety 'Nero' consisting of a row of a dozen large plants or so.

I have collected many articles over the years regarding Aronia and Elderberry orcharding in the United States. I will at some point in the near future post those links here.

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