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| Roberta Barham talks about growing aronia berries |
Roberta led us on a tour of their Aronia bushes and talked about their experiences growing the berries. We then met inside the fascinating energy efficient cordwood house they are building where we learned more about Aronias, got a chance to sample some recipes made with Aronias, and could even purchase some berries to take home.
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| Outside the cordwood and masonry house |
After moving
to the Driftless Region of rural Wisconsin in 2002, Kim and Roberta Barham
joined a sustainably grown professional cut flower LLC which marketed flowers
to Madison, Milwaukee and surrounding communities. Additionally, in 2004, they began
construction on their energy efficient, alternative building materials cordwood
masonry house. During this period, they
commuted to Madison, WI for full time work as well.
In 2008, the
Barhams became interested in Aronia after tasting a commercial juice blend with
an unusual, pleasant flavor. The
discovery of Aronia in the contents caught their attention. Shortly thereafter, they heard through Dale Secher
of Carandale Farms (Oregon, WI) of an opportunity to grow Aronia. Already curious, they attended the Carandale
Field Day which introduced attendees to Aronia as a healthy, lesser-known fruit
adaptable to varied growing conditions as well as pest resistant
characteristics.
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| Inside the cordwood house Roberta talks to our group |
Besides the
convincing arguments presented at the Field Day, Aronia held some potential as
a cut flower to be marketed through their LLC. The Barhans took the plunge, and put 1,000 plants in the ground in 2009. They joined the newly-formed Midwest Aronia
Association in 2010. Their first harvest
(2012) led them to begin searching for local markets interested in using
Aronia. They approached prestigious
Madison restaurants which promote a local produce focus by offering free
samples for recipe development.
Additionally, they familiarized our co-workers with the berry’s benefits,
offered pick-your-own opportunities and approached other local businesses where
Aronia could augment their products.
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| Tasting aronia recipes |
Public
awareness and consumer acceptance of this little-known native berry needs to
increase for commercial viability.
Roberta, as Public Relations Director for the Midwest Aronia Association
in 2014 and 2015 has worked to educate American consumers on the healthy,
tasteful properties of this exciting fruit.
She developed a trifold brochure incorporating basic recipes for Aronia
available to MAA members and the public for their personal and professional use
as well as a Power Point Presentation to “spread the word” at Farmers’ Markets,
Field Days, events, etc. These items are
available for MAA members to download at the Midwest Aronia Association website. There is also a link for Recipe Book purchase
there.
Roberta
became President of the Midwest Aronia Association late 2015. She encourages anyone wanting to grow or
learn more about Aronia to become a member.
Signup information is on the website.
