PIKETON, Ohio – “Any grower wanting to supplement their income might want to take a closer look at super berries.”

Those are the words of Gary Gao, small fruit Extension specialist and associate professor at The Ohio State University South Centers in Piketon.

“If you do a Google search for ‘super berries,’ a few plants will come up,” Gao said. “Some of the uncommon ones could be Aronia berries, Chinese Goji berries, acai berries and elderberries, while common ones could be blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. With growing interest in super foods by the general public, growers in Ohio might find super berries as viable as cash crops.”

Gao has been deep in research the past few years to determine which “super fruit” berries will grow best in Ohio’s climate and produce viable yields for farmers. Gao has been a regular at Ohio Farm Science Review the past several years and tells those in attendance that these fruits are highly recommended to growers and bring great profits.

“The potential market for so-called ‘super fruits’ in Ohio could offer growers an additional income stream thanks to increasingly health-conscious consumers and ongoing research that finds these plants can grow well in the Buckeye state,” Gao said.

The public is being bombarded these days with the benefits of eating healthier diets. Nutritionists everywhere are listing the benefits of eating berries alone.

Research has proven that berries are loaded with antioxidants that help reduce disease risk. Studies have also shown that berries help improve blood sugar and insulin response, as well as being high in fiber. Berries provide many nutrients, such as copper, manganese, Vitamin C, Vitamin K1 and folate.

In a 2019 report from the American Cancer Society, super berries such as Acai and Goji were said to help fight inflammation; they’re also low in calories. They help lower cholesterol levels, may be good for the skin, are proven to help protect against cancer, can be enjoyed on nearly all types of diets and may help keep arteries healthier.

“Super berry is really a marketing term and does not have an official designation,” Gao said.

According to Gao, the Acai berry revolutionized the fruit industry as a fruit that is extremely high in antioxidants. The bad news is that this berry doesn’t flourish in Ohio’s climate. The Acai berry thrives in southern California and southern Texas and southernmost Florida.

“We definitely cannot grow the Acai berry in Ohio, but the black raspberry has become the poster child for antioxidant content,” he said. “We’ve done research on black raspberries for about 30 years at OSU. At the OSU James Cancer Center they sell raspberry powder as a way to prevent cancer.” 

Gao said he is excited about the aronia berry, previously called the black chokeberry. “The chokeberry didn’t sound very good for marketing, considering it is hard enough to sell fruits as it is, so the name was changed to aronia berry,” he said.

According to Gao, aronia is one of the top berries in antioxidants and relatively easy to grow. “If we got 200 to 300 acres of the aronia berry in Ohio it would be great,” he said. “It is not a great-tasting fruit and not recommended to be sold fresh for eating. It is very forgiving of the soil, and cold tolerant.”

Aronia berries contain a lot of vitamins and minerals, including zinc, magnesium, iron and vitamins C, B and K. Compared to other fruits, aronia berries have the highest level of antioxidants.

Although they’re tart when eating off the vine, there are a number of ways to prepare aronia berries to make them more palatable. One popular way to serve them is in pies.

Aronia is a type of shrub native to North America that is now grown in Eastern Europe. They were once called chokeberries because of their sharp, mouth-drying effect.

Another berry researched by Gao is the Goji berry.

“In China, when I was a child, Goji berries were kind of like weeds,” Gao said. “In the last 35 years, in China this crop was developed into a major commercial crop. It is orange reddish in color. The Chinese believe it is good for longevity, vision and overall health.”

Goji berries contain lycopene and are high in antioxidants and vitamin C. The dried fruit Goji berry tastes sweet, like raisins, but the fresh Goji berry is rather bitter.

“Not very nice,” Gao said. “We planted quite a few at the South Centers. They are not that easy to grow. The climate they grow in, in China, is more like Arizona. It just takes time. It is an interesting fruit. It might be good for salsa or in cereal or ice cream.”

Another promising super fruit is the elderberry. Elderberry contains more phosphorus and potassium than any other temperate fruit crop and is also rich in vitamin C.

“Elderberries can be grown pretty easily,” Gao said. “There are a number of varieties. There is not much commercial planting of elderberries in Ohio. The berries can be used for jams, jellies and wine. The wine is a little strong. It is a little like your child, you love it no matter what, but I am not convinced that it is that good.”

As with any berry crop, time and patience are key.

“Although the majority of growers in Ohio have very limited experience with commercial production of elderberry, aronia and Goji berries, there are already some small-scale growers across the state who have tried them and are doing it well, particularly with elderberry and aronia berries,” Gao said. “There are several growers who have added these plants to their farm operations and have formed an informal co-op to being sharing production and marketing information.”