Cover the aronia berries with water to clean them, then drain. Combine the aronia berries with the water and vinegar and bring to a boil, then turn the heat off. Mash the berries and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, mix the sugar, salt and pectin.
Strain the juice from the aronia berries. Discard the berries or save them to make fruit scrap vinegar.
Mix the apple sauce and aronia juice, then whisk in the pectin, cinnamon, lemon and orange zest. For a silky smooth preserve, you can puree it now with a hand blender.
Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and cook until the temperature hovers around 220 F. It should take around 10-15 minutes at a rolling boil, on high heat.
Do set tests occasionally by dropping ½ teaspoons of the aronia-apple liquid onto a chilled plate over a bowl of ice.
When the mixture doesn’t run like water and threatens to hold it’s shape it’s done. Whisk in the lemon juice and divide the mixture between four 8 oz canning jars.
Process the preserves in a water bath for 10 minutes, then store in a pantry.
Video
Notes
This is a low(ish)-sugar preserve, so it will take a little longer to reach 220 F than you may be used to with other jams and jellies. If you use crab apple butter like I do here, you can probably make this without adding pectin. As far as pectin, I use only Cuisine-Tech brand. You can order it online, or substitute another powdered pectin, just make sure it's unsweetened.