In Currant News
Some time ago, when I had been earnestly following bento blogs and the like, one particular poster always had these beautiful, tiny red or white berries that she arranged in the bento she made for her children. I always wondered what they were, looking almost like glass or crystal, until years later, saw them in a nursery magazine.
Currants (ribes). I only knew there were black currants (ribes nigrum), with a strong musky odor that is only rendered palatable (and deliciously so!) once made into jam or jellies. They are relatives of gooseberries, and can be crossed to create Jostaberries (of which I have three bushes, but that will be addressed in a separate post.) It’s a flavor I was actually familiar with, because these old candies we used to get in tins contained it as one of the flavors. Imagine my delight when I found out there were white, red, and pink varieties as well! And they are okay for fresh eating, if you can handle things that are more on the tart side than the sweet side. Most varieties of black currants are too strong to eat out of hand, but there are a cultivars that can be.
Red currants make expensive jellies, called Bar De Luc, and is called the caviar of jams. They are eaten more in Europe than in America. It fares well in shade and sun, although it seems the fruits ripen sweeter in the sun. It does well in all types of soil (but obviously enjoy well drained and rich) and their pH tolerance is wide, although they do favor slightly more acidic soils.
The flavor… is hard to describe. It tastes like currants. And although they make for a fun snack while working in the garden, their value really is for their delicious and fragrant jellies. I love the way they look, and find myself dreaming of using them for plating, if nothing else. They are prolific, and one bush can provide a lot of fruit.
They do quite well in our LI weather, and I have them coming back year after year even though I moved them around a lot until settling on the perfect area for them.
Plant Profile
Scientific Name: Ribes sp. (nigrum, rubrum)
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 8
Perennial fruit bush, fruiting on canes. Somewhat drought tolerant, part shade tolerant and do well with some shade during the hottest time of the day. Not picky about soil. Clusters of tart berries ripen in summer. You should prune them every so often to encourage fruiting. Easily propagate by seeds or by cuttings.