Picking Currants
It’s berry picking season at the farm!
Yesterday, we picked some beautiful currants - those bright red, white, and black juicy, tart fruits. I’ve been growing currants for many years. I love using them to make jams and jellies, tarts and pies. They're also very easy to freeze and store for later use. In addition, currants are among the most nutritious of berries. They’re packed with antioxidants, minerals, and loads of vitamin-C. Currants are multi-stemmed, hardy, fast growing deciduous shrubs that are easy to grow and easy to maintain.
This year, we also planted several blackberry plants. They do best in full sunshine, but can tolerate some shade. The plants are from Bushel and Berry Homegrown Berries in Oregon. I can't wait until they start producing delicious fruits. Enjoy these photos.
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- Here at my farm, the currant bushes are located outside the front entrance of my main greenhouse.
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- I grow black, white, and red currants.
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- Red currants can range from deep red to pink to almost yellow in color.
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- The fruits need to be picked quickly before they drop to the ground, or get snatched up by the birds. These currant bushes are very dependable and vigorous as growers.
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- The fruits grow in clusters called racemes, and are very easy to pick. The best time to harvest red currants is when the fruits are firm and juicy.
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- When grown, red currants should be trained as open-centered bushes, with enough room to spread, so light and air can flow freely around the branches.
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- The varieties of red currants that I grow include ‘Redstart’ and ‘Jonkheer Van Tets’ – both produce very bright, red fruits.
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- The English word “currant” has been used to describe this fruit since the 16th century. It was taken from the fruit’s resemblance to the dried currants of Greece, which are raisins made from a small seedless grape.
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- ‘Jonkheer Van Tets’ is a red currant variety from Holland. It’s known for its highly rated flavor and fruit size. The ‘Jonkheer Van Tets’ bush is hardy, upright and great for easy-picking.
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- Here is my housekeeper, Enma, with a full tray of juicy red currants. I like to place them in single layers, on trays, so they don’t get crushed. After each batch of currants is picked, my housekeepers gently take each fruit off its long-stem.
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- The tart flavor of red currant fruit is slightly greater than its black currant relative, but with the same sweetness.
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- Look at all the delicious red currants – I am so glad these bushes do so well here.
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- Here is my longtime housekeeper, Laura – she never misses a good berry picking opportunity.
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- These trays of currants will be taken to my flower room, de-stemmed and then frozen until I can make them into wonderful jams and jellies.
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- Black currant, Ribes nigrum, is a woody shrub grown for its piquant berries. You can’t miss them in the garden- they are very aromatic.
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- The best time to pick black currants is when they are dry and ripe. The varieties of black currants in my garden include ‘Ben Sarek’ and ‘Ben Lomond.’
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- Black currants are the most nutrient-rich of the currants. They are high in vitamins A, C, B1, B5, B6, phytochemicals and antioxidants. They are also high in minerals, such as iron, copper, calcium and phosphorous. They can be eaten raw, but are usually cooked in a variety of sweet and savory dishes.
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- Black currants are also used in various alcoholic mixtures, such as the French liqueur, creme de cassis.
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- When ripe, black currants are dark purple in color, with glossy skins.
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- A well established black currant bush can produce up to 10-pounds of berries per year.
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- Black currants can grow well on sandy or heavy and loamy soil as long as their nutrient requirements are met. They prefer damp, fertile ground, but not waterlogged.
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- White currants, ‘Blanka’, are a sub-cultivar of the red currant. White currant berries are translucent with warm white tones and a slight pink blush color.
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- These white currants add flavor and texture to sauces, liquors, jams, jellies and syrups. The best way to freeze currants and many berries is to place them in the freezer on metal trays. and then move them to freezer bags or containers and then back into the freezer.
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- White currants are the sweetest of the three currant colors – sweet, and tart with floral undertones. Although the fruits are the primary source of food from the plant, the leaves and tender, young shoots are also edible.
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- White currant berries are slightly smaller than their red counterparts.
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- White currants are the classic ingredient in the highly known Bar-le-duc or Lorraine jelly.
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- Fully set five-inch, delicate stems called strigs become pendulous chains of small berries. Berries of white, pink, and red currants are translucent, while black currants are matte purple-brown.
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- These berries are a good source of vitamins C, B1 and are rich in iron, copper and manganese.
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- Pink Champagne’ currants are pendant clusters of fruits the color of champagne blushed with pink. These currants are less tart than the red, and among the sweetest of all currants.
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- Although they may be eaten ripe off the shrub, pink currants are more often harvested for use in jams, jellies, and pies.
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- Currants are still largely unknown here in the United States. They are well-loved in many other countries, and here in the US, they are slowly gaining popularity, especially because of its high antioxidant content. They are now more prevalent at local farms and home gardens.
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- I just love the rich color of these pink currants – so pretty.
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- And look how prolific the bushes are this season – every bush is laden with fruits.
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- We also planted several blackberry plants from Bushel and Berry.
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- We planted these behind my main greenhouse, near my raspberry bushes.
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- I’ve already started making jams from all the wonderful fruits we’ve harvested. This is strawberry – I am trying a new parchment paper for the cover. I love how they look in these vintage glass containers. Have you started picking some of your garden’s summer berries? What have you done with them? Let me know in the comments below.
