The last time I posted a detailed review was a few years ago:
I’m still growing black currants and picking them every year, around July 4th. Not because I like them fresh, but because they make excellent jam. Looking for the best tasting black currant is like asking which model tractor is best to drive on the highway…There might be one which is the least bad, but it still isn’t a good idea.
We must have very different tastes…Minaj was almost as inedible as all the others in my book. Far, far, far away from a good raspberry. Then again, I view spices as abominations. Only salt, sugar and occasionally cinnamon are good.
Now, there is a minor difference in the quality of jam based on the type, with the harsher ones like Consort being a tad better. But it is such a small difference that I would happily grow one which is just slightly less strong if it was easier to pick (larger, more evenly ripening fruit).
I like Ben Sarek on that count, but it has been very slow growing. To the point that it isn’t even producing enough wood for me to reproduce it with cuttings. Maybe I just have it in a bad spot. I added another Ben Sarek or two at a rental property last year, so maybe I’ll have more info soon.
I had the same experience rooting currants (black, red, and white) and gooseberries. I just stuck them in the ground in the fall and by spring I had more than I could handle.
Sometimes I think our climates are pretty close, but in this regard mine seems pretty different. I’ve had a few black currants go into decline over a 4-5 year period, but I think a lot of it can be traced back to neglect (planted in a too wet area and not keeping the weeds down, particularly bind weed). But most of them are still going strong after 5-13 years in my borderline 7a climate
It may be black in berry color, but I think Crandall is actually a yellow/clove currant. To me, it isn’t as bad fresh as a black currant and not as good in jam. Basically, iffy for both and thus not all that useful.
Tahsis, with large berries, spreading growth, resistance to mildew, and strong production sounds like a great option.
Their site also has this note, in addition to the description you have above:
Tahsis had yields right behind Whistler and large fruit in Montana State University field trials.
How are you able to get them? I saw a note to go to Whitman farms, but don’t see the varieties listed. I’d love to add Tahsis.