Belaruskja tastes like old wet laundry to me off the bush lol. But the jam it makes is completely out of this world
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After growing them for a decade I need plants that stay upright, as low hanging currants tend to be shaded and can rot. Also looking for decent size and good production. Black currants grow better in ground than in containers versus reds which grow well in containers. Blacks can vary in flavor but to me they are close to the same flavor. I donât put much weight on flavor.
Black September fits my needs. Titania does too but produces a lot of branches and I struggle keeping it pruned.
Black September right now dorman
These plants are eight to ten years old.
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To me, black currants taste like a cross between cranberry and orange peel with a little sweetness. Consort and Titania taste the same to me, but the Titania are much larger (like the size of a marble) and more productive. I eat them fresh by the hand full. I freeze them and use them in place of cranberries, also muddle them in an old fashion (bandy sour of course). Red/white/pink taste nothing like a black current, I use those in salads (green salads⌠i.e. lettuce). Added Minaj Smyriou in 2025, since I really like Titania (of which i have now rooted a bunch more cuttings).
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Id suggest trying ben hope, its better than any of the older varieties IMO. Very upright, large fruit, heavy producer, flavor is good also. I planted 3 more, 300ft rows of ben hope this last fall from hardwood cuttings.
I just put a belarouska stick from my parents bush in my flower bed yesterday.
Thanks for the tip. I will try Ben Hope, I have a spot right now open.
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I can send cuttings if anyone needs some.
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Iâd take you up on the cutting offer!
Titania is my favorite black currant for eating fresh. I like the strong flavor. Itâs also great for making wine.
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you would like tiben then. one of its parents it titania and its my fave. i eat it fresh as well.
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Iâll have to look for that. Iâve never seen it listed anywhere.
i have 10 bushes of it here. contact me in mid apr. and i can send you cuttings. they root easily. just stick them were you want them and mulch.
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Thatâd be fabulousâthanks!
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This article has a great picture comparing the berry size of popular varieties.Black Currant Tasting & Varietal Comparisons â The Fruit Nut
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Have seen Savanna Zap (the new name for Tahsis - a Bieloruskaya sladkaya x Titania cross ) and Savanna Zing (the new name for Stikine - Zusha x Titania cross ) more online and in nurseries - both developed by Mcginnis Berry Crops.
Relatedly, seeing a few more gooseberry varieties too Friend (Red) a Ukrainian variety, Jewel (Red-Yellow) from Poland and few from Canada - Selby (Red) and Shefford (Yellow).
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I wanted to get Jewel a while back and it used to be on OGW and Fruitwood, but nobody has it in stock. I think the nursery stock was found to be diseased or something a few years back?
Friend is supposedly thornless or nearly so. I count on the thorns to keep deer predation to actual browsing of the tip of a branch or two (I hope they enjoy the mouth stabbing) rather than deer âbrowsingâ/utter devastation they do on everything else theyâll touch thatâs not fenced/caged.
The McGinnis varieties look promising. My black currant bushes are going into their third year, so Iâve only gotten a relatively small amount of berries so far last year, and a couple berries the first year, but liked the contribution they made to pies. Hoping they really take off this year.
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I planted 3 300ft rows of ben hope last fall, in the middle row I put in a Tahsis every 5th plant for the whole length of the row, and the rows are 15ft apart, so hopefully thats enough for pollination. Im a big fan of black currants, but not many people around here are very excited about them yet.
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Off the bush is gross, processed is the best thing ever.
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Completely agreeâwhen made into syrup or crème de cassis, black currants are amazing!
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Thanks Derek for the cuttings of Ben Hope. Two are growing so hopefully I can fill that spot I have open. I tried Ben Sarek and the plant failed to thrive and slowly declined. Berries were nice I may try again small compact plant
I was impressed with Black September as the plant grow widelyl spaced didnât lodge or grow low fruit. A fairly large bush with decent production. I would love to hear what worked for you. Let us know.
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