Oh boy. Sorry that happened to u Mrs G!
1 Like
No kidding! Thanks!
1 Like
Finally picked. 4 1/2 pounds today. The rest can wait for a day or two. Will start canning tomorrow am! Can’t wait!
6 Likes
I’d love to see pictures of how you process them.
1 Like
Will do!
1 Like
I would like to see what you do with all these also. My recipe was to wash black currants, boil with a little bit of water, add 4 cups of sugar and smush. I added no pectin. The results are tasty, but more like a bunch of smushed sweet currants than a jam or jelly.
made mine like that with a little less sugar and a squirt of lemon. found a english recipe that includes cinnamon and nutmeg. got to try that once i get enough berries.
Recipe and process for making Black Currant Jam is posted under The Using Fruit Category. MrsG.
1 Like
I have so much jam I’m looking for other ways to process fruit. I tried making syrups for cordials and the black currant syrup makes an excellent cordial. Very impressed with the flavor.
The English love their black currants and have numerous recipes. I used one from the UK, so metric.
Black currant cordial
300g golden caster sugar (any sugar or sweetener of your choice is fine)
zest and juice 2 lemons
450g blackcurrants
Put the sugar in a large saucepan with 300ml water. Bring to a simmer then add the lemon zest and juice followed by the blackcurrants. Cook the mixture over a medium heat until the blackcurrants start to soften and burst.
Pour the mixture through a sieve lined with muslin into a clean, heatproof jug then transfer to sterilised bottles. Keeps in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Serve approx. 25ml of cordial per 100ml sparkling or still water, or dilute to taste.
You can use a fine sieve with a pestle or a food mill or jelly bag. I use a sieve as it is fast, easy and not messy. I do have a food mill but use it for tomatoes only. I would suggest removing the seeds, they are way too noticeable otherwise.
This syrup would be good in martini’s and over ice cream or pancakes too!
I found you need all that sugar too, you can cut it 1/3 if using red or white currants.
I tried less with the blacks, and it needed more, so added the recipe amount before I bottled, and it was perfect. So you can cut it and add more later. What I did.
I did not like red or white syrup used for cordials but with ice cream or vodka, was good!
I only used one lemon, was fine like that.
1 Like
That would be right. The syrup or coulis is great over plain but really good vanilla ice cream too. It is what you add to white wine for a Kir or to champagne for a Kir Royale.
2 Likes
Yes, many ways to enjoy these currants. I find it amazing how cooking turns the flavor into such a rich and interesting flavor. The fruit transforms tremendously when cooked. The clove currant is a different species and also has a very interesting flavor too. Besides having that wonderful clove scented flowers. I have high hopes for this one too. Anyway black currants have lived up to their reputation for me. A top shelf fruit. Not really for fresh eating, if you must eat fresh, try the clove currant. It has the flavor of blacks without the musky taste. This musky taste when processed is what makes these currants so special.I will always grow them, and cannot have too many.
1 Like
got about 50 clove currants on my 2nd leaf crandalls. totally different taste to my consorts. like in between a b. currant and a gooseberry. think ill keep my consorts for jam and juice and eat the crandalls fresh. next year my 6 western golden currants should fruit. anxious to compare them. they came from 2 dif. nurseries so they may be different.
2 Likes
and they are so easy to grow! everyone should have at least a few bushes in their yard. id love to grow them commercially someday. I’ve never had to spray mine.
1 Like
I have not either.
you ever see WPBR in yours?
One I can’t remember which does get a powdery mildew, and I have treated it, forget about that.
Also aphids from time to time too. Some though have never had either.
my goldens have a touch of it but my consorts and crandall seem to be immune so far. good thing there isnt any w. pine around here. bottom of leaves are orange/ rust colored. tried a anti fungal but didn’t help any.
Yeah never seen that. You would have to spray before as a preventative, that is the only way. So if you wish spray leaves as soon as they form next year. Or you could try to kill all spores by doing a dormant spray of copper and oil or lime-sulfur and oil. This may not work if they come in from surrounding area, only spraying leaves while growing will work in that case (not with the dormant spray, just copper, or just lime-sulfur at labeled rates). I don’t know much about it? No white pines anywhere close to here.
i think they may have been infected before i planted as theres been a ban on all currants and gooseberries since the 1930’s here. they just allowed them to be grown again this year. there are white pines in this area but not any within 2-3 miles of here. i googled treatment of WPBR and there isn’t any listed except cut and destroy the carrier plant. ill try raking the leaves this fall and a spraying schedule next spring.
I have found copper and lime-sulfur to be fairly good preventative on shrub and vine fruits. Hard to get lime sulfur these days. I still have a stash.
2 Likes