Clove currants - great smelling blooms & delicious fruit!

I can’t share the smell unfortunately ( hence the name clove currant) but I can share a picture. If you haven’t tried them it might be something to add to your list

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Past two years I didn’t notice anything special about the smell of the blooms. They are just leafing out for me now.
Have 3 of them in different areas of the house.
I’m going to try to take an deep whiff this year when they bloom as everyone says they have great smelling blooms but maybe I had a cold or something when I been smelling them :).
Just curious, How far away (in feet) can you smell them?

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20’-30’ they have a strong fragrance. There are several types of clove currents but most people consider them all the same type. I grow the yellow berried variety and the black and red ones. I also grow the domesticated version called Crandall clove currents. In Missouri they have one called the Missouri clove current that’s growing conditions are different. The Missouri clove current produces the least berries but has the strongest fragrance in my experience. My sister and other relatives grow that variety. The yellow current is the one that grows wild in Kansas.

Gotcha, I grow the ones Crandall current which I got from Raintree:
http://www.raintreenursery.com/Crandall-Black-Currant.html
I’ll be on the lookout for the fragrance this year.

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Clove currants are blooming like crazy in Kansas.

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Love the smell of clove currents in April!


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i can’t wait until mine are that big. is that a crandall?

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Yes it is a crandall. I think you might enjoy this thread Gooseberries 2015 and this thread Is Crandall Clove Currant self-fertile? and this thread Currants
Later the fruit looks like this


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i have 1 now and another coming from HBUSA. was only a ft. tall and was covered w/ flowers last spring. 8 berries set. birds got 3. i got the rest! :wink:

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The birds getting some are not a bad thing! Ive got new clove currant bushes coming up all over now! From my perspective the birds did the work for me! Its funny because i was thinking i wish i would have had time to pick them all and then i thought wow im thankful i didnt when i saw a bush growing in a spot where i had nothing and an apple had died from fireblight.

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So does that yellow flowering clove currant that smells good have good jelly-making berries? How does it taste compared to red and white currant?

They are good but I prefer red currants myself which are far more productive. Crandall currants or any of the clove currants are about as productive as gooseberries. Ive grown red currants that produced huge fruit clusters

I liked the productivity of my former white currant, and reds can be a bit overwhelming to pick by hand. Maybe the clove currant would be a good replacement?

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red currants are very ornamental too. We had 2 placed not far from a doorway once as a teenager, and it really perked up the shoddy property!

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I’m still debating what I like better black currants or clove. Probably black. As they have the pungent flavor, that is overwhelming fresh yet outrageously good processed. Also blacks can be very productive. Syrup from these is nectar of the Gods!
I like reds too, but the flavor is not rich, not complex. Just a simple flavor that happens to be good, just simple. I like Rovada myself as the clusters are long, the berries are huge, and it’s so easy to harvest, takes little time. Others have small strings all over the place and take forever to harvest, screw that, I ripped all those types out and put Rovada in their place.

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I got one currant off of my plant last year, it’s first year. This year the bush is the same size but will be loaded. New canes are emerging. The smell is exactly like clove cigarettes but with mine you must get your face right next to it to smell it. This one is just finishing up blooming.

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mine are just leafing out. got a handful last year. the taste is more grapeish than the blacks. much better for fresh eating unless you’re like me and like the muskiness of black currant from the bush. I’m anxious to have enough to try them in jam. my bush is much more spreading than yours. its as wide as its tall.

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We just have the one clove right now. It had a ton of flowers so I’m hoping to get to try the fruit this year. It’s great to see pics.
I’ve already got a small pair of black currant bushes and they’ve been decently productive. I’m not fond of the taste, but my father likes them so he gets a couple of pies a year. ( and he never has to share!)

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My Crandall fruits a lot, I have other clove currant too, but they are young.
I had to stake mine as it has so many berries.

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last spring my little crandall was so covered with flowers that the bush looked solid yellow from 50ft. away! wound up with about 30 berries.

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