I went on lines and ordered it from unwins. I should be receiving them any day now.
i also had to get rid of all but 1 of the goldens i had. they had WPBR so bad, it defoliated them 2xs so i chopped them. 1 for some reason didnāt get infected but its branches we all sprawling this summer. Iām hopeful to see what kind of berry it has. the nursery in CO where i got them said they were reddish/ orange berries. maybe some of the branches will root during the winter so i can share.
never heard of therm. is that the nursery name? been trying to find a us source for ebony.
If you go on line and type in chris bowers and sons, you will find the ebony currant plants.
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only one i find is in the uk and only has grown plants.
Yes and they donāt ship here, so Iām confused? Well not about the shipping no overseas plant will be let in on purpose without quarantine and a permit. If Ebony is worthwhile, it will make it here probably by tissue culture at first. All I could find out is it originates from Eastern Europe. I myself like the strong tasting blacks, so Iām really all set. Crandall is different I like it, but I like the traditional blacks better. I certainly would want to try Ebony. Many new blacks are touted to taste better. But it is all a matter of taste. So far none has impressed me tremendously as much as the heirloom cultivars. Some heirlooms are barely heirlooms, or will be soon like Consort. Which to me is the Red Haven of black currants. I added Crusader this year as it hails from the same program that made Consort. Lee Reich is an awesome grower, and he likes the Russian ones Belorusskaya and Kirovchanka. I highly respect his opinion and these may be worth pursuing. I have one and will have the other this spring. And note also from Eastern Europe. The Netherlands cultivars are amazing good, Rovada, Van tets, anything from there to me deserves at least a trial run. Yes some older Dutch cultivars are susceptible to WPBR so I suggest the newer ones. Iām trying Risager and Slitsa, time will tell if these are worthwhile for me or not. I hope all listed in this post will become favorites.
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i prefer the older stronger tasting ones as well but trying to increase my production and these seem to be a much bigger berry. Iām definitely interested in crusader as i love my consorts but production is low compared to more modern varieties. how does Tiben produce for you?
So far Iām not that impressed with production. I am growing it in a container though. Itās in a 10 or 15 gallon root pouch. Enough room for OK production. I must say only two seasons into the plant, so production may pick up.
Itās hard to tell possible mislabeled plants, so often wonder if some are? Like a very good producer for me is Black September which is supposed to ripen late, although it has not here. Ripening earlier, so think it is a possible mislabeled plant. Whatever it is, it produces, and the berries are good! My best producer.
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Thanks to all for sharing their favorites - itās a very helpful thread. I grew up in a region where currants are popular (Eastern Europe, well - we like to call it Central Europe but who cares) and it was a big disappointment when I learned that they are really hard to come by in the US unless you grow your own. Iām starting a garden now, and want to give it a try, although Iām prepared that in our hot intermountain west climate they will struggle. Itās helpful to read everyoneās insight here.
I find all the discussions (this thread and elsewhere) about the differences in taste between āold heirloomsā and newer varieties of blackcurrants really curious. Iāve always liked the black currants the best, and yes, the flavor is funky, but they can be good even eaten fresh when ripe. Makes me wonder if the commercial and homegrown varieties back home (no clue what they are, I wasnāt gardening back then) are more of the ānewā or rather the āoldā type - and I find them palatable mainly because I grew up with them.
I second all above recommendations for processing into syrups or jams (jams are a favorite - really good with mild farmers cheese on bread or with crepes. Or, I imagine chevre cheese would be nice too since farmers cheese can be another item hard to come by).
Also since it looked like some people may be looking for recipes, I wanted to share links to two cake recipes - can use up excess fresh berries or frozen ones (currants freeze spectacularly well!). I donāt have any connection to the farm which owns the website, or benefit in any way, but I got to try these with the very last of the stash of frozen berries, and the recipes are great. The farm is in England, and the recipe section on their website is worth a look - there are recipes for other currants and gooseberries too. I donāt have many people to share these recipes with otherwise - because, guess what, you canāt buy the berries easily around here. The recipes are already making rounds among friends and family back home though, so I can vouch for broad appeal.
The ālemon curd and blackcurrantā cake is great tasting, moist, rich and very cakelike. Think indulgence and calories 
The plain āblackcurrant cakeā is fantastic - donāt get discouraged by the picture.
Less sweet, a ton of fruit utilized - warning, might be tart to uninitiated, although I shared with some friends who never experienced currants before and they loved it too. Can be made partly with whole wheat flour if desired and masquerade as a healthier take on dessert.
I hope sharing these doesnāt violate any rules on the forum - Iāve been lurking for a while but first time posting, and wanted to share something with all fellow currant lovers and adventurous souls willing to try the berries. Canāt share growing experience yetā¦
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Hey thanks awesome to get some recipes! If you need cuttings of various black currants, contact me in the winter.
I just might! Thank you for the offer!
Here what I have
Ben Sarek
Black September
Consort
Crandall
Crusader (Ribes nigrumX R. ussuriense)
Golden currant (not the Crandall cultivar)
Goliath
Minaj Smyriou/Minaj Shmyrev/Minaj Smyreu
Tiben
Titania
Boskoop Giant
Belaruskaja
Risager
Slitsa
I also have some seedlings all volunteer but too small to trade yet. I have 3 or 4 of them.
Looking for Kirovchanka if anybody can help?
I need to heavily prune some so yeah shoot me a pm this winter.
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Iāve been reading up on whatās commercially available - you really have quite a collection!
I only have a golden currant so far. Itās native around here and does well. I picked up a clearance plant (ā3 sticks and a leafā type 
) locally late last summer, popped in in the ground in the fall - in the most sun scorched area of my east-and-south-and-west exposure front yard. It strolled through the winter and spring, got lovely blooms and good growth. Someone was asking earlier - the golden does have fragrant flowers too, not sure it was clove-like, but was sweet and lovely. Now itās sulking as weāre into 2nd month of continuous 95F and above daysā¦ But itās still new so I hope it will do better next year. Weāll see. And no, black currants are not going into the front yard 
Kirovchanka - I was eyeing it based on the description at Raintree. Might end up getting it, but thatāll be a while and I bet you can get it from someone by the time I have cuttings.
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thanks for the recipes. i only grow 2 types of black currants Tiben and consort but are a big fan of them. got some tiben cuttings from Drew 3 years ago and the berries are awesome! bigger than consorts and great flavor.
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They are tough to grow in high heat. You need a shady spot for them. You probably will have trouble growing them. Golden is more adaptable than most.
someone on here in z9 Cali says heās growing 3 crandall cloves and they produce reliably for him.
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Crandall also produces well for me here on the California coast (zone 10a).
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Some nice member sent to my no charge a gooseberry. I kept in fridge until ready to plant, then totally forgot it. I thought I killed it but still had some roots.
( had asked about getting cutting of a certain variety but bag said poor man. So donāt know what it is. )
But I stuck it into the right container. Iāll have to post a photo. Leaves are so green and healthy. It will be a year or more before I see any flowers but it looks like a survivor. Very nice to see something positive.
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lol! it was you Jerry that i was talking about. couldnāt remember your name.
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gooseberries and currants are pretty tough. if kept moist , they can usually grow in even adverse conditions. most arenāt fond of heat over 80f though.
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