This is a great story about Black Currants. Check it out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yWhLnnbbfE
My picks would be juneberry (Saskatoon) and and red currant. To me the red currants ( I have Red Lake and another whose name I lost) taste like pomegranate arils but with different seeds.
I have Minaj Smyriou and it’s the best growing plant I have, produces tons of fruit but I don’t enjoy them (though maybe I will make jam or juice or something with them. Roots easily, all currants seem to. A neighbor of mine just cut my best producing gooseberry to 3 inches tall (he is not shy about jumping the fence and cutting my plants… I will be seeding his yard with nettles once the seeds arrive… I would cut his plants, but he only has a single solitary hydrangea plant in his back yard). He cut a seedling pawpaw down to about 3 inches as well. He is also the reason I don’t get hops from my hops vine.
Medlar is an interesting curiosity, but the fruit are underwhelming. Goumi are about as long as a dime, but half as wide. I probably eat more of these while wanting my yard than anything else, because the season for them is so long (and the birds don’t seem terribly interested.
Scott
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I also really like them. If you add sugar I think they are better than raspberries or strawberries. I enjoy smoothies with coconut and red currants.
I may need a cutting of that of I can’t get the ones I have to root.
Good lord! I haven’t been in a fist fight since 5th grade, but if I saw your neighbor in my yard…
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I get near 100% success by taking hardwood prunings and stabbing them into the ground. My daughter and I really like some varieties of black currant fresh. I think Swedish black is the main one. I do not care for Minaj Smyriou (sp?) at all, but it is a very healthy, productive, vigorous grower.
For fresh eating, in my opinion, Gooseberries are the best tasting on this list. They also make a killer jam, especially if you’re careful enough to preserve the fruit whole in the jam and don’t use too much sugar. Black Currants make a good jam, but if you have enough fridge space I would suggest another method. Just run a few pounds of fresh ones through a food processor and mix with sugar (1/2 to 1 pound of sugar, depending on your taste preferences, per 1 pound of fruit). You can store this preserve in a fridge or cold storage for up to a year.
I’ve had red currant, juneberry, and gummi.
I really like currents, but never got fruit as it would die back to stalk every summer when it hit over 90degrees.
The other two very very vigorous, especially gummi was unkillable, very stout trunk with long spikes, with horrid fruit. Good only as an ornamental. I banished it to an abandoned mountain top where it produces yet.
I never use much sugar, thanks for the tip. So really make a preserve like product, very good!
Probably not this year, but next year I should get enough for jam.
You don’t say what zone you are.
Here in 4a/b I am growing Currant, Gooseberry, Josta Berry.
Medlar dies back in winter to graft.
I want to try Juneberry/Saskatoons but have run out of space. Will do some bush plantings to try it.
My Josta should start producing this year. I had 3 Gooseberries last year and quite liked them. Quick and easy producer.
Currants I LOVE. Not fresh but make the best syrup, jams, compot. I have a couple different “Ben” series as well as Titania. I REALLY like the Titania as it is very upright growing and very productive and is apparently quite resistant to disease. The upright habit instead of sprawling is appreciated. I am going to be planting some more of the new Polish varities starting with Tiben.
To read a bit more:
http://www.ecofruit.net/2010/32_RP_H_Lindhard_Pedersen_S212bis217.pdf
http://www.lvai.lv/Konference/pdf/C-Mechanical_harvest.pdf
Me too, that is one I ordered. Impressive on paper, I can’t wait till it arrives! Are you growing any Honeyberries?
Also anybody growing Crandell or Golden currant? These are two that interest me a lot. I’m supposed to be getting one of each from a Michigan nursery, but the nursery has been known to rip people off. I have no idea if I will receive them or not? I was hoping to, since they are strains that grow in Michigan, even farther north than my location.
I’ve got the golden and it is a very shy bearer. Crandall has fruited sparsely and the fruit are good, almost a grape flavor.
The one I believe is the golden currant makes an excellent ornamental. Very fragrant as well.
Scott
You can see my full plant list at:
http://www.houzz.com/user/hungryfrozencanuck/__public
Haskasp - Tundra
Haskasp - Aurora
Haskasp - Honeybee
Haskasp - Borealis
also usask cherries
Cherry - Romeo
Cherry - Cupid
Cherry - Juliet
Cherry - Crimson Passion
Other than 4 berries from a Borealis I have not had fruit from these yet.
I may need cuttings off of them too! I still have the Carmine Jewel if you want it?
Here is is today.
Awesome! I have 7 honeyberries myself. Thanks for the links about the Polish Currant cultivars, they sound awesome! I bought Tiben from Honeyberries USA, not an easy cultivar to find. I have not seen any other ones either. Tiben appears to be the most productive black currant around. All the Polish cultivars look excellent.
We’ve got to nail down a time to meet, seriously. If I can find a way to move that Carmine Jewel I’m game.
let me take a few cuttings and try to root out, at least, the golden currant and black currant. I’ve got to go out and take some cuttings from the Illinois Everbearing Mulberry anyway.
Scott
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The only thing above I consider really worth growing are black currants- but only productive varieties not susceptible to mildew.
The best gooseberries and jostaberries are really good, though, if you are looking for a crisp refreshing fruit to eat in earliest summer (here) straight off the plant. The black currants I use for preserves, and I don’t consume a lot of sugared preserves these days. They can also be used in meat sauces and for other things culinary if you are the creative type in the kitchen.
Black currants run though a blender with fresh pressed apple juice and then strained makes one of the most delicious drinks I’ve ever tasted. They can also do amazing things for vodka.
They keep well frozen whole to use whenever it suits you.
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There is enough said about currants and gooseberries.
Honeyberries are not very productive or good tasting but they are prized as the first berries available, as early as the end of May or June. Almost no care berries. Worth planting if you have extra space.
The same for Juneberries. They are low acid and good tasting, at least some cultivars. They are like mulberries on the north. Kids like them. Because of low acidity they are not good in cooking or preserves, but very good fresh out of bush. They are no care and early, but they are available only in a very short window of time. Again they are worth planting if you have an extra space or if you need an edible green screen.
I like Juneberries and have trees on my property, but I never seem to get fruit here. At other sites where the birds aren’t so present I’ve enjoyed them. Amelanchier are beautiful trees.
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Yes, I have fond memories of enjoying them when I was a kid. Here we have plenty of bushes planted inside the city and I managed to try the ripe ones only once in several years. They ripen in a moment and then they are gone in the next moment. They might be better in colder areas.
I have cooked with low acid fruits the secret is to mix with an acid fruit. Also honeyberries, the new cultivars produce huge berries and the flavor is better. Some amazing breeding programs going on with them right now. Not to mention the difference between Asian and European cultivars.