Adventures with Currants
 

This morning I was reading an article about blackcurrants, which reminded me that this is just about the time of year in our northern vicinity when currants become ripe enough to be edible.

I used to have many currant bushes in my yard, with enough berries for me and lots of my neighbors, but one year they became infected with a fungus that eventually killed most of them. I did transplant a couple of bushes to the far corner of my backyard, but the birds usually beat me to the berries every year.

So, I usually purchase currants each summer at our local farmer’s stand instead. A couple of hours ago I made a phone call to the stand to see if they have currants available to buy. A young girl answered and our conversation went something like this:

Audrey: “ Hello, do you have any currants in stock yet?”

Reply: “No, we won’t have any carrots in until mid-July.”

Audrey: “ No dear, not carrots, currants! You know, little red berries that grow on bushes.”

Reply: “Oh, ummmm, I don’t think I see any here...... how small are the berries anyway?”

Audrey: “They’re fairly small, but what difference does it make? Do you have any?”

Reply: “ Ummmm, you should probably speak to John about it.”

Audrey: “O.k., may I please speak with John?”

Reply: “He’s not here. It’s his day off.”


Well, I guess I’ll make a trip outside to my remaining currant bushes to see if the birds left me anything.

We have currant bushes in our yard too. They were here when we moved in. They are fantastically fragrant in spring. Nothing like them then!

But ours never set berries. I guess they don't get pollinated or enough sunlight?

Hi mrsD, the currants I have left are growing in an area of the yard partially shaded by trees where the soil is usually a bit moist. I’ll water them, or at least I used to be able to water them, whenever the soil becomes too dry. They’ve produced berries every year that I can remember.

This is the one we have. They bloom and the fragrance is really wonderful and unique! But we never see berries on them.

This is what they look like (not black currant though)...
The leaves are rather small and indented. Hubby thinks the birds get them quickly. We are often out of town for weeks at the berry time too.

http://www.nwplants.com/business/catalog/rib_aur.html

You and I have different varieties of currants. Mine is the redcurrant:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redcurrant

The neighborhood birds always get to the best of them before I do! :D

For years we called it the "spice bush" ....then a lady friend of mine came over to see the yard and she squealed..."Oh, you have wild currant!" So that is how we found out what the bush really was.

The bush is enormous now, and I moved some of its suckers out but they did not do very well. But the mother bush is about 5 ft wide now, and when the breeze during bloom time is from the east...it just is the most fragrant thing we have here for that week!

My sis has red currents that are always loaded with berries.

Your story about trying to buy currents reminded me of years ago when i worked at a huge landscape nursery for awhile. That was before the era of cell phones and when the phone in the office rang you had to run. I was working alone dragging around a large hose watering when the phone rang. I flew across the yard and answered the phone to the question, "Do you have any of those tree-bush things? It took awhile but I finally determined she wanted arborvitae. :rolleyes:


judi