Currants

Thank you for being patient with me as we go into the new year!

I know it’s winter, but I’ve been itching to write about some summer plants so today that’s what we’ll do!

A plant that has been on my mind for awhile now is the currant.

These are relatively obscure berries for most Americans nowdays, but they used to be much more popular at one point in history!

Plant Profile:

Scientific Name: Ribes sp, (R. rubrum in particular)

Preferred Habitat: Currants tend to like partial shaded areas in moist soils near patches of woods. I tend to find them near streams and at the edges of forests, though they will usually produce more fruit in full sun.

Edible Parts: Fruit (berries)

Distribution: While redcurrants are native to Europe, there are native American currants as well. There is most likely a wild native currant in your area unless you live too far deep in the south. Here is a range map for the wild golden currants:

Harvest Season: Midsummer, typically July

Key Identifiers: Toothed maple-like leaves, tiny greenish-yellow cup-shaped flowers in the spring that look unremarkable, and veiny red/orange fruit in the summer (there are also black currants but we’ll discuss those another day).

Toxic Look-Alikes: The most common currant look alike you will find in my region is honeysuckle. Honeysuckle has oval leaves and grows on larger tree-like shrubs. A taste test is not advised since it can make some people sick, but if you to take a taste and spit them out (I have before) it will taste very bitter and highly astringent. It’s a very unpleasant flavor!

The other one you may find are gooseberries which are also edible and closely related to currants, also delicious!

Highbush viburnums can also look very similar but are larger and usually produce berries in the fall rather than midsummer. These are also edible, just not as tasty by most standards. Perfectly safe though!

Nutrition: (per 100g approximately)

• Carbs: 13.8g (including 4.3g dietary fibre and 7.4g sugar)

• Protein: 1.4g

• Fat: 0.2g

• Vitamin C: 41mg (46% of the recommended daily intake, RDI)

• Vitamin K: 11mcg (13% RDI)

• Potassium: 275mg (8% RDI)

• Magnesium: 13mg (3% RDI)

• Calcium: 33mg (3% RDI)

• Contains anthocyanins and flavonoids

Red currants also:

• Improve immune system

• Are high in antioxidants

• Ease inflammation

• Lower bad (LDL) cholesterol

• Reduce risk of hypertension

• Regulate blood pressure

• Have a low glycemic index and are high in dietary fiber which slows sugar absorption making them ideal for people with type 2 diabetes.

• Help with cognitive function by reducing oxidative stress on the brain

• Improve gut health and ease constipation

• Are full of prebiotics

• Potentially fight cancers (particularly bone cancers)

Uses

Currants in general are used the ways most berries are: juiced, in jams, in baked goods, eaten fresh, made into ciders or cordials, tossed in salads, made into vinaigrettes, syrups, sauces, cocktails, candied, or paired with creamy dishes.

They can also double as a fodder for livestock like chickens, and the shrubs make an excellent edible hedgerow!

The berries are generally tart with a sweet undertone. They seem to me like they would make a good lemonade flavor but I haven’t spent time experimenting with it yet.

Growth Habits

Currants are surprisingly easy to grow.

This is one of those set-and-forget shrubs in most regions that is also easy to propagate!

Most currant shrubs when mature will produce between 2-4 pounds of fruit annually but it can take a few years to get to that point.

My currants are about to enter their third year and just produced a small handful of berries each last season. They stand about 3ft tall so I’d expect them to hit full size in another year or two.

Currants are very easy to divide and replant, and if done when dormant they should root pretty quickly in the spring!

I have red currants, white currants, and soon I’ll be ordering black currants as well (which I will write about separately).

Additional Information

There are several native American currants as well as the popular European ones:

R. rubrum - Redcurrant, European (White and pink currants are varieties of redcurrant bred for a different color)

R. nigrum - Blackcurrant, European

R. aureum - Golden currant, American

R. americanum - American blackcurrant

R. lacustre - Swamp currant, American

And several others!

Currants were once a popular fruit in the US along with their close cousin gooseberries, however they became a primary spreader of pine blister rust and started causing immense damage to the timber industry so they were banned from 1911-2017 in the entire US and people eventually forgot about them.

Some states still have banned them, and some states (like Michigan) have restrictions on growing certain currant species without a license.

I actually do have a license to grow and carry certain varieties of black currant that are resistant to the fungal disease so if anyone wants some, let me know!

I would have to say one of the best features of currants is their ability to still produce fruit in shadier spots, although I will admit they will always produce more in full sun.

That said, if you need something edible to fill a shadier area, these are a great option!

Cultivars

There are several currant cultivars to check out, I have two specific ones known as “Red Lake” and “Primus White”. Here are other good ones:

Viking Red - A redcurrant that is nearly immune to pine blister rust!

Pomona Red - A high yield variety known for long fruit clusters and disease resistance.

Bar-Le-Duc White - A very sweet white French cultivar.

White Cherry - A large and ornamental variety with superior flavor.

Jonkheer Van Tets - One of the best redcurrant varieties with good flavor, high yields and early-bearing!

Champagne Pink - A red x white cross that bears pretty pink berries on a smaller shrub. Perfect for smaller spaces!

Zitavia White - A disease-resistant cultivar of white currant.

Golden Currant - Wild golden native currant, generally found in the Western Midwest, and the Great Plains regions.

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