My Tiny PlotRed Currants Galore!
I harvested my Red Currants today. Wow! I can hardly believe how many currants I got from one bush. I didn’t have time to do anything with them right now so I’ve frozen them. I read somewhere that the easiest way to get them off the stalks is to run a fork down the stalk and they just pop off. So I tried it and it really works! No more fiddling about trying to pluck the tiny green remainder of the stalk out, they come off clean as a whistle.
I froze them flat and then bagged them up in the freezer. There they will sit until I find the time, and a suitable recipe, to do them justice!
They freeze quite well. They’re also great in smoothies but can be quite tart – so mix them in with sweeter fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, bananas.
Or you could try redcurrant jam. By coincidence, David Leibovitz posted a recipe on his popular blog this morning:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2011/06/red-currant-jam-recipe/
That’s what I do when I harvest my red currants here in Northern Illinois – I just freeze them. Usually I end up making jam with the raspberries from our raspberries bushes, but the raspberries aren’t usually ready to harvest until after the red currants. Thanks for the fork-related tip – I’ll have to try that this year.
Let me know the recipe when you decide. I have made the usual suspect before… jelly, but would love to hear what you decide on…
well i left mine one day too many to harvest them. the bush was full of lovely lush redcurrants on saturday. Sun the heavens opened so i cudnt get to the plot. and then on monday the bush was completely stripped! damn those blackbirds- thet’ve had a feast! i’ll make sure i dont make the same mistake next year. its a huge old bush that i’ve inherited on my new plot so ive never used redcurrants before. however ive managed to scrapped together just enough currants to make two small jars of redcurrant jelly.
We absolutely love redcurrant jelly – last year we made about 18 jars and we’ve only just run out! I also made this redcurrant tart (http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/7401/redcurrant-tart.aspx) which was really yummy. I shall definitely be making it again this year.
Ooooh, I’m so jealous! Our bushes aren’t yet at the mass- cropping stage. Don’t forget to make redcurrant jelly – it’s utterly delicious on toast as it has a mouth watering sharpness to it that counteracts the sweetness (I find most jams etc can be a bit on the sweet side). Just avoid crushing the fruit or squeezing the bag when making jelly…or you extract all the bitterness…which mucks it all up!
Yes do make jelly – I can never eat roast lamb or roast chicken without a spoonful of red currant jelly! It’s essential with a lamb stew too ;-)
Someone shared a redcurrant recipe on local radio and twitter – I can’t wait to try it (our huge red currant crop isn’t quite ripe yet)
http://catalinabakes.blogspot.com/2010/08/red-currant-sour-cream-tart.html
Celia
They look really tasty.
Managed to get some red, white and black currants myself last year – after Mr Blackbird had practically striped them bare.
Had enough to go in some summer fruit puddings and some ice cream though.
Your currants look so healthy, and such a beautiful colour! I’m growing redcurrants for the first time this year so don’t expect a crop until next year. The next batch of fresh that you harvest could be frosted by dipping into egg white then caster sugar and left to dry. The make lovely decorations for a cake, a jelly, or any pudding really. (But you probably knew that already!)
Went to harvest mine on Sunday, but the “birds” beat me to it. I hadn’t netted them so it is my own fault, and I would much rather think the birds got them than a light-fingered allotmenteer. The “birds” were surgically precise though to give them their due. And of course there’s always next year avec netting – and bear-traps!
They look amazing. Redcurrants are on my list of things to plant when I have a bigger garden. I think they make a wonderful compote with a proper baked cheesecake.
Lovely! Ours are just starting to turn colour up in NE Scotland…and we’re eagerly awaiting their ripe redness. I usually freeze some to use for syrup (pancakes), to use in a red current reduction sauce (with game)…so many ways to use them (OH and my son’s favourite is fresh off the bush!). ENjoy.
I like that tip with the fork – sounds simple but effective.
Up here in North Yorkshire we’re nowhere near ready to harvest the red currants. However, I’ll get a decent crop this year because I’ve hung a huge net over the bushes to prevent our feathery friends from gorging on them!
Bit more sun and they should be ready soon :-)
Alan
What a wonderful photo! I always find redcurrants just a bit too acid to eat raw. They do make a wonderful addition to a Summer Pudding though!
Wow, those look great.
Here is a nice simple recipe you might like: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2206/redcurrant-sorbet
Rachel
WOW ! they look amazing and I am so jealous ! I didn’t net my blackcurrants in time as I stupidly thought that the birds would only eat them when ripened and not green !!! needless to say the bush was stripped BARE and I didn’t get a single taste ! boo hoo. This was my first year to harvest, so lesson learnt. Luckily my friend and allotment neighbour is going to share her huge haul with me in exchange for some of my strawberries.
M x
Wow, great haul! I only have about 10 currants on my bush, but to be fair it’s not really due for a proper harvest till never year… Fingers crossed for something similar to your harvest then! :)
Do you use gardengrab.co.uk Gill? there’s a recipe on there today for Elderflower jelly with redcurrants in it. I’m making it tonight with my own homemade cordial and currants from the garden.
Oh my goodness, I want a redcurrant bush now! They look so beautiful. Have only just started blogging about my new veg patch so this is definitely one to grow!
Please do share your recipe when you decide on one. I have a black currant bush and have been thinking about getting a red currant too. Are the flavours at all similar?
I went out early on Wednesday last week to net mine as they were just turning from green to pink and was met with 3 totally stripped bushes and two very fat pigeons. Not happy at all, especially as they weren’t even ripe – mind you we had not had rain here for nearly 2 months, so I suppose the birds were just after some moisture – but I hope they suffered! No washing out on line for a few days!
Looks yummy! I love your photos, they would look great as wall art.. I’ve got a few canvases myself of my dogs, would definitely recommend asda photo if you’re considering it.. bargain prices but still great canvases! (www.asda.com/photo is the link I use) Keep up the good work with your blog!
I too had a great crop of redcurrants this year in Perthshire – 20kg off 2 bushes picked on 7th July ! They are 5 years old and are fan-trained (about 6 x 6 ft) onto s-facing trellis surrounding my veg plot. I prune all this seasons’ growth back to 5 leaves directly after fruiting apart from the main fan shoots which I have allowed to grow to the height I wanted before topping them. I lost a lot of fruit to birds last year so this time I netted them and saved the crop. I’ve frozen some and made some into jelly. They make a lovely compote cooked from frozen berries to serve with ice-cream. I’ve also got blueberries fan-trained up the trellis which are about the same size and crop heavily too so long as I dress them with leaf-mould. (my mother-in-law has less acid soil and pours all her coffee grounds on her blueberries to keep the ph low!)