Black, Red and White currants

In my youth, I used to go round bomb sites looking at old allotments, sites that were bombed in the second world war, that is places where you could grow your own food, in the early 50's most of theses were abandoned, and were later built on, but grandma and myself would go out near Plumstead where I was born looking for things that were left by the people that no longer looked after them, I was talking about this to Jeff and said that we would get lots of things like potatoes, rhubarb, soft fruit like raspberry's, gooseberries and my three favorites, black, red and white currants, well the point of this long tirade is that Jeff had never heard of white currants, which for me and grandma were the sweetest and the best, so a short view of currants,

The Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) is a species of Ribes berry native to central and northern Europe and northern Asia. It is also known as French "cassis".

Blackcurrant

It is a small shrub growing to 1–2 m tall. The leaves are alternate, simple, 3-5 cm long and broad, and palmately lobed with five lobes, with a serrated margin. The flowers are 4–6 mm diameter, with five reddish-green to brownish petals; they are produced in racemes 5–10 cm long. When not in fruit, the plant looks similar to the redcurrant shrub, distinguished by a strong fragrance from leaves and stems. The fruit is an edible berry 1 cm diameter, very dark purple in color, almost black, with a glossy skin and a persistent calyx at the apex, and containing several seeds dense in nutrients.

The Red currant (Ribes rubrum) is a member of the genus Ribes in the gooseberry family Grossulariaceae, native to parts of western Europe (Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Northern Italy and Northern Spain). It is a deciduous shrub normally growing to 1-1.5 m tall, occasionally 2 m, with five-lobed leaves arranged spirally on the stems. The flowers are inconspicuous yellow-green, in pendulous 4-8 cm racemes, maturing into bright red translucent edible berries about 8-12 mm diameter, with 3-10 berries on each raceme.

Redcurrant fruit is slightly more sour than its relative the blackcurrant, and is cultivated mainly for jams and cooked dishes, rather than for eating raw. For example, in Scandinavia it is often used in fruit soups and summer puddings, and in Germany it is also used in combination with custard or meringue as a filling for tarts. However, unlike the cranberry, it certainly can be enjoyed in its fresh state and without the addition of sugar, but for me the sugar was a joy, remember sweet/sugar rationing in the UK was still in force as late as 1953! Although blackcurrant is more traditionally associated with medicinal uses, English and German language herbalist sources consider redcurrant berries to have fever-reducing, sweat-inducing, menstrual-flow inducing, mildly laxative, astringent, appetite increasing, blood cleansing, diuretic and digestive properties. Some of these proposed effects are probable, due to the verified high levels of vitamin C, fruit acids, and fiber the berries contain. Tea made from dried redcurrant leaves is said to ease the symptoms of gout and rheumatism, be useful in compresses for poorly healing wounds, and as a gargling solution for mouth infections. According to the "Orbis Naturführer" (Orbis Verlag, Munich, 2000), while Ribes rubrum and R. nigrum are native to northern and eastern Europe, large berried cultivars of the redcurrant were first produced in Belgium and northern France in the 1600s. In modern times, numerous cultivars have been selected; some of these have escaped gardens and can be found in the wild across Europe and extending into Asia. and now for the best WHITE CURRANTS, these are just some of the varieties currently available, (excuse the pun!) WHITE VERSAILLES Long bunches of large, sweet berries hang in abundance. Medium, upright growth providing an early heavy crop of delicious berries. Superb for dessert and all other purposes, the best general purpose variety. WHITE DUTCH A mid-season variety, producing long bunches of golden white fruit. A good crop from a spreading bush with very well flavoured fruits. WHITE PEARL Long bunches of large, yellow/white pearls. Excellent flavour. Sometimes known as White Transparent. WHITE GRAPE A late variety with long bunches of finely flavoured berries. BLANCA A new variety which, in Europe has provided the heaviest yield of all White currants, exceeding even that of the standard variety White Versailles, yields of Blanca usually top 4kg per square metre in commercial trials. The long trusses of pearly white, large and evenly sized berries and increased cropping potential mean that Blanca will almost certainly become the foremost White currant variety in the UK. It is also later in Season and therefore useful grown in combination with other varieties as a season extender. White currants are becoming increasingly popular, they make a delicious soft pink coloured jelly, and, being sweeter than other currants may also be enjoyed straight from the bush! So there you have it, if you see some white currents give them a try, and remember me and grandma looking for them in the 50's!