Unloved Berries: Give Currants a Chance!

Poor little currants. They don’t enjoy nearly the same popularity here in the US as they do in England and other parts of the world. They can’t even claim the small but highly devoted following of mulberries, let alone compete with the blueberries and raspberries on farmers market tables. Can’t we give these guys some love?

A big part of the problem is sheer availability. Here in the US, currant bushes are one of the primary hosts for white pine blister rust, a very destructive disease attacking pine trees. For this reason, currants are often banned in areas where pine trees are grown for lumber - which are also usually the best growing areas for currants.

Add to this the fact that currants themselves are susceptible to several kinds of pest and disease, the fruits are fairly delicate and not easily harvested on a large scale, and the fruits spoil quickly after harvesting - it’s no wonder we rarely see the fresh fruit! Your best bet for finding them is to keep an eye out in your neighborhood. Currants are often grown as ornamental shrubs and some owners might not even realize the berries are edible.

Once you do manage to get your hands on some currants, what a treat you have! The exact flavor varies depending on the red, white, or black variety, but they all have a similar spicy and tart berry flavor. They make great jams and fruit pies, or you can simply eat the fresh fruit with ice cream!

Dried currants are also widely available and are great in baked goods. They’re smaller than raisins and tend to be fairly dry, so definitely reconstitute dried currants in a little warm water before using them.

Here are a few recipes to try:

• Frisee Salad with Red Currants from the Kitchn
• Mini Currant-Kefir Muffins from Pithy and Cleaver
• Apple Cranberry Currant Pie from Simply Recipes
• Red and Black Currant Jam from Epicurious

Do you love currants? What do you like to make with them?

(Image: Flickr member Maggie Hoffman licensed under Creative Commons)

Comments (15)

We have a wonderful red currant bush that lives in our backyard! Every late June it provides loads of berries, and although it takes a long time to pick them all it's well worth it! We usually have enough for one or two pies, a batch of jelly, and a batch or two of scones. Love them!
Here's a link for the delicious pie recipe:
http://jennoreilly.wordpress.com/2010/07/06/once-a-year-is-not-enough/

Love them in muffins--just take your favorite blueberry muffin recipe and substitute currants. They'll be a little more tart and zippy but delicious!

I love currants, but they're kind of hard to find.
They taste amazing in compotes, salads and scones(dried).

aw man!!! i walk by this grocery store every night that has them and I always wondered what I would do with them!

I don't think you can go wrong with classic currant scones using dried ones. Odd timing since just yesterday I was eating currant scones with blackcurrant jam--I love them!

It has been my experience unfortunately , that dried black currants are not widely available at all. What one normanlly finds are not true currants but zante raisins which I believe are made from Corinthian grapes. The tase is not even close. Trader Joes used to carry true dried black currants up until a year or so ago. If anyone has a good mailorder source for the real mccoy I'd love to hear it

I picked up some red currants yesterday at my farmers' market. I'm going to make sorbet.

I have been getting them in my CSA and throwing them into yogurt with honey, salads and even in pasta dishes right at the end. They pair well with parmesan cheese.

Currants are unloved?! I had no idea. I love them in all sorts of things.

I also didn't know about the white pine blister rust thing. Does that mean you're endangering the pines in your area if you plant currants?

I grew up in Britain and I love black currants! I was so pleased when I spotted them at the Greenpoint farmers market this weekend. I've made a simple compote out of mine - great on toast or on top of a no-bake cheesecake ...

Pah! My aunt has red currants. They are not hard to harvest (there's no thorns, just cut the whole twig off), and I had them in the fridge after picking for at least three days without any signs of spoilage, which is more than I can say for store bought strawberries... and strawberries aren't unpopular.

I just don't really like sour berries. Wonderful jam, though!

I adore red currents! Simply for making jelly (or is it jam? I can never remember which has fruit in it and which doesn't!). Anyway, it is clear and a gorgeous red and pretty darn close to the nectar of the God's. At least that's how we see it in our house!

Omg, red currant jelly is my absolute favorite.

One of my best memories is making red currant jelly when I was about 14 years old. I had spent all day picking them off the currant bushes in the garden, and then my grandmother's housekeeper helped me make jelly using all the old fashioned French tools (wax seals, hand cranked food mill, huge stock pots). I've never found a store-bought red currant jelly that comes anywhere close....

Unloved??!! Not true & not correct. I love currents, both red and black. Luckily, my parents have about a half dozen bushes of each and I load up on currents a few times during June and July. I eat them raw, or with a little sugar. I've made jam. Overall, I use them the same way I would use blueberries.

Man, I just picked a ton of red currants today. I love red currant jam. I also picked a flat of black raspberries. Man are the red currants easier. I just sat on the ground, lifted up the branches, stuck my bucket under, and went to town. I make the jam 'cause it's easier to me than jelly.