Currants - White & Red
(Ribes rubrum cvs.)
Unlike black currants, a different species which only fruits on last year's wood, red & white currants continue to bear fruit on older branches. Prune out any wood that is 4 years & older - these branches gradually decline, as seen in the fruit they produce. You can visually discern, in winter, the wood age by the colour of the bark - silver, year 1; flaking brown, years 2-3; black, year 4+.
The fruit is ready to harvest by late December. Birds love them, so they do need to be covered
if you want a decent crop. Lay the netting over the bushes as soon as the immature fruit starts to show colour.
'White Dutch'
White currants are simply an albino form of red currants. The translucent berries turn ivory-white when fully ripe, with their interior seeds clearly visible. 'White Dutch' is an old cultivar, dating back to the early 1700's: that it has endured so long is proof of its reliability, just as with the Capucijner Pea.
'Giant Ruby'
Huge fruit compared to other red currant cultivars, which ripens simultaneously, rather than consecutively - perfect for decorating the Christmas pavlova. Plants are hardy & vigorous.
Currant Cheese
Both red & white currants contain plenty of pectin, making them ideally suited for fruit cheese.
Carefully cook the fruit down with no added water. They release plenty of liquid, white currants in particular, so there is no need to dilute their flavours unneccessarily. Add 1/2 quantity of sugar to puree and cook down until the bottom of the jam pot is revealed when a spoon is passed through - 30 min at most for a 1lt puree batch. Set in mini muffin moulds and turn out. Mature as per damson & quince recipes.
Currants make great jelly - use this recipe
