Exploring the Wonders of Red Currants (2024)

FAQs

Why are red currants hard to find? ›

Currants are a specialty fruit that can be hard to find in conventional grocery stores. They're difficult to harvest, don't travel well and are highly perishable. Your best bet is to look for them at farmers' markets (in states where growing them is legal!) or at specialty stores.

Red currants are also rich in potassium – a mineral that regulates blood pressure and thus prevents the development of high blood pressure.

Find out more about redcurrants, including how to select, store, prepare and cook them. These shiny little berries grow low on bushes, hanging from the branches like rows of miniature gems. Their flavour is a little tart but they're still sweet enough to be eaten raw, so long as they're sprinkled with plenty of sugar.

Pink Champagne' currants are pendant clusters of fruits the color of champagne blushed with pink. These currants are less tart than the red, and among the sweetest of all currants. Although they may be eaten ripe off the shrub, pink currants are more often harvested for use in jams, jellies, and pies.

What Does It Taste Like? Currants have a sweet and sour berry flavor. All varieties have a bright acid kick to balance out their sweetness, and a fair amount of tannins that can make your mouth pucker.

Evidence found through scientific studies show that currants may also be very effective in preventing painful kidney stones from forming.

The red currant can be eaten fresh but is more often cooked in pies, jams, etc. It is a good source of vitamin C and potassium. Red currant is said to be depurative, digestive, diuretic, laxative, refrigerant and sialagogue.

Currant's nutrient profile makes them excellent antioxidants. In addition, they are also anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antimicrobial, rich in fibre (both soluble and insoluble), nearly fat-free, and great for your eyesight. Here are some of the significant benefits of currant.

It is native to Western Europe and has long been cultivated in the United States. In the early 1900s, currants were banned in the northern United States to prevent the spread of white pine blister rust. However for most states, including Utah, the ban was lifted in 1966.

Red currants can be kept refrigerated for up to 6 days and for 1 to 2 days at room temperature. Prevent bruising by spreading them out and only removing the peduncles after washing them. If you want to freeze red berries, spread them on a platter in the freezer.

Are red currants a superfood? ›

Rich in vitamin C which helps fight infections by acting as a powerful antioxidant. Adequate vitamin C intake does not only improve the immune system but can also create and maintain collagen, an essential protein found in hair and skin. Therefore, red currants keep skin healthy.

Many people consider 'Rovada' to be the best red currant cultivar.

Raisins have some phytonutrients, most notably boron but raisins contain far fewer antioxidants than Black Currants and Black Currants supply iron, calcium, manganese, magnesium, as well as 4 X the vitamin C of oranges, more potassium than bananas, twice the antioxidants of blueberries, and more.

Red currants are high in pectin, making them ideal for jams and jellies. Black currants have five times the Vitamin C of oranges and make wonderful liqueurs. White currants are typically sweeter and less acidic than red currants and are best eaten fresh.

Then there are currants, which are dried black grapes. In the UK, these are imported predominantly from Greece. However torrential rains there in recent months have also led to a short crop of currants, meaning manufacturers might again look to the South African market to fill the gaps.

It is native to Western Europe and has long been cultivated in the United States. In the early 1900s, currants were banned in the northern United States to prevent the spread of white pine blister rust. However for most states, including Utah, the ban was lifted in 1966.

Black currant ban, risks, and health benefits. Blackcurrant bushes were grown in America back in the 1629s, but in 1911, the professional cultivation of the plant was banned. It is a carrier of a fungus called white pine blister rust. Hence, blackcurrant was declared illegal to protect pine forests.

Red currants grow in grape-like clusters on small bushes, the fruit has become a rarity in the United States. Mistakenly thought to promote a tree disease, currant bushes across the country were systematically uprooted in the early 1900s, and production was prohibited for many years.