Friday 3 August 2012

Soft Fruit - Redcurrants

A few years ago when I used to keep a herd of goats I would cycle round the lanes collecting branches and leaves for them to eat.  On one of these expeditions I found a wild redcurrant bush in the hedgerow and took a cutting, and potted it up when I returned home.  This cutting turned into a massive bush which provides me with as much redcurrant jelly as I can use.

This year they haven't been as prolific as other years and started fruiting a lot later.  I am sure that the erratic weather had a lot to do with it, so I am not too worried, and anyway there is still enough for me to make a few pots of redcurrant jelly.

I love to see the bunches hanging from the branches like jewels with the sun shining on them.  Of course picking them is a rather messy, sticky affair - and they are a bit tart for my taste to eat raw.

No-fuss fruit tart
No fuss fruit tart from Nigella

Redcurrants, with their high pectin content, make beautiful jellies that are perfect on toast or stirred into gravies and sauces to be served with lamb.  Fresh redcurrants are essential in summer pudding


Summer pudding
but also marry perfectly with strawberries for a cool, elegant dessert.

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This is what Nigel Slater has to say about them:-

"One of the first bushes to break into leaf, tiny fresh green leaves that appear when all else is still sleeping, and that signal spring is almost here.  The fruit comes as something of a wake-up call too.  One day the flowers will be hanging down in lacy, green festoons, the next time you look the berries are almost ripe.  By July you can be picking the fine stems with their rows of fruit hanging like costume jewellery.  But the birds are attracted to the red variety, so you need to move quickly or cover the bushes with nets."


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I spent this morning making Redcurrant and Gooseberry Jelly - if when making the jelly you don't press the fruit and just let it drip - you get a lovely clear jelly - if you press the fruit it goes cloudy.

One punnet each of Redcurrants and Gooseberries
produced only two jars of jelly

35 comments:

  1. Hi Elaine,

    Totally with you on the redcurrants! Absolutely wonderful and I love the deep colour from the jelly. Have to say I am really loving this year’s redcurrant jelly-I prefer to the apricot that I made too as I find that a little too sweet. I’ve never made redcurrant and gooseberry together though but I’m sure that would taste really good...

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    1. How funny - I made apricot jam last week and came to the same conclusion a bit too sweet. I added the punnet of gooseberries as an experiment and found it gives a nice tang to the jam.

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  2. Oh gosh, what heavily laden branches, and you say this is a lean year! We inherited some bushes in our allotment plot, that we took in in October 2010. Didn't get much yield at all last year, but we did some pruning last year and have been rewarded with a somewhat better result this year, though nothing like yours. Perhaps I need to visit and take cuttings from someone with similarly prolific bushes?! :-)

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    1. Last year the berries were absolutely huge this year not so good - I didn't get round to spreading mulch round them this spring so perhaps that made a difference.

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  3. I love redcurrants. I had enough to make one crumble and that is it! Not a good year, but I guess it was only the first year so I shouldn't lose hope. The crumble was good though!

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    1. I am not sure I would be able to cope with all the seeds using them in a crumble - that's why I prefer making jelly.

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  4. They're a soft fruit, along with blackcurrants, that I'm not that keen on. Flighty xx

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    1. I am not keen on eating them raw much too tart but they are ok when they are jellied.

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  5. That was a lucky find wasn't it? Our redcurrants were already on the plot when we took it over so just needed some tidying. We now have picked all we want so have taken off the netting to let the blackbirds and thrushes in. They are making short work of what is left!

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    1. The blackbirds are particularly fond of them but I usually have enough to let them have their fill.

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  6. That was a good "foraging" result then. Here's an idea for using some of that lovely jelly: bake some soft cheese (Camembert?) inside some filo pastry and serve it with gently-warmed reducrrant jelly, and a crisp salad. Never fails to please!

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  7. That sounds delicious Mark may well give that a try.

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  8. The few redcurrants 8 in all I think that my bush produced this year tasted lovely. I hope next year they will produce as much as the one in your photo.

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    1. They take a while to get going but when they do you will be inundated. Enjoy.

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  9. I have never had the patience to pick them Elaine,but the redcurrant jelly I do like especially with turkey or chicken

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    1. I agree it's a slow business doing the picking - I also like it with chicken.

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  10. Lovely looking redcurrants, and the jelly is a beautiful colour too. Is it easy to get redcurrant cuttings to root? I have one bush, but would like another - and a net to keep the birds off!

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    1. It is best to take a softwood cutting - they root easily enough. I never bother netting mine as there enough berries usually for me and the birds.

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  11. I have just one bush too. Last year was prolific and we ended up with several jars of jelly (we still have some). This year was poor, so I just picked and ate.

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    1. I agree this year's crop not so good I still have a few jars left from last year so not too bothered but it is lovely to see the bushes full of fruit.

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  12. I attempted to make redcurrant jelly for the first time this year but it was a disaster. I suspect I just didnt have enough currants as the plant is only a couple of years old. Could you let me have your recipe so I can try next year and hopefully next year the crop will be better.

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    1. I don't use a recipe Helen - I just put in a punnetful of berries with a little water cooked them till soft let them drip through a cloth overnight then put in an equal amount of sugar to juice and boiled for about ten minutes. Hope you have more success next time.

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  13. Nice post Elaine. The Red currants look exceptional, even the photographs of them, look delicious enough to eat

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    1. I agree - they are definitely a very photographable fruit.

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  14. Very nice berry! It is a wild red currants? It is not very acidic? I have a red currant grows poorly, I do not know why ...

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    1. Yes they have a sourish taste but it is a domesticated berry. It is a shame your bush does not grow well for you.

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    2. I think a little light. In the autumn transplanted to another place. Thank you.

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  15. That's fabulous that you propagated your own bush! And just look at your lovely jellies...delicious :)

    I have two red-currants that I got from someone else but haven't yet tried to propagate any more from them. How long did it take for your bush to be productive once it started growing - I'm assuming that you took a hardwood cutting?

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    1. No Tanya I took a softwood cutting - I can't remember how long it took before it reached a decent size and produced fruit I'm afraid.

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  16. Oh what serendipity Elaine and what a glorious bounty! I've had no joy with my red currant bush at the allotment although white and black currants have fared well. Time to move it somewhere else perhaps.

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    1. Is it a new bush 'cos they do seem to take a long time to actually get going. I have been considering a white currant bush but I'm not exactly sure what you do with them - perhaps you could enlighten me.

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  17. Your redcurrants look amazing. So many berries. We have had to resort to visiting our local PYO for our redcurrants this year. Our bushes are about 3 years old and we didn't have many berries at all. Hope we get a bumper crop like yours next year.

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  18. This hasn't been a good year for me either Emma - the pictures are deceiving - last year was a bumper year - but I still got enough to make jam. Hope your bushes do better for you next year.

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  19. I may have to look in to getting a redcurrant bush after reading this, it's a fruit I've never really bothered with but it would be nice to be able to make a jelly. I've noticed them in Wilkinson's for just a couple of pounds so I might take the plunge.

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    1. You've nothing to lose and everything to gain Jo.

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