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["del stubbs" <pinewoodel@hotmail.com>]

We have just finished our first Black Currant harvest. Wow! I just waited 
till I saw a few dropping to the ground to know when to harvest, I was 
suprised how sweet they were picked fresh. Mostly I planted Titania, and 
some unknowns. So far no diseases, and no predation on ripe fruit, the mice 
and deer even seem to avoid them in the winter.
The 2 main reasons we planted them are for jam and juice making - while in 
New Zealand my wife acquired quite a taste for the black currant soda they 
have there - (its not over sweet like 7 up). The other reason is that our 
favorite store-bought jam is either the Canadian Malkans or a Belgian 
version of Black currant jam. Now that we have made our own fresh, with much 
less sugar, the taste is out of this world. And, all my wife has to do is 
add a dollip of jam to a glass of soda water to have that drink again.
It's real nice when a crop turns our even better than one hoped.
I planted them as an interim crop in the apple orchard in the rows where 
trees are 15 to 18 feet apart - should get many years of currant harvest 
before they are shaded.
The 30 Crandalls we put in this year in the same fashion are already bearing 
a few per plant, precocious little devils! They ripen much later and have a 
very different taste, eager to see how it compares for juiceing.
Basically we just put the currants in a pan, with 1/4 ratio sugar, cook for 
15 minutes and strain through  our Vitorio strainer. Thats it!  Del

Del Stubbs  http://www.pinewoodforge.com  ag zone2/3

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