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["M Stanton" <6ducks@gmail.com>]

I have black currants (jostaberries).  I don’t pick them until they are dead ripe, which is easy to do because they hold very well on the bush.

I freeze them, stem in,  in 2-3 c quantities and use them in lieu of recipes calling for blackberries, blueberries or raspberries, but with a couple of caveats.

First, I don’t use them in a dessert by themselves.  The flavor is strong enough that most people don’t care for them that way.  I made an apple-black currant cobbler today for dessert, using a recipe for an apple-berry cobbler, but made sure that there was 2-3x as many apples as jostaberries.  They substitute well for other berries or soft fruits, but usually in proportions where they are no more than 1/3 of the fruit.  Apples are a good partner.

Jostas are a terrific source of anthocyanins. 

One of my favorite ways to consume them is to simmer 2 cups’ fruit in a 48 or 64 oz container’s worth of apple juice, then put it in the blender, strain out the seeds and skins, and voila!  A great juice.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Michele in SW Ohio