permaculture

[Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>]

From: Brungardt, Sam (MPCA) <sam.brungardt@state.mn.us>
Date: Mon, Jul 27, 2015 at 10:37 AM
Subject: [nafex] Currant Situation: Tangy Fruit Rediscovered by New
Generations
To: mailing list at ibiblio - Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters <
nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>


[Twin Falls Times-News]<http://magicvalley.com/>
Currant Situation: Tangy Fruit Rediscovered by New Generations
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http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/magicvalley.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/58/05853e63-d477-5584-9f8d-e3c61ab4f4c6/55b28032bac5d.image.jpg?resize=300%2C219
]
July 26, 2015 2:30 am * JANE BURNS Wisconsin State Journal<
http://magicvalley.com/search/?l=50&sd=desc&s=start_time&f=html&byline=JANE%20BURNS%0AWisconsin%20State%20Journal
>
LA VALLE, Wisc. * The puns are endless, and there is a pretty good supply
of food uses, too.
What there isn't, however, is much knowledge about a once-common fruit that
is making its way back into dishes and drinks in Wisconsin and throughout
the U.S.
Currants disappeared from American plates and palates for a few generations
because of a blip of history. They're back now, with growers and gardeners
finding places for them on their land and in their recipes.
"They're sort of your summer jewels," said Erin Schneider, who with Rob
McClure owns Hilltop Community Farm near La Valle in Sauk County. The
community-supported agriculture farm grows currants on its 1-acre orchard
that is also home to other uncommon fruits such as quince, elderberry,
seaberry and kiwi.
"Sometimes people will say of currants, 'Oh, my grandparents grew them' and
it's almost like we're a generation removed from them," Schneider said.
"There's some nostalgia, but also younger generations who are finding them
as something they can grow that is healthy."
Currants come in three colors - red, white and black, each with a
distinctive flavor. They're in the same genus as gooseberries - Ribes,
which gives the popular British black currant soft drink Ribena its name.
Currants are high in vitamin C and the black currants are high in
antioxidants. The red ones are most common, and the white ones are the
sweetest and the best-tasting for eating as is. Black currants have an
earthier taste than the other two.
"Red currants, generally speaking, are the tartest and the ones people
think about for currants," said Dale Secher of Carandale Farm in Oregon.
Currants are among the "uncommon fruits" that Carandale Farm has been
growing and experimenting with, and Secher and his wife, Cindy, have sold
them at farmers' markets in the past.
Suitable Climate
Currants grow well in Wisconsin, their suitability for this area has never
been a problem. It was their relationship to another plant, however, that
sealed their fate in the U.S. The plant that had been grown in the U.S.
since colonial times can serve as host to white pine blister rust, which
led to a federal ban on currant plants in 1912 in order to protect the pine
trees and the lumber industry. The ban was lifted in 1966, but by then
currants had dropped off the culinary radar in the U.S.
Currants do well in northern climates, Schneider said, and they even can
handle shade, which can make the 4- to 6-foot bushes part of a home
landscape, too. The berries ripen in July.
"I think people are wanting to grow more fruit and currants are a good
low-hanging fruit, if you will, both in terms of where they are in the
landscape and in grower-friendliness" Schneider said.
Those curious about currants and other fruit have gotten a chance to eat
them at Schneider and McClure's farm. In previous summers they held a
festival called Currant Events, but this year hosted a picnic instead. If
that's not enough word play, the fruit share at their farm is their "Fruit
N Farm Currantcy Program."
"The puns are endless with currants, I've got to tell you," Schneider said.
Tart Fruit
Even though currants are now legal to grow, they still might not take over
as a popular fruit, Schneider said.
"Maybe they're more widespread in other countries because in America we
have such a sweet palate," she said. "They're a tart fruit."
Marc and Mary Ann Bellazzini of Campo di Bella Winery and Family Farm near
Mount Horeb hadn't tried or even heard of currants until about three years
ago. They met Schneider and McClure through an area group of farmers called
Fresh Food Connection and went to the Currant Events festival.
"Currants are really tart, but it was kind of interesting," Mary Ann
Bellazzini said. "We thought, 'What can we do with these that complements
what we grow?'"
Campo di Bella hosts a monthly farm-to-table dinner, and last week created
a menu that featured Hilltop's currants. The menu included roasted heritage
breed pastured pork with a balsamic currant reduction, and a cheese and
fruit platter with a currant jam.
Not Just Sweets
The owners of Humble. Sweet and Savory Pies tried currants for the first
time last year and are exploring new ways to use them. They used some tart
ones to top an almond cream pie and are planning to tweak a pie recipe they
saw with cranberries, apples and sweet cherries to include currants.
The twist with currants, owner Shelly Cross said, is how the black ones can
be used with savory dishes, too.
"Those black currants have such a different taste from the other
varieties," she said. "It's almost a meaty flavor in the berries."
The shop's piemakers worked black currants into their mincemeat last year,
too. The earthiness of the black currant's flavor makes them a good choice
for chutneys or sauces, Schneider said. Cindy Secher of Carandale Farm
likes to use black currant juice and berries to make ice cream and sorbet,
as well as in baking. She also makes sauces for ice cream or pancakes.
Currants are common in Middle Eastern cooking, with rice or couscous.
They're fine to toss into yogurt or cereal and make a good syrup to turn
into drinks or spritzers. On the alcoholic side, cassis or crème de cassis
is a traditional currant liqueur, and the favorite drink of famed fictional
detective Hercule Poirot.
Besides currants' versatility, Cross said she likes them because they
freeze well and are easy to work with. They come easily off their strigs,
which is how they come to the shop fresh.
Not only do currants fit into a lot of recipes, they fit in with what many
people want to do with their food these days, Schneider said.
"People want to eat more local and seasonal and healthy," she said. "I
think currants fit all three of them."
"The puns are endless with currants, I've got to tell you." Erin Schneider,
co-owner of Hilltop Community Farm


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-- 
Lawrence F. London
lfljvenaura@gmail.com
https://sites.google.com/site/avantgeared/

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