Comments on: Blackcurrant Juice

By: Inthesky

Inthesky — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:32:23 +0000

I have just harvested a basket full from my garden, I am attempting to work my way through five new recipes. Today I have made a Blackcurrant Marbled Cheesecake and two jars of ‘no bits’ Jam, tomorrow I will try Blackcurrant Muffins. I have posted the recipes on my Blog ‘Lucy In The Sky’. Inthesky1.blogspot.com

By: Joanne

Joanne — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 03:49:09 +0000

For the recipe above – the black currant juice, how many black currants are in 5 or 6 branches??? It would be good to be specific – say 1 cup or 2 cups or 3 cups!!!!!!

Thanks.

Joanne

By: Joanne

Joanne — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 03:46:06 +0000

I had a problem with my black currants this year. Last year I picked 18-1/2 cups and this year I got only about 5 cups. What is really good and my favourite, is black currant jam. Deliciooooooous! You can get recipes from the internet at Google or Yahoo. Does anyone know how much to prune off of a bush? Some of them died over last winter, so I really would like to know how to look after this bush during the winter. Maybe I did something wrong? I put some red cedar mulch around the bottom of the bush. Maybe this is not good???.

Thanks and blessings,

Joanne

By: Len Kelk

Len Kelk — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 23:03:44 +0000

Hi There i don’t know your name but thanks to your blog i harvested my blackcurrant crop this year instead of letting them go to waste,question is there any simple way of removing the flower from the end of the berry,or are you supposed to consume this with rest of the berry

By: Lee

Lee — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:39:19 +0000

I am getting masses of them right now as there is a ruined garden with them near me.Realy should keep my jamjars and learn to make jam…we also have wild raspberries and blackberries later on everywhere. I like them in crumbles mixed with apple or rhubarb,but also boil them up then sieve to make juice…I use sweeteners rather than sugar which seems OK as long as you keep the juice cool in the fridge and use within a few days. Very nice by itself…or with a little orange squash and ice on a warm summer afternoon!

By: vicki urquhart

vicki urquhart — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 06:42:18 +0000

Hi, I have found your method of picking and prunning to be the best as it achieves two jobs at the same time. We have three bushes which are quite old but yield an abundance of currants. We harvest in summer- (January in New Zealand) so with Christmas and New Year it is a busy time. Harvesting is usually a lovely social time on the lawn stripping friut but then it is straight into the freezer so they can be dealt with at a quieter time.
We fill a pot of any size with the fruit and fill with water to cover- bring to the boil and then simmer till fruit is in rags. Strain and bottle and put into fridge and use as concentrated juice. We add it too a sweetened ginger refresher as a hot winter drink. What I like about this method is you can make just the amount that is required and therefore do not have to worry about preservatives etc.
If you want to sweeten it, it can be done per serve.

By: doug (chorley,lancs,uk)

doug (chorley,lancs,uk) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 20:01:59 +0000

ive just made this juice using 200g of blackcurrents,80g of sugar, no cloves (horrible taste),and a 1.5 pints of water (1 pint first to break down fruit with the sugar, cooked for about 5 mins high heat,then added 0.5 pints of water and cooked for 10 mins,strained fruit into a jug, separated into 2 bottles. one for natural juice and the other mixed with vodka. mmm both taste brillant and the other is highly alcoholic yum yum

By: Marie

Marie — Sat, 29 May 2010 08:36:25 +0000

Hello blackcurrant enthuasists!
I live in the south of Ireland and trained at an Organic Horticulture College some years ago. We were taught to prune blackcurrants in wintertime ( October to March) with different opinions on when in that time period is best. There are a few rules as regards pruning and here they are;

1 never prune on a day when frost is expected as it could damage the exposed cut wood-this goes for all pruning

2 cut a third off the branches. In general all of the branches have 1 third of their length pruned off them unless you have a bush with different branch lenghts and are trying to get all the branches growing to the same lenght

3 cut out any wood that crosses other wood, or is dead or damaged

4 prune to keep the centre of the plant open, allowing the breeze to travel through it and keep moulds and mildews away. That means you try to get your blackcurrant into a cup shape, by always pruning to outward facing buds. You keep cutting out any branches that grow up in the centre of the plant or cross into the centre of the plant.

By the way we were always advised to fertilise our blackcurrants with chicken manure. I use pelleted organic chicken manure and feed it every February to my plants and get great results, healthy growth and lots of fruit. Hope this helps you all!

Marie

By: miley binns

miley binns — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:16:06 +0000

I recently discovered the the berries are grown in Jamaica and I harvest so and made juice which is so delicious, my questions is how long can the drink be stores in the refridgetor. I also have some in my freezer, also how long does a plant takes to mature and bear fruits.

By: Annie R. (Montana-USA)

Annie R. (Montana-USA) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:59:58 +0000

I “inherited” a huge blackcurrant patch with this property, and I suspect the bushes have been here for many, many years. The berries are HUGE, as is the harvest.

I need instructions on how much of the branches to prune? There seems to be differing opinions on cutting back after harvest, or cutting back in winter, when all the leaves have fallen.

HELP! I’ve been reluctant to prune at all in case I destroy the harvest, but it is now difficult to reach the millions of berries because of the unbelievable tangle!

Can you advise me, please? (I live in the “banana belt” of western Montana, where we have four seasons, but mild winters.)

Thank you….