Kitchen Garden Forum

I have a really productive white currant bush, but i always have so many blackcurrants I never really use the white. One year I mixed them with the black when making jam, it tasted fine but was rather "pippy", I wondered if any of you had any good ideas (the chickens usually end up stealing them!!)
Thanks Gracie

Have you tried making wine from them? I've not got any white currants, but make wine from the red currants and it is delicious.

What variety of white currant is it? I've been thinking about getting one. Sarah Raven recommends White Versailles. Are they sweeter than red currants?

I guess you could make jelly, my wife often adds red currant jelly to gravy. Not sure if there would be enough flavour in white ones.

The variety is white versailles, I had thought of making jelly but they aren't as tasty as red currants and I suppose not as pretty!
What does Sarah Raven reccomend them for? Maybe wine is the best thing to try.
Thanks Gracie

If you puree any soft fruit in a blender first, then pass through a seive to take out the pips. Makes a lovely jam. If you can use several such as raspberries, currants and strawberries, blackberries, loganberries etc. but any combination is good. Use 1 pint of puree to every 1 lb of sugar.
Boil as usual to setting point.

Beryl.

I've just been looking what Sarah Raven says, and she doesn't actually include a recipe for White Versailles, just says it is an early season heavy cropper with large sweet juicy berries and good disease resistance. So not much help there.

I've looked on Google and one bit of info said that white currants are an albino form of the red currant, but sweeter, so you can use them for all the same things as the reds but they don't look as pretty, but because they are sweeter they are nicer to eat fresh.

You can frost red and white currants by brushing them with lightly beaten egg whites, then dip the clusters in a bowl of caster sugar and let them dry on a rack or kitchen paper. Then eat them with whipped cream and or meringues.

Thanks Beryl that sounds like a really good idea will give it a try
Gracie

This is such a coincidence! I've just sent my brother home with some whitecurrants and my recipe for Scotch Cordial. To each 500g whitecurrants, add the zest of 1 lemon, 500g caster sugar, 15g fresh grated ginger and 1 bottle of cheap whiskey. Put it all in a sterilized Kilner jar and shake. Put it in a cupboard and shake it daily for two weeks. Strain through muslin into bottles and put away until Christmas. Its utterly fab!

We eat them in a fruit salad and add them to any other fruit creation, such as summer pudding or pie fillings.

Same here Tigger,
We have just had to chop down our only existing whitecurrant bush as it was planted where the greenhouse was going. I therefore took a dozen cuttings - apparently at the wrong time (but it was then or never)and probably used the wrong method but 7 of the 12 have taken! Anyone know how long before they will fruit?
Not sure what variety it is as it was already growing on the plot when we took it over.

I did a similar thing with red currants and it has taken four years to get a decent crop. A few the second year, maybe a bowl full the third but this year they have cropped really well. No complaints.
I think with all fruit you have to patient.

Beryl.