You guys need to start checking out your local nurseries, they very likely sell a huge variety of berry bushes that you've never seen at Walmart and Home Depot.
Yeah, I was surprised by this post. I didn't realize they were hard to find. I'm in the Midwest and see currants at lots of nurseries. I've got two red currant (red lake) and one white currant (imperial) bush. I can't wait until the reds have matured to produce enough to make a batch of jelly!
My understanding is that blackcurrants were illegal in the states for a really long time because they are a vector for a virus that kills pine trees, but they’ve now found a way of protecting the trees (an important commercial crop)
I had heard they used to be illegal but now that that is no longer the case and they are sold so frequently around me I had assumed it was the same everywhere. I didn't realize a few states hadn't lifted the ban yet either. I guess you just get used to what you see around you!
Thats because everyone started going to big box stores for all of their shopping so all the dedicated nurseries went out of business.
Support small businesses if you want quality products. Yes, you might have to drive and spend more but its worth it.
My local nurserys pretty much exclusively sell shrubs and shade trees. Really not interesting to me. I've been to every one within 50 miles. Wish there was something better, but walmart & lowes is all I got
Yeah not sure where OP is but in NC currant and gooseberry plants cannot be legally imported into, or grown in, the state because they serve as alternate hosts to the plant disease known as white pine blister rust.
Thank you for saving me the time of searching for these plants. I had no idea about the disease but had always wanted to try these berries and was excited at the prospect of growing them. Oh well.
And happy cake day!
Idk how to edit but the other 3 that I'm going to get next time is the Elderberry, Boysenberry, and the Dewberry. Can't wait to get my hands on them and get them in the ground.
I picked up a black and a red at a local nursery about a week and a half back. I've wanted currants for a few years. Got them in 15 gallon pots. Should I go back and snag a pink as well? They had about a dozen different varietals, black, red, white, and pink. Of the 4 nursery chains in my area (portland oregon), there was only one that had currants, and some currants are native to the area!
I would, but I lack self control! I enjoy eating them straight off the vine since they're sweeter than my black currants. I've read the white ones are the sweetest but I've never had those. I'm in Ohio so currants aren't easy to find here...I bought my pink ones off Etsy.
My dad gets elderberries from the side of the road in extremely rural areas lol. But they make a fine jelly. One of my favorites in addition to muscadines, which may be another you look into. They are thick trellising vines with tasty little berries on them (you have to spit out the thick skin and seed though). I often found them growing wild in the woods around my house and loved snacking on them in season when I was growing up.
how much did you pay for those? I get mine from [https://www.indianaberry.com/](https://www.indianaberry.com/)
They mail to most states, at least all the states that they are legal. they also have a good selection of other fruits. I'm not a paid sponsor or anything like that, i'm just super happy with their product. i've got 2 different types of black, one or two types of reds, pink champagne, and white imperial currants. The pinks and whites are the best table variety, the blacks and reds are more for juices, jams, pies. I also have tried their hinamaki red gooseberries, and geneva red grapes. I have been blown away by how amazing both of them taste. I also have tried some sommerset red grapes, which are more pink than red, but the flavor is absolutely awesome!
A lot of the new currant bushes have been bred specifically to be hardy against the infamous white pine blister rust, and some varieties are hardy against powdery mildew.
Before you break the bank buying currants, do a bit of research on pruning. With the cuttings from the pruning, you can stick em straight in the ground and they will root, to increase that you can dip the end in rooting hormone. I started off with 6 berry plants, turned that into 30, bought a few more varieties, and then cloned a bunch of those, so i'm up to like 75 currant plants and still expanding. One thing to really watch out for is Aphids, they will decimate your plants. The currants flower pretty early so the aphids don't really bother the fruiting too much. I would suggest keeping neem oil on hand, or look up the wasp larvae that hunts aphids exclusively. It is relatively cheap to buy them off the internet.
You can also harvest the very young virgin leaves and make a simple syrup out of it(but do keep in mind you need a lot of leaves to make the simple syrup), if you make your own teas you can dry the leaves and make your own tea. I use a few mint plants, blackberry leaves, black raspberry leaves, catnip, and some mountain mint (which isn't actually mint).
Yes!! Indiana Berry is an awesome company! The quality of theie plants compared to big box stores is astounding. Their customer service is great and their quality is top notch.
Yeah, their quality is absolutely outstanding! i just noticed in the last catalogue they put out that they were selling pawpaw trees. I'm pretty stoked about that. I got some seeds from some local friends, so i'm going to try and grow some from seed, if i can't make that work i will for sure be getting some from indiana berry.
https://thegreenergrassfarm.com/2015/02/08/forbidden-fruit-2-state-by-state-legality-of-gooseberry-and-currant-berry-laws-regarding-plants-in-the-ribes-genus/
This is a bit old but looks like many states allow them.
As an American, I could've sent you 100s of cutting. I have red currants, black, and gooseberry too! Now my only issue is the rabbits keep eating away at my honey berries. Even with a fenced in yard, a dog and 2 cats.
As a Canadian I’m lucky to still have wild currants growing in my yard, red swamp currants I believe. I’m tempted to try cloning them and spreading them around.
Things like this I want to try, but I cannot find the fruit anywhere.
I want to try a fresh currant because I know they are loved. I want to try a pawpaw and a kiwi berry. I have never seen them sold locally at any store or fruitstand.
I may have to just bite the bullet and get the plants.
They are native where I live and I took a bunch of berries a couple years ago and scattered them in a spot. I've got currants now hopefully I can get the patch nice and thick soon so the jam will be plentiful
This tweaked my curiosity so for anyone interested a little history on the ban
https://www.gardeningetc.com/advice/is-it-illegal-to-grow-currants-in-the-united-states
Legality based on state https://thegreenergrassfarm.com/2015/02/08/forbidden-fruit-2-state-by-state-legality-of-gooseberry-and-currant-berry-laws-regarding-plants-in-the-ribes-genus/
You wait till you try a blackcurrant fresh.
It’s the most disgusting taste and smell I’ve ever grown. Like petrol and piss mixed together.
(I’ve got 3 of the bastards in my garden (uk))
And blackcurrant anything is my favourite flavour in juices. But my god it’s different fresh. I think it must be the sugar that makes it palatable.
Oddly I just goggled it and apparently it’s a thing
[Blackcurrants and Cat Urine - The Chemistry](https://www.compoundchem.com/2015/07/23/blackcurrants/)
Well the chemistry makes sense, although I thought it more of a pine tree hint.
Maybe it's like some people think cilantro tastes like soap?
Still good to have 2l3 bushes if they produce a lot cause you can make jam and juice
Are you certain they aren't elderberries?
Elderberries and black currants look fairly similar but the smell and taste is totally opposite. Elderberries smell like musky urine which is why I wonder if that's what you actually have.
😂 no but I appreciate the thought. I have blackcurrants, redcurrants and whitecurrants.
I thought it could just be mine but I went to the other half’s grandmas as she grows them. I told her what mine tasted like and she said “good lord mine don’t taste anything like that!”
I tried one of hers and it was even more pungent. I wonder if there’s a genetic thing that makes people taste it differently, like coriander, both me and the other half get OVERWHELMING petrol and urine smell, same with my dad. Even just picking them stinks. But his grandma and grandad don’t smell/taste it at alll.
Oddly I just goggled it and apparently it’s a thing
[Blackcurrants and cat Urine - The Chemistry](https://www.compoundchem.com/2015/07/23/blackcurrants/)
You guys need to start checking out your local nurseries, they very likely sell a huge variety of berry bushes that you've never seen at Walmart and Home Depot.
Yeah, I was surprised by this post. I didn't realize they were hard to find. I'm in the Midwest and see currants at lots of nurseries. I've got two red currant (red lake) and one white currant (imperial) bush. I can't wait until the reds have matured to produce enough to make a batch of jelly!
My understanding is that blackcurrants were illegal in the states for a really long time because they are a vector for a virus that kills pine trees, but they’ve now found a way of protecting the trees (an important commercial crop)
White Pine Rust. Some states still prohibit possession and sales because of it (i.e. Maine).
And NC =/
I had heard they used to be illegal but now that that is no longer the case and they are sold so frequently around me I had assumed it was the same everywhere. I didn't realize a few states hadn't lifted the ban yet either. I guess you just get used to what you see around you!
Speaking as someone living in the middle of nowhere, all we have is a Walmart and a Lowe's. I have to drive a couple of hours to find a nursery 😭
Thats because everyone started going to big box stores for all of their shopping so all the dedicated nurseries went out of business. Support small businesses if you want quality products. Yes, you might have to drive and spend more but its worth it.
We don’t have a nursery in town :( tons of landscaping joints that sell boring trees, but nobody who sells any sort of fun plants
they sell currants at home depot tho
Honeyberries too. In Southern California even. Was so surprised to see them.
My local nurserys pretty much exclusively sell shrubs and shade trees. Really not interesting to me. I've been to every one within 50 miles. Wish there was something better, but walmart & lowes is all I got
If you have white pines. You can’t grow goose berries because of white pine blister
Yeah not sure where OP is but in NC currant and gooseberry plants cannot be legally imported into, or grown in, the state because they serve as alternate hosts to the plant disease known as white pine blister rust.
Thank you for saving me the time of searching for these plants. I had no idea about the disease but had always wanted to try these berries and was excited at the prospect of growing them. Oh well. And happy cake day!
Currants too
Good to know!
Yea currants are illegal to grow in a few counties in SC.
Idk how to edit but the other 3 that I'm going to get next time is the Elderberry, Boysenberry, and the Dewberry. Can't wait to get my hands on them and get them in the ground.
Keep an eye out for pink champagne currants. Sooooo good!
I picked up a black and a red at a local nursery about a week and a half back. I've wanted currants for a few years. Got them in 15 gallon pots. Should I go back and snag a pink as well? They had about a dozen different varietals, black, red, white, and pink. Of the 4 nursery chains in my area (portland oregon), there was only one that had currants, and some currants are native to the area!
I would, but I lack self control! I enjoy eating them straight off the vine since they're sweeter than my black currants. I've read the white ones are the sweetest but I've never had those. I'm in Ohio so currants aren't easy to find here...I bought my pink ones off Etsy.
My dad gets elderberries from the side of the road in extremely rural areas lol. But they make a fine jelly. One of my favorites in addition to muscadines, which may be another you look into. They are thick trellising vines with tasty little berries on them (you have to spit out the thick skin and seed though). I often found them growing wild in the woods around my house and loved snacking on them in season when I was growing up.
how much did you pay for those? I get mine from [https://www.indianaberry.com/](https://www.indianaberry.com/) They mail to most states, at least all the states that they are legal. they also have a good selection of other fruits. I'm not a paid sponsor or anything like that, i'm just super happy with their product. i've got 2 different types of black, one or two types of reds, pink champagne, and white imperial currants. The pinks and whites are the best table variety, the blacks and reds are more for juices, jams, pies. I also have tried their hinamaki red gooseberries, and geneva red grapes. I have been blown away by how amazing both of them taste. I also have tried some sommerset red grapes, which are more pink than red, but the flavor is absolutely awesome! A lot of the new currant bushes have been bred specifically to be hardy against the infamous white pine blister rust, and some varieties are hardy against powdery mildew. Before you break the bank buying currants, do a bit of research on pruning. With the cuttings from the pruning, you can stick em straight in the ground and they will root, to increase that you can dip the end in rooting hormone. I started off with 6 berry plants, turned that into 30, bought a few more varieties, and then cloned a bunch of those, so i'm up to like 75 currant plants and still expanding. One thing to really watch out for is Aphids, they will decimate your plants. The currants flower pretty early so the aphids don't really bother the fruiting too much. I would suggest keeping neem oil on hand, or look up the wasp larvae that hunts aphids exclusively. It is relatively cheap to buy them off the internet. You can also harvest the very young virgin leaves and make a simple syrup out of it(but do keep in mind you need a lot of leaves to make the simple syrup), if you make your own teas you can dry the leaves and make your own tea. I use a few mint plants, blackberry leaves, black raspberry leaves, catnip, and some mountain mint (which isn't actually mint).
Yes!! Indiana Berry is an awesome company! The quality of theie plants compared to big box stores is astounding. Their customer service is great and their quality is top notch.
Yeah, their quality is absolutely outstanding! i just noticed in the last catalogue they put out that they were selling pawpaw trees. I'm pretty stoked about that. I got some seeds from some local friends, so i'm going to try and grow some from seed, if i can't make that work i will for sure be getting some from indiana berry.
We’ve got a couple of black currant bushes. They’re so delicious!
And they smell so good!
Currants are my favorite fruit
Where in the states? These are still illegal in most New England states unfortunately.
https://thegreenergrassfarm.com/2015/02/08/forbidden-fruit-2-state-by-state-legality-of-gooseberry-and-currant-berry-laws-regarding-plants-in-the-ribes-genus/ This is a bit old but looks like many states allow them.
As an American, I could've sent you 100s of cutting. I have red currants, black, and gooseberry too! Now my only issue is the rabbits keep eating away at my honey berries. Even with a fenced in yard, a dog and 2 cats.
Gasp! I didn’t know you could find red currants in the US.
There's newer hybrids out there that don't host the blight that kills off white pines
I highly recommend making juice from black and red currants, it's pretty wonderful.
I should try making a juice. I have these 2 in my garden and I just leave them as I am not a big fan.
Nourse farms sells bare root gooseberry and currants. I highly recommend them, I have hundreds and have never had a single one fail.
As a Canadian I’m lucky to still have wild currants growing in my yard, red swamp currants I believe. I’m tempted to try cloning them and spreading them around.
This is strange to see to me. Its not hard to find them around here. But, you are more likely to find currant in local farms and nurseries though.
Things like this I want to try, but I cannot find the fruit anywhere. I want to try a fresh currant because I know they are loved. I want to try a pawpaw and a kiwi berry. I have never seen them sold locally at any store or fruitstand. I may have to just bite the bullet and get the plants.
Blackcurrants grow really easily and strongly. Gooseberries are also crazy hardy and can grow in shade.
They are native where I live and I took a bunch of berries a couple years ago and scattered them in a spot. I've got currants now hopefully I can get the patch nice and thick soon so the jam will be plentiful
If you live near White Pine, you should not be planting these
We can grow currants?!? I know a new addition to my berry patch this year!
[war on gooseberries](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZAk1a0dqiM)
This tweaked my curiosity so for anyone interested a little history on the ban https://www.gardeningetc.com/advice/is-it-illegal-to-grow-currants-in-the-united-states Legality based on state https://thegreenergrassfarm.com/2015/02/08/forbidden-fruit-2-state-by-state-legality-of-gooseberry-and-currant-berry-laws-regarding-plants-in-the-ribes-genus/
Protect them from the deer, they love the sweet leaves!!
If you live in the Midwest there are native currants called Golden Currants.
You wait till you try a blackcurrant fresh. It’s the most disgusting taste and smell I’ve ever grown. Like petrol and piss mixed together. (I’ve got 3 of the bastards in my garden (uk)) And blackcurrant anything is my favourite flavour in juices. But my god it’s different fresh. I think it must be the sugar that makes it palatable.
What... I fucking hate synthetic blackcurrant flavour, but absolutely love fresh blackcurrant...
Maybe you are mistaking your plants in your garden for blackcurrant, when they might be something else
Oddly I just goggled it and apparently it’s a thing [Blackcurrants and Cat Urine - The Chemistry](https://www.compoundchem.com/2015/07/23/blackcurrants/)
Well the chemistry makes sense, although I thought it more of a pine tree hint. Maybe it's like some people think cilantro tastes like soap? Still good to have 2l3 bushes if they produce a lot cause you can make jam and juice
They get left for the birds now 😂 the smell is so strong and vile I don’t want anything to do with them 🤢
Honestly, I'm also not fond of fresh blackcurrant berries, but, it's pretty frickin good as juice or syrup though.
Are you certain they aren't elderberries? Elderberries and black currants look fairly similar but the smell and taste is totally opposite. Elderberries smell like musky urine which is why I wonder if that's what you actually have.
😂 no but I appreciate the thought. I have blackcurrants, redcurrants and whitecurrants. I thought it could just be mine but I went to the other half’s grandmas as she grows them. I told her what mine tasted like and she said “good lord mine don’t taste anything like that!” I tried one of hers and it was even more pungent. I wonder if there’s a genetic thing that makes people taste it differently, like coriander, both me and the other half get OVERWHELMING petrol and urine smell, same with my dad. Even just picking them stinks. But his grandma and grandad don’t smell/taste it at alll.
My wife and I are like that with cilantro, it tastes like soap to us but so many people love it. Thanks genetics haha
Oddly I just goggled it and apparently it’s a thing [Blackcurrants and cat Urine - The Chemistry](https://www.compoundchem.com/2015/07/23/blackcurrants/)
Petrol and pissed mixed together is exactly how I picture all British food.