Red Currant Juice

[WVMountaineerJack]

Can you overseas guys go down to the local market and get red currant juice? Can you just go out and busy some red currant juice at all?

Our red and black currants aas wellas the elderberries are waking up from the long long winter.

Thanks, Crackedcork

[fatbloke]

Can you overseas guys go down to the local market and get red currant juice? Can you just go out and busy some red currant juice at all?

Our red and black currants aas wellas the elderberries are waking up from the long long winter.

Thanks, Crackedcork

I'd guess that if we looked hard enough, it might be found. Though the only red currant product that I've seen with any regularity, is red currant jelly.

Black currant is a little different. There's a longer tradition of Black Currant jams and jelly + plus the ever present Ribena, which it seems (as a brand name) is now being used for various different fruit juices, but traditionally it was a black currant cordial drink - though you only need to click the link and look at the name at the bottom of the "loading" page to realise why it's been screwed up.

Ha! last year, some school kids in NZ decided to do a little science class experiment to find out how much "vitamin C" it contained. That resulted in a prosecution by one of the NZ trading standards organisations because of the "misleading advertising" i.e. they couldn't find enough vit C to justify the advertising claim. But as the brand is owned by BIG pharmaceuticals it's hardly surprising (well not to a cynic like me).

Since we have had the increase in the size of the Polish community in the UK, we're now seeing lot's more stuff like bottled black currants in syrup etc so it's not completely hopeless - but you do enjoy considerably more choice in the US.

The only downside of the last week of warm weather, being that I've been seeing a lot of the hedgerow stuff waking up. Yesterday, I was surprised how much blackthorn seems to have pushed it's flowers out. The only PITA will be if we get a late frost before the flowers etc do their thing.

The elderberries should be Ok as they flower later, but last years sloes were a disaster, virtually everywhere.

Hey ho!

regards

JtFB

[Trish]

I have LOTS of redcurrants growing on my allotment (inherited from previous tennant 5 yrs ago) I've never had any use for them but have left them as the birds seems to enjoy them. Would they be any good for winemaking? Perhaps for mixing with other berries? I also have blackcurants, raspberries, strawberries and rhubarb. Do you think the redcurrants would blend well with any of those?

[plonky]

They make great jam,jellies you have lucky birds!Last time they were in the shops they were aroun £3 for 200g!!!! will be trying some wine later in the year when somone I know has donated me the redcurrants a few kilo's.

Need a good recipie to try.

[Her Lushness]

They make great jam,jellies you have lucky birds!Last time they were in the shops they were aroun £3 for 200g!!!! will be trying some wine later in the year when somone I know has donated me the redcurrants a few kilo's.

Need a good recipie to try.

I managed to pick a load last year at a PYO place, and they were a lot cheaper than the supermarkets, it may be cheaper for you to do that if there are any places near you?

[plonky]

I managed to pick a load last year at a PYO place, and they were a lot cheaper than the supermarkets, it may be cheaper for you to do that if there are any places near you?

Did you make wine with them ?If so what was it like.I was thinking it might be acidic like cranberry's so would need something to balance it?.

[Her Lushness]

I made some raspberry & redcurrant that was pretty good. I also use (shock horror) redcurrants in cooking, and I love redcurrant juice as a drink.

[Trish]

Guess I'll be harvesting those redcurrants this year to try then ... theres usually tons of them, so the birds can still feast as well I'll try it with the raspberries. My rasps are autumn fruiting, so I'll freeze the redcurrants till then and have a go.
Thanks

[BorderTerroir]

I made a redcurrant and gooseberry wine last year from fruit in the garden.