I ordered a red currant plant
 

[SIZE=4][FONT=Comic Sans MS]I'm totally uninformed, but ordered a red currant plant from Stark after a friend told me how yummy they are! Catalog info says they are quite easy to grow--I will be happy for help and opinions. I'm also growing red & pink Buckwheat from Baker Creek's beautiful catalog ! (free shipping on everything) Does anyone have experience with them? I'm getting adventurous in my old age![/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE="4"]Red currants are very easy to grow, make excellent jelly, and are easy to propagate by cuttings. They are a little seedy. I add a handful to our fruit & yogurt smoothee in the morning. We also grow black currants, but I think those are not allowed in some states.

The only problem we have here is that the moose prune them every winter.

I hope you will enjoy yours.[/SIZE]

I had one and it produced a lot of fruit. Do watch out for sawfly caterpillars which can totally devastate a plant.

Linda

I have been growing red, black and white currants for years. I primarily make pies out of them. They are more tart than many berries but have a unique flavor which we love. Give them space as the roots tend to spread and the should not be planted too deeply. They last for years. The black ones are much more tart than the red and white and need more sugar when cooking them. The black make a great juice. If I make a pie with them I usually make it a custard pie since the custard cuts the strong flavor.
I see you are from Washington. I was trying to think of this wonderful place I contacted years ago when I was looking for good sources for currants. I suddenly remembered the name of the woman who ran it. It was Whitman Farms in Oregon and I was really impressed with their site and offerings. You might find it interesting as it appears to still be in operation (since 1980) and offers many varieties of currants which would probably do well for you since you are both in the Northwest. It seems to still be in the hands of Lucille Whitman, whom I contacted for help and info. In the end I bought my stock from a place in New York State just because our climates are similar but they went out of business. Do check out this site: whitmanfarms.com. Phone is 503-585-8728
Good Luck! Enjoy your new venture!

Red currant jelly is a real treat. They are a bugger to pick but worth the trouble, challenge may be to beat the birds to them, birds love them
KarenO

thanks everyone- I'm excited to grow them.

Most varieties are aggressively sour and I like sour. The white ones are quite a bit sweeter but less productive. They are a magnet for black aphids but otherwise easy to grow, also in pots, the roots are surprisingly small.

I bought 2 a couple of years ago. I don't know if I need to water more, fertilize more, or if they just aren't mature enough yet, but the berries are TINY. I bought them not last year but the year before, so maybe this year or next they will take off.

They might need more sun, or a crosspillonator from another variety.

[SIZE=5]Best of luck with your new plant.:)[/SIZE]

When I inherited my garden from my parents, there were 400 currant bushes. When I was studying, I had to go every day to harvest currants on holidays. Today I have only three bushes on which I harvest more than 30 kg of fruit, but I usually do not rip everything. I make currant raspberry jam (50% currant, 50% raspberry) and also currant jam for Christmas cookies. Something is picked up by friends, something stays on the bushes. Currants do not need any special care.
Vladimír

[QUOTE=MrBig46;732914] I make currant raspberry jam (50% currant, 50% raspberry) and also currant jam for Christmas cookies. Something is picked up by friends, something stays on the bushes. Currants do not need any special care.
Vladimír[/QUOTE]

Nice to hear someone else makes the delicious Currant Raspberry Jam! We love it.

I am trying to grow about 6 starts from last year, especially for making jam. We shall see if they survived the winter.

Congrats! Currants are perhaps the most common garden berry shrub here in Finland - they also grow semi-wild in the forests and near old residental areas, and they propagate easily from seeds dropped by birds.
I grew up with the 'traditional colors', black and red, but in later years, green (offshoot of the black), white, golden and even pink (variants of the red) varieties have become available.

It is intresting that Gardadore finds blacks more tart: here, it tends to be the opposite and blacks are much sweeter, while red ones are on the tart side. I like the red flavor profile a bit more, but they do require some sweetening.
An excellent source of Vitamine C as well as other antioxidants. Very disease-tolerant and resilient and not fussy at all.

[QUOTE=NarnianGarden;733220]It is intresting that Gardadore finds blacks more tart: here, it tends to be the opposite and blacks are much sweeter, while red ones are on the tart side. I like the red flavor profile a bit more, but they do require some sweetening.
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And here I find the blacks to be extremely bitter (nasty actually) when eaten raw, but the absolute best ever jelly or liqueur. Reds are tart, whites are mild. I forgot to say we also have lots of wild ones growing here. Smaller berries though.

Wow! I wonder if the cause is in the soil..?
I had to laugh at the moose pruning comment, yes moose like to munch on everything.