Currant, black

Ribes nigrum are extensively cultivated in southern Italy around Naples France, Germany and England. The berries are used like those of the red currants but also in a liqueur called cassis. The plant, including the 

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Alant, m. elecampane, -beere,/. black currant, kampher, m. helenin. -til, n. elecampane oil. -wurzel, /. (Pharm.) inula, elecampane. Alam locke, /. alarm bell, ftlarmieren, v.t. alarm. 

Nielsen, I.L.F. et al., Quantification of anthocyanins in commercial black currant juices by simple high-performance liquid chromatography investigation of their pH stability and antioxidative potency, J. Agric. Food Chem., 51, 5861, 2003. 

Hubbermann, E.M. et al., Influence of acids, salt, sugars and hydrocolloids on the colour stability of anthocyanin rich black currant and elderberry concentrates, Eur. Food Res. Technol, 223, 83, 2006. 

The color stability of strawberry syrup with or without fortification with anthocyanins from black currants (cyanidin and delphinidin 3-glucosides and 3-rutino-sides) and/or AA with levels equivalent to those existing in black currant syrup was investigated. Black currant-fortified strawberry anthocyanins showed higher stability the addition of AA diminished stability. ... 

The anthocyanin stabilities of grape-marc, elderberry, and black currant extracts were lower in all sucrose (100 g/L)-added systems as compared to the controls at pH values of 3, 4, and 5, whereas the brown index did not change with the addition of sugar. On the contrary, a protective effect of 20% sucrose added to frozen crowberries and strawberries was reported and the stabilities of anthocyanin juices from aronia were higher in syrups than in diluted extracts. Roselles pre-... 

Slimestad, R. and Solheim, H., Anthocyanins from black currants (Ribes nigrum L.), J. Agric. Food Chem., 50, 3228, 2002. 

Rubinskiene, M. et al., Impact of various factors on the composition and stability of black currant anthocyanins, Food Res. Int, 38, 867, 2005. 

The influence of enzyme maceration using pectinolytic enzyme preparations (Pectofruit and Pectofruit Press) on anthocyanin extraction at 43°C from two variants of black currant berries was studied. Enzymes accelerated the extraction yield the yield of anthocyanin extraction was similar for both enzymes and the duration did not influence the total content of released pigments. 

Pectins occur naturally in both soluble and insoluble forms. Soluble pectin occurs in plant juices and is particularly abundant in those juices which form jellies, such as black-currant and gooseberry. Insoluble pectins tend to occur in the green parts of plants, in fruit and in root crops.1 This insolubility is apparently due either to the presence of the pectin as its insoluble calcium or magnesium salt or because it is combined (esterified ) with cellulose or some other insoluble polysac-... 

Berries, such as blueberries, bilberries, and black currants, are the main sources of cyanidin, delphinidin, malvidin, peonidin, and petunidin. Malvidin is the characteristic anthocyanidin of red grape and red wine. Plums, cherries, and red cabbage are rich in... 

Apples 300 Pears 302 Plums 304 Cherries 306 Peaches and nectarines 308 Strawberries 310 Raspberries 312 Blackberries and hybrid berries 314 Black currants 316 Red and white currants 318 Gooseberries... 

Black currants, rich in flavor and full of vitamin C, are hardy and reliable, although late frost can damage blossoms and reduce the crop. The berries can be eaten raw, cooked, or pressed for their juice they freeze well, and make excellent preserves. Black currants are always grown as bushes. You will harvest a moderate crop after two years, and a full crop after three or four years. 

Currant events Apart from the harvest, the key time in the black currant year is late fall to winter, when established bushes should be pruned, as below, by sawing out a proportion of thick old branches at the base to leave well-spaced younger wood that will crop well in coming years. 

As black currants are pruned hard once mature, they need fertile conditions but are otherwise unfussy about soil. They are best grown in Zones 3-6. They grow into broad bushes a single bush can be guite productive, so you can still grow black currants even if you have a small garden. Choose a spot receiving sun for most of the day. Bushes become spindly if shaded, and sunshine improves the flavor of the berries. 

In areas where pine trees are raised commercially, there may be restrictions on buying and planting black currants due to the potential for spreading white pine blister rust, a fungal disease that is passed back and forth between pine trees and some species of currants and gooseberries. Check with your university extension service before buying plants. 

Black currants are generally sold as one-year-old plants, grown in containers. Seek out those cultivars that are resistant to some of the pests and diseases of black currants. They are best planted in early winter or, if that is not possible, early in spring. 

Black currants fruit best on two- and three-year-old branches. The aim of pruning is, therefore, to cut out branches that are older than this to leave a bush made up of as much healthy new growth as possible to fruit the following year. 

Berry bounty If well-pruned, a mature black currant can bear fruit along almost every inch of its branches, so it is ideal for smaller gardens. The cultivars Ben Lomond and Ben Sarek are especially compact, and both have the advantage of being resistant to American gooseberry mildew and leaf midge. 

Red and white currants need less fertile conditions than black currants. They perform well in Zones 3 to 6, are unfussy about soil, and will even crop in cool situations where they receive only short spells of direct sunlight. 

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