Currant: characteristics, cultivation and uses

View of delicious red currants

Currant. If you are one of those people who loves to make homemade jams, you have surely heard of it, and if not, don't worry: in this special you will know everything about it, the fruit that the species produces (Grossulariaceae). known as currant.

We will start first by explaining the characteristics of the currant and the uses, and finally We are going to give you many tips so that you can enjoy it without having to go buy it to a supermarket.

What and how is the currant?

Ribes rubrum is the scientific name of the currant

The currant is, as we said, the fruit of the species (Grossulariaceae). , but that last name »rubrum»Can cause some confusion, as it means red in Latin and the reality is that there are also white currants (the Alba variety). In any case, you have to know that it is a fruit the size of a cherry that, certainly, is very reminiscent of it: it is a fleshy berry with shiny skin that measures between 8 and 12mm in diameter and that ripens in autumn. Its flavor is acidic, but pleasant on the palate.

Besides "currant", it is known by other names such as barberry, artimora, red cambronera de Jarava, cascalleja, celombro, corinth, gandaru, white currant, gándaro, pinsús, ribes, rimas, rivas, rosella, Fran's grape, grape from India, zarangüenganal and zarangüéngano.

For what do you use it?

Culinary

It is used above all to make jams, but also to make soups and summer desserts and in various fillings for cakes. Its nutritional composition is as follows:

Nutritional table of currant

Image - Puntdesabor.com

Medicinal

Currant has febrifuge, laxative, astringent, blood purifying, diuretic and digestive properties. In addition, it facilitates menstruation and increases appetite.

What is the currant tree like?

Learn how to grow currant with us

Now that we've seen everything related to currant, let's move on to the gooseberry tree, the "mother" plant of this delicious fruit. Gooseberry It is a deciduous shrub that is between 1 and 1,5 meters high originally from Western Europe. Its leaves have 5 lobes and are distributed in a spiral on the branches. The flowers are grouped in clustered inflorescences of 4 to 8 cm and are yellowish-green in color.

Farming

Location

It is a plant that It has to be placed in an exhibition protected from direct sun.

Irrigation

It has to be frequent. During the warm months, 4-5 weekly irrigations will be necessary, and the rest of the year every 3-4 days.

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From the beginning of spring to the end of summer / beginning of autumn, it is highly recommended to pay it with Organic fertilizersand guano or  manure. Also, We can add the egg and banana peels, the tea grounds,…

Of course, if we are going to have it in a pot, we must use liquid fertilizers to avoid hindering the sewer system of the water.

Land

It has to be acidic, with a pH between 4 and 6.

Planting or transplanting time

Besides red currants there are also white currants

During spring, when the risk of frost has passed.

Multiplication

Seeds

The seeds of the currant they are sown in autumn, when the fruit finishes maturing, in a pot with peat or mulch mixed with 30% perlite. It is important to cover them with a thin layer of substrate, and not to put too many in the same seedbed, since otherwise when transplanting them it is likely that some will be lost.

We keep the pot moist -but not flooded- and in spring the first seeds will germinate.

Cuttings

To multiply it by cuttings you have to cut a branch of about 35-40cm in spring, impregnate the base with homemade rooting agents and plant it in a pot with vermiculite. We put it in an area protected from the sun, and within a maximum period of two months it will emit roots.

Muck

Mud is a natural clone of the plant that arises when a branch grows (or is placed) above ground level and takes root. It is the fastest and most efficient way to have a new specimen of currant, since you just have to cut behind where we put the anchor and plant it in a pot or in another part of the garden at 2-3 months.

Pruning

It is important to cut off dry, diseased or weak branches.

Management

  • Powdery mildew: it is a fungus that manifests itself by covering the leaves with a whitish or grayish powder. It is fought with fungicides.
  • Roya: it is a fungus that is manifested by the appearance of small circular spots of orange or yellowish color. It is also fought with fungicide.

Pests

Aphids can affect gooseberries

It can be attacked by aphids, which are very small insects of about 0,5cm of brown, green or yellow color. They feed on the cells of the leaves and those of the flower buds that have not yet opened. Fortunately, they can be controlled with yellow sticky traps that we will find for sale in nurseries.

Rusticity

It is a suitable plant for temperate climates, with mild summers and cold winters with frost. Its ideal temperature range is between 25 and -15ºC..

What did you think of the currant?


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