@@PhilEdwardsInc My parents tell me they used to be more common in stores here (Belgium). If I do find black currant products in stores now, it's mostly syrup and soda, never fresh!
@@StaticPA berries in general are very labour intensive, which is the main reason why they get rarer and rarer in supermarkets. Many are also quite delicate (especially, but not exclusively raspberries), which makes shelf life a problem for grocers. But you should be able to find them on farmers' markets when in season, and more and more in the freezer section.
I grew up in Ukraine, had no idea this berry is so rare in the US! It’s very very common here, and a lot of people are impartial to it as it has quite an acidic / sour taste, but that’s just a matter of preference. We had quite a few bushes in the garden and I never liked those berries as a kid 🙃
they are really great in otherwise sweet foods to tone it down but on their own, even with some added sugar, really quite an experience :V I remember often mistaking them for blueberries as a kid and then being disapointed
Swede here, all the kindergarten grow them so the kids can eat it and the teachers can make juice out of them, not too common as a bush in the housegarden compared to say blackberries ("Rubus")
I served in Mongolia with the Peace Corps, where currants, along with a whole range of other unfamiliar berries, rule the day. Black currants were my favorite, and not being able to find them upon returning to the States has been the greatest tragedy of my adult life. Thanks for this video! Let me know if you have any good currant sources that ship to New Mexico!
Love running into stories like this. I feel like there were a few places I found that shipped freeze dried or dry iced versions - just the idea of opening a box and having that dramatic dry ice smoke come out made me too nervous to try, but I'm sure it's good.
@@PhilEdwardsInc Since we live in NM, we put up with that dry ice craziness to get good fish every once in a while. I’m gonna seek out these berries, and I’ll report back.
I'm from Malaysia and Ribena used to be a staple for us. I grew up drinking a glass of warm Ribena every day after school. At birthday parties the moms would make iced Ribena for the kids. Even now among those of us who grew up in the 80-90's we use the term 'kanak-kanak Ribena' (Ribena kids) to describe happy-go-lucky, blissfully naive kids lmao.
Greetings from the alternative berryverse of Sweden! 2 fun facts: 1) first thing we we were given to eat or drink at hospital when my wife gave birth, a pitcher of ice water with a cup of black current cordial. 2) while technically a subset of fruits, berries are so varied and plentiful here (many are untranslatable since they don't exist in the Anglophone world) they are usually called out specifically and separately from other fruits by nutritional guides. As in, "don't forget to eat fruits, berries and vegetables". 🫐
@@PhilEdwardsInc as a guide working in Fennoscandia, I strongly encourage you to look up Cloudberries and Lingonberries. Delicious! Especially Cloudberry wine.
In Germany (and I guess everywhere in Europe )many woman drink black current juice to prevent effects of the period. I just drink it for fun... it's way too strong to drink a full glass , but I like it in shot glasses. Also the english name weirds me out! We basically call it black johannis-berry.....
Growing up in the US to British parents, my mom would always complain about the lack of availability when she wanted black currants for cooking or jam making (especially larger amounts), although luckily I think they have become more popular / widespread over the past few years. Never knew they were banned, but explains a lot! Thanks for the informative video :)
@@kaitlyn__L The ban was lifted in 2003. We have black currant jams and things in shops. It's just that most people aren't very familiar with it, so it's not as ubiquitous as it is in other countries; on par with strawberries or blueberries or something. Takes time. I have a jar in my fridge right now, lol.
I live in europe and my family has always had quite a few black currant bushes in the back yard and at least one gooseberry bush. Same goes for my grandparents. Like black currant and gooseberry bushes are a must alongside raspberry bushes where I’m from. I was really baffled to hear that those berries are pretty much non-existent in the US. Btw I, personally, really dont like black currant
I know right? It feels a little surreal seeing someone excited over getting black current syrup considering as kids we would eat them from bushes and make them fresh into pie or syrup.
American here! I first heard of blackcurrant when I first started looking into the city I'm currently studying in: Dijon, France. Here, the local specialty drink is called kir, and it's a sweet, refreshing mix of white wine and crème de cassis (blackcurrant cream)! I plan on shipping a bottle of crème de cassis back to the US so I can make my American friends try this wonderful drink :)
Started gardening at a young age in the PNW & one day ended up meeting a sweet, sweet older Russian lady who gave me several of her back currant trimmings to try and plant. Never realized how much I lucked out by personally being able to grow up alongside those shrubs & eat from that effort. Ended up moving out & one day when visiting my parents, I found out my mother had pulled up the bushes. Glad to at least have had my childhood years spent eating those delicious berries!
Interesting note: In the early 1900s the logging industry was replacing clear cuts with a LOT (almost exclusively) of pine trees. The lack of diversity created opportunities for disease - nature's way of correcting an imbalance. Nature is still doing her thing - in Oregon's Malheur forest, for example, an infestation of honey fungus measuring MILES across is steadily munching its way through the pine monoculture that the logging industry planted.
@@jamesrosewell9081 out worlds industrial revolution was capitalism. And the wood from Pine trees was planted because of the demand for that kind of wood. That would be supply and demand which is a huge part of capitalism. I’d like to see how it’s not though
Chill guys, white pine is not up to code for stick built buildings in the US anymore, nor is there need for ship masts. Essentially all its good for is log cabins.
I spent some time living and working in Ukraine. I first encountered black currant while my host family and I went back and fourth on trying to translate the Ukrainian word for the berry into English. Google translate kept coming up with “black currant” and I thought it must be incorrect since I had no idea what that was. Soon enough, I was educated on the berry’s existence and spend my entire time in Ukraine consuming black currant everything. I’m stuck searching for the berry everywhere I go like the rest of the black current enlightened US citizens.
I never thought of blackcurrants as exotic, It didn't even cross my mind that these were a novelty thing in the US, given that I get to enjoy freshly made blackcurrant juice from my grandma's garden every summer. Here in Finland, they're easy to grow and many people with gardens have them and other berry bushes. 😃🇫🇮
German here; we literally have black, white and red currants growing in our garden (usually so much every year, that our family freezes a whole lot of them to make jam later), so it's kinda interesting that they aren't that common in the US
Being brought up in Britain in the 1960s Ribena was the most desired cordial for drinks and when I first had an "american style no bake cheesecake" it came with a blackcurrant fruit topping My parents grew blackcurrants and gooseberries in the back garden and made jam regularly until my father became too old to tend the plants. So blackcurrants were part of everyday life for me. Here in Germany where I now live schwarze Johannisbeeren are also a staple fruit in frozen mixed berries in cordial form and on cakes. So when I had a cold I automatically reached for the blackcurrant cordial made with hot water Not sure it is very healthy but it is reassuring to me.
You’ll find black currant is very common in New York, it’s a favorite flavor of Eastern Europeans, and you’ll often find juice or other black currant products because of our high concentration
It's interesting to hear that kind of information while living in the northern part of Russia! On the countryside my granny does grow a lot of berrys, black and red currants included. Although our north side of the country doesn't have that kind of soft climate like in our southern parts, but we still have a lot of unique plants like cloudberry! They are pretty rare and only can be found in forest. Maybe you can make a video on them and tell people about our most finest berrys of Arkhangelsk, Russia!
Living in Siberia, it is hard to imagine having no currants or gooseberries! And there are other kinds of berries too, like honeyberry or seaberry, which I believe are not so common in the US as well, but provide us with vitamin C all year round.
This is the third video I’ve watched by you and I must say, I love how smooth and concise you are with topics that other content creators would turn into a 20-30 minute video. Every video feels like I’m just having a friend chat with me about something they’re really interested in, rather than a lecture. You’ve definitely earned my sub!
I've always lived in the US, but my mom was born in England and spent much of her early childhood there. Partly due to this, I feel a little British - culturally speaking - and love the taste of blackcurrants! Not that I've ever had fresh blackcurrants. But I've often had candies and jellies, and those are absolutely fantastic.
grew up on an island off the coast of NA where we had currants. I remember being really confused when I moved to the mainland and no one knew what they were. The first place I’ve seen them being used fresh is at vineyards near me where they imported them to dredge up older styles of berry wine making and using them as a stabilizer.
Such an interesting story for us living in Europe. It makes me wonder, what are the other things we consider common but that are not in the US and vice versa. The only thing I was missing in your video is a deeper insight in the reasons, why this is a problem in America and nobody abroad has ever heard of it... I mean maybe interview some botanist (kinda Vox-like approach I guess)? I'm not a one, but I did study biology for teaching purposes and therefore I know a thing or two. This phenomenon is actually quite common in the world of parasitic fungi. Switching between hosts (different species of plants) is exactly what rusts (group of fungi) do during their life-cycle. We in Europe - or at least in the Czech republic - have similar problem with a rust switching between pear-tree and juniperus causing the pear to die. But it definitely isn't such a big deal as you have or had with white pine. One last "fun fact" - we don't have a problem with black currant here, we have a problem with white pine. It's not native to Europe and it is becoming sort of an invasive species, cause it has no natural enemy, it kills bushes and little trees on the forrest floor and it spreads easily. We started to eradicate white pine at least in the Natural Parks. And all of that only because some aristocrats in the 19th century thought that this tree looks good and that it would be a cool idea to have this thing standing in front of the castle :)
Electric Kettles would be one thing. Because the US electric grid uses a lower voltage electric kettles are almost unheard of there and they boil water on stoves or in microwaves (yes I know). In Europe however they're considered like the most essential kitchen gadgets.
@@hedgehog3180 Based on a quick search. American houses typically have two taps/faucets, one for hot and the other for cold, I know the UK tends not to have actual water heaters, and maybe depending where you live. Air con may be unusual. I know that in Australia we have a few things that are maybe only otherwise commonplace in New Zealand. Like fairy bread (sprinkles on bread). By the way. We have kettles. Even if you tend not to drink tea, it's still basically essential. Plus it saves buying a coffee machine. Not sure about other places, but we have coffee in packets that can be emptied into water and milk. Also one other thing. We generally cook Mac and Cheese with milk instead of water. Makes it creamier.
I live in the UK, Ribena is great! I recommend trying it with hot water, works a treat when you're feeling unwell. Also, Robinson's makes Apple and Black currant squash which I saw in the shop in your video, that's basically the default squash in the UK. Can't go wrong with it.
Thatchers cider apples are crushed and processed at the same factory as the blackcurrants (blackcurrant season is just a couple of months, then its apple season). Think he should try vimto next
British person here: I wonder if there’s a misunderstanding here: “currants” and “blackcurrants” are completely different things. “currant cookies” means cookies with dried grapes in them. Currants are one of the three main types of dried grape you’d find in the supermarket: raisins, sultanas and currants. Seems like blackcurrant scones do exist but I’ve never heard of them. Scones with raisins or currants are pretty common.
Currants are a type of fruit: blackcurrants, redcurrants, gooseberries, and a bunch more that aren't well known in the English-speaking world. It's also, separately, a type of dried grape. Language is sometimes confusing.
@@qwertyTRiG Perhaps blackcurrants in scones is an Irish thing - I've never seen it in the UK. Usually it's sultanas or currants. And then we need to discuss the pronunciation of of "scone" 😀
This is crazy! We literally have these in the garden. I'm from Slovakia and they're quite common here. Well, at least in people's gardens who plant fruits. You won't usually find them in the store. They're also usually planted together with red currants, which I find a bit less bitter and more acidic. Also sometimes with gooseberries, which are super interesting tasting I think. Wonderful videos by the way, keep them coming! :)
Growing up in Norway with a Finnish mother, homemade blackcurrant juice was something I consumed a lot as a child, and still enjoy to this day. We drink it cold in summer, hot in winter. Everyone I have visited in Nordic countries, who owns a house with a garden, has a blackcurrant bush. It's very interesting to hear, how events like mentioned in this video, can affect what we consume and see as common or exotic food.
I'm from India and black currant is one of the most common ice-cream flavours here. Watching this made me feel strange but also makes me think how many awesome fruits or berries I may be missing but don't know about.
I’m Canadian, but I always grew up with Ribena. As a child my grandparents (who lived in the uk previously) would give me warm Ribena and I always loved it, so I’m always surprised when someone doesn’t know what it is.
I’ve been a fan of your videos for a long time; I’m usually a silent lurker. I really enjoy your intimate and personal nature in exploring these curious strings that unravel the world around us. At the end of this video you do this surprised chuckle when you say you love this berry and I know that feeling. I recently learned to ride a unicycle; something I’ve wanted to try for a long time. When I see it sitting in the corner like an awkward teenager at prom I get that feeling. Thanks for these great videos!
After living in the UK for around 4 years, I ended up falling in love with this alternate "Berryverse." Probably one of the things I was surprised to like the most - a Guinness Black Currant!
Try hot 'bena - get some ribena in a mug, pour on boiling water, drink when you fancy. Winter treat. Yum. Also ribena ice cubes next level good on a hot day - Make up some strong 'bena with water in your ice cube tray, freeze then when they're ready, pop out one of those little delights to crunch and suck on on a hot day. Or put them in a glass of 'bena. Yes, I'm sure you could make ice lollies out of them too but we didn't have anything g as fancy as that growing up so ice cubes have a special place in my heart (and freezer). Great video, glad to have stumbled across your channel.
Wow, this is very strange for me, I had no idea they were banned in the US. Growing up we always had black currants in our garden, and while it was nice, I always thought of black currants as lesser than strawberries and raspberries
I first tried them when traveling in Europe and the UK. A couple of years ago I happened across a black current plant in a nursery, so I bought it and added it to my berry & herb garden. At the moment my berry garden has black current, blueberries, honey berries, aronia berries, gooseberries, and strawberries. I have raspberries on the edges of my vegetable garden too. I’ve also got a lingonberry plant, but it’s been overshadowed by my vigorously growing gooseberry plant. I’d transfer it, but the gooseberry thorns have thus far dissuaded me.
Ribena is such a classic in New Zealand too. One time school children got them fined after their chemistry class accidentally proved they were lying about the nutritional content. It was the obvious place to learn about detecting Vitamin C but couldn't find any.
My Oma in Germany had a large garden where she grew lots of fruits including blackberries, red currants and gooseberries. I loved the tartness of the red currants. We tried to grow them in our backyard in upstate NY with limited success.
I remember having black currant wine and liquor, and they were fantastic. The closest I could suggest for an similar flavor in the US might be elderberry or Concord grape. Really enjoy your videos, Phil!
Growing up in Minnesota, my grandparent's farm had black currant and gooseberry bushes, so I had them all the time as snacks, jams or in baked goods. Getting older, I always wondered why I could never find these in stores, and almost convinced myself they were something else and my family just had a weird name for them.
My dad grows a few bushes of Gooseberries, Red currant and Black currants in his back yard. The black are way too bitter to be edible raw. The red on the other hand are great! The last fruit most Americans are missing are the poorly named (in English) 'wild strawberries". Terrible name! They are a naturally small strawberry. Very different taste. A handful of those is worth a basket of the big domesticated(?) strawberries.
I have black currants growing in my garden, next to a hedge of red currants, gooseberries and a bunch of rhubarb. In the old days, you could find those in almost every vegetable gardens here in Belgium. You can even find black currant flavoured Fanta (Fanta Cassis) in the Netherlands.
I once had both juniper trees and Saskatoon berry trees in my backyard a few years ago. This is another bad combination. A fungus, cedar-apple rust, established itself and was impossible to eradicate. Once I moved the 2 Saskatoon berry trees at the very far end of my yard, the disease just sent away and both groups of trees healed. But it was hard work, having to move trees.
I was just looking at the web site of the Ontario department of agriculture. Black currants and gooseberries can be grown in that province. So apparently Canada has not needed to take similar action.
I grew up in Europe, and because they are impossible to find in the US stores or farmers' markets my parents have them in their backyard. It's always fun to eat in the summer, along with red currants and gooseberries. My kids like them too. Grandma (my mom) used to make jams, but no one wanted to pick them off the bush so, it's just for eating fresh.
Omg, I adore black currant! I only ever had them dried or as juice until last year, after moving from Texas to Washington state. Discovered there's a lot of commercial cultivation up here in the PNW, bc it's not banned AND the climate is ideal, but I don't think much of the resulting produce actually leaves the region, bc I sure never saw any show up in grocery stores in Houston. Only ever had access to the imported shelf-stable products. No idea if they're still banned in Texas, but it doesn't matter bc nearly the entire currant/gooseberry family is not heat tolerant and doesn't grow well in most of the state. Now I'm growing my own in pots, though it'll be a year or two before they're established enough that I can let them set fruit instead of removing flowers before the plants start pouring in energy that would be better spent getting big enough for a reasonable harvest in the future. I'm a hobby baker who loves using homemade jam in my recipes, so I'm considering adding redcurrant and golden currant to my collection of tasty potted plants this coming spring. But black currant is my fave of the Ribes species I've had the opportunity to taste thus far!
Blackcurrant is the absolute best flavour of sweets and squash which is what Brits call the diluted fruit juice drink like the Ribena Phil drinks here. Interestingly, there is also a squash called Vimto which is a combination of blackcurrant and grape flavour. Some people love it but I'm not a fan - I think it tastes like an anagram of its name.
They are the latest addition to my garden. Next year will hopefully be the first harvest 🤞. But I've been growing the red and golden ones for some years and they're very good too. Looking forward to the next harvest.
I live in Brazil and it's also a rare berry here. We call it Groselha Preta and they are very expensive to buy. The regular Groselha (gooseberry) on the other hand is very common, specially it's syrup.
In Germany blackcurrant cake is so widespread - so many bakeries have it and it is delicious. Also making juices out of it is amazing. And you have the blackcurrant jelly in every supermarket.
There's a monastery in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan that sustains itself primarily through producing and selling jams and baked goods in a little roadside shop called the Jampot. A few years ago we stopped in there and I just semi-randomly chose a jar of black currant jam. It was absolutely the best jam I have ever tasted in my life, and I have been trying to seek out more black currant products ever since!
There are a number of West coast nurseries that will ship black currant bushes to your doorstep. Raintree, Burnt Ridge, and One Green World carry them. Autumn is the prime ordering season for most nurseries and they often run out of stock fast. One Green World releases most of their plants in Winter. I am growing white currants in W Washington and they are great. I will likely add red and black to the yard. They can also be propagated easily from dormant cuttings with common rooting powder. Burnt Ridge and Fruitwood Nursery sell cuttings. All of the nurseries I mentioned have websites you can order from.
FYI Ribena today tastes nothing like it used to. The UK government brought in a sugar tax on soft drinks a few years ago and Ribena reduced sugar and added sweeteners. It used to taste amazing, now it's undrinkable. Maybe they still make the old recipe for export?
Scottish born American here! Growing up in the US in a British household I used to have black current jam on toast and it was my favorite jam. I actually didn’t know that it wasn’t common until this video! I live in Denmark now and black current (or solbær in Danish) flavored candy and drinks is also quite common. For drinks it comes in a concentrated liquid that you’re meant to dilute with water
I realized a few seconds in that you were filming at Libby Hill, and had to do a double take to make sure I wasn't just imagining it, but Proper Pie popping up on screen for a second confirmed it for sure! I love that place, I usually get a savory and a slice of sweet pie and take them to Libby Hill for a little picnic. I might have to go soon to try that blackcurrant pie!
My dad was English, and while I grew up in the US, we grew up with black currant jam from England. Luckily, today, it is pretty easy to obtain in the US in better grocery stores. My favorite is Tiptree Black Currant Preserve. BTW, there are also red and white currants, though the flavor is mild compared to the black version.
In Canada they're relatively common in dried form (like raisins). My grandma always used them when making butter tarts. However, I'm not sure I've ever had them fresh
If you've eaten those Royal Danish butter cookies (the ones with the iconic tin used for sewing supplies) there's a chance you've had a black currant cookie. Though it seems that it was replaced by a different flavor in certain markets (and their website doesn't mention a black currant flavor). But I had them again in China just last year and they had the black currant cookie. I had always thought they were dried blueberry or raisins.
If you want to grow them, you can find them in the US. I think the first current bush I ever bought was a red currant bush from HomeDepo. I think e-bay would most likely be the best place to look. You may have to wait until the spring.
The black currant bushes in our yard has been giving berries for almost 40 years now, but I never really liked the taste of them and most berries never got picked. But last summer I did pick some black currants that had grown in a very sun lit spot and they were actually really sweet and quite tasty.
Hello!!! I am a bit late to the comment section, but my name is Malika and my family is originally from Uzbekistan! Black currents, red currants and rose hip (the banned fruits) are a huge part of most Slavic or central Asian cuisines!! I grew up eating or drinking everything black/red current flavored, so my mind was blown by this video and that my American boyfriend had never had it either! All this to say- if you enjoy this flavor, please please please find a Slavic grocery store near you if you haven’t already!! You will encounter a variety of sweets, jams, juices, etc!!! Thank you for your videos, and I hope this comment reaches you :)
I never considered that they'd be almost unheard-of in the US! The plants are everywhere, growing wild in the UK. I can remember going into the garden as a kid to grab some to put in breakfast cereal or, if there were enough, cooking them with slices of apple to make blackberry and apple crumble. Considering how hardy the plants are it must've been a truly massive task to eradicate them by hand! (I'm assuming that they're not endemic in the US anymore?)
They aren't anymore. I don't know a single person who would even know this fruit exist. It is a shame but at the same time the reason we got rid of them was logical. You'd probably be able to find a few wild ones but otherwise there's nothing. If only we could do the same with tumble-weeds
I spent a lot of time in Germany as a kid, and now I live here. Currants are available in black, but also red and white varieties. Each tastes a bit different. The red is most common in Germany, and white is pretty rare. Picking them and Turning them into something can be a bit of a pain though- as the grow in dense bunches kind of like grapes, and you gotta pull them all off the stem. It’s worth it though. The gooseberry is another one you should check out. IMO it’s better than currants. Similar to grapes in size, they are also available in white and black varieties, each being an attractive translucent color. They are related to kiwis, and are a little like a cross between grapes and that fruit. Love them.
I didn't know these were banned anywhere! My grandparents had blackcurrant, ribes and gooseberry bushes in their garden and once I can, I'll definitely plant those in my own garden as well. I have fond childhood memories of making jam out of them or just picking some and eating them straight.
We had black, red and white currant in our orchard. As a child we would go and eat them straight from the bushes. White were best, red tasty if very ripe and black I only tried out of curiosity, but never really cared for. Later in life you come across blackberry juice which I started to enjoy. Last week I had a glass of white wine and the smell of black currant was very present. But it’s more the smell from the leaves and branches than the berry itself. The wine triggered some nice memories of that orchard and childhood.
England here. In my back garden rite now are at least a dozen black currant shrubs as well as a hand full of red currants and various goose berries. Just love them. Also for note there are now variants of black currant that are fungal resistant and therefore legal to grow in many states in the US.
Here in Latvia we blend and freeze black currants. Also, we make jam out of these berries, eat fresh, mix them with green tea make a sauce for meat food, etc.
I learned of Black Currents when my family lived in Germany and I was in High School. Easily my favorite berry and flavor, whenever I had the option I chose it. The grown up grape analogy is very correct in my experience.
When I think of jam fruits, blackcurrant is probably second only to raspberry to me, followed by strawberry. I cannot imagine never to have tasted the unique and utterly delicious flavour of blackcurrant jam!
When I studied in Wales, they had black current scones at this little coffee shop in Chester that I stopped in a couple times. And in Wrexham where I stayed, down the street from Glyndwr University there was a bar that gave you a Guinness with a shot of Black Currant juice in it. I think it's purple Irish or something. Now every so often I gotta chase that dragon here in the US.
Super interesting, I grew up in Morrisburg Ontario, just on the border of the U.S. and Canada (the St. Laurence river). and my mother grew black currants in our back yard, and would make black currant jam every summer. No idea they were banned in the U.S.
My Caribbean mother always has to hunt for them here to make currant rolls. It is possible to find them but it’s a chore. Finding pre packaged black currant flavored things isn’t that hard and they sell Ribena in the grocery store but dried currants are super hard to come by.
Being that my father's British, I grew up with Ribena. It was always exciting to see my friends reaction after having tried it for the first time. Such a great flavor!
Americans not having blackcurrant in their everyday lives blew my mind. It is literally the every-day juice here, above OJ. Especially for kids. This is like when I discovered you guys don't have "fortnight" in your everyday (pre-game) vocab
We get Starburst candy shipped from the UK. The black currant is in the pack there, eliminating grape. It is amazing. As is Proper Pie Co. in Richmond!!! Cool seeing a wonderful local business!
greetings from germany, the red ones are really good to, and if you wanna try a super unique berry, try getting your hands on things made of Sanddorn its a bush i think that only grows in places near the baltic and northern sea and there are candies and ice of it, it tastes really unique
I enjoyed watching you discover blackcurrants and ribena. Like the novelty of it for you was fun to watch. I grew up with blackcurrant flavoured everything here in Australia. It was always the best but sometimes you would have the risk that a black lolly was licorice/aniseed instead.
I ate a lot of blackcurrants from the bushes that grew wild in our English back garden in the 70s and early 80s. I've spent the past nearly 40 years gardenless in Paris and Tokyo, however. I still love blackcurrants and raspberries, although blueberries are much easier to find in Tokyo, and are much enjoyed.
My Polish grandfather used to grow black and red currants in his backyard here in NJ. My absolutely favorite jam/preserve! Definitely recommend it in a spread or in paczki! 😁
If you not feeling well you should try blackcurrant drink warmed up and just take small sips - so relaxing. Or even better a blackcurrant/pear/apple crumble either with hot custard or vanilla ice cream - YUM!!
Currants are actually one of the most popular berries here in the Czech Republic when it comes to growing berries in your garden, we have like 15 currant bushes, but black currants are pretty rare, we only have like 3 black currant bushes, red currants are way more popular here, but it's mindblowing for me that most Americans never had these berries that are really common here.
In case you weren't aware, most of the black sweets (candies) in the UK are actually blackcurrant flavoured, instead of grape like they are in the US
Grape candy is purple. Black candy is usually black liquorice flavor.
Purple skittles used to be black current in Australia. They were a lot nicer when they were black current too
They're purple. Not black
I always wondered why American sweets had grape
same in Australia where we have apple and black current juice and black current lollies
We had several bushes of these in our yard growing up, I never realised these these would be considered 'exotic' in the USA. Great video!
I am filled with jealousy but happy for you all the same!
@@PhilEdwardsInc My parents tell me they used to be more common in stores here (Belgium). If I do find black currant products in stores now, it's mostly syrup and soda, never fresh!
Same here.
@@StaticPA berries in general are very labour intensive, which is the main reason why they get rarer and rarer in supermarkets. Many are also quite delicate (especially, but not exclusively raspberries), which makes shelf life a problem for grocers.
But you should be able to find them on farmers' markets when in season, and more and more in the freezer section.
yap at my parents home are few as well also one red currents bush. so every summer I enjoy fresh berries mmm...
I just found this channel and, as a deaf person, I'm greatly appreciative that you caption all the videos! Just subscribed :)
Deaf as well. Channels that take the time to add real captions are appreciated. Subscribed just now.
As a hearing person I am thankful for real captions on videos! Good work Phil!
My hearing is too good so I usually watch videos on mute. Same deal though. Greatly appreciated.
@@ryanvanasse As a blind person I am thankful for the audio in the videos! Good work Phil!
Cant you just turn on CC for pretty much any video with audible dialog on YT there’s literally a button for it
love to learn about currant events
Glad to hear the scarcity is becoming less of a currant issue.
Lol.....currant jokes. ❤it
I know, the lack of currants in the US is shocking.....
I grew up in Ukraine, had no idea this berry is so rare in the US! It’s very very common here, and a lot of people are impartial to it as it has quite an acidic / sour taste, but that’s just a matter of preference. We had quite a few bushes in the garden and I never liked those berries as a kid 🙃
they are really great in otherwise sweet foods to tone it down but on their own, even with some added sugar, really quite an experience :V
I remember often mistaking them for blueberries as a kid and then being disapointed
A Pole here and it's the same story. My grandma sends me jars full of homemade jam out of this stuff and it's the greatest shit I get to eat.
Swede here, all the kindergarten grow them so the kids can eat it and the teachers can make juice out of them, not too common as a bush in the housegarden compared to say blackberries ("Rubus")
Those bitter sweet preserved currants from Ukraine are awesome.
Hey, just checking up on you. I hope the situation in Ukraine gets better. :) I like currant jelly, they taste great in vanilla yogurt.
I served in Mongolia with the Peace Corps, where currants, along with a whole range of other unfamiliar berries, rule the day. Black currants were my favorite, and not being able to find them upon returning to the States has been the greatest tragedy of my adult life. Thanks for this video! Let me know if you have any good currant sources that ship to New Mexico!
Love running into stories like this. I feel like there were a few places I found that shipped freeze dried or dry iced versions - just the idea of opening a box and having that dramatic dry ice smoke come out made me too nervous to try, but I'm sure it's good.
@@PhilEdwardsInc Since we live in NM, we put up with that dry ice craziness to get good fish every once in a while. I’m gonna seek out these berries, and I’ll report back.
There's a company called Miami fruit. They ship tropical fruits all over the United States.
@@dlbstlmight be woth a look, though currants are not tropical but temperate to boreal
You should order some Ribena it's basically black current juice and is so good
I'm from Malaysia and Ribena used to be a staple for us. I grew up drinking a glass of warm Ribena every day after school. At birthday parties the moms would make iced Ribena for the kids. Even now among those of us who grew up in the 80-90's we use the term 'kanak-kanak Ribena' (Ribena kids) to describe happy-go-lucky, blissfully naive kids lmao.
I can't believe someone still remember the term "Kanak-kanak ribena" / "kanak-kanak riang". Good ol childhood.
Warm ribena, really? I drink that stuff chilled, can't beat it chilled.
in Australia I always had it cold with soda water
@@GoyBenius_0901 Warm if you're ill, cold otherwise
I drank Ribena as a kid too, but I'm from Ireland, on the other side of the world
Greetings from the alternative berryverse of Sweden! 2 fun facts: 1) first thing we we were given to eat or drink at hospital when my wife gave birth, a pitcher of ice water with a cup of black current cordial. 2) while technically a subset of fruits, berries are so varied and plentiful here (many are untranslatable since they don't exist in the Anglophone world) they are usually called out specifically and separately from other fruits by nutritional guides. As in, "don't forget to eat fruits, berries and vegetables". 🫐
WOW!!!! I was expecting the berries I know from Ikea, but to get currants as part of such a key life moment...amazing! And congrats!
@@PhilEdwardsInc as a guide working in Fennoscandia, I strongly encourage you to look up Cloudberries and Lingonberries. Delicious! Especially Cloudberry wine.
@@kensimpson2925 Versions of those I have tried thanks to our friends at Ikea!
In Germany (and I guess everywhere in Europe )many woman drink black current juice to prevent effects of the period. I just drink it for fun... it's way too strong to drink a full glass , but I like it in shot glasses. Also the english name weirds me out! We basically call it black johannis-berry.....
I'm aslo Swedish, and my maternal grandparents have a ton of currant bushes, which we pick to make juice and jam. Great stuff!
Growing up in the US to British parents, my mom would always complain about the lack of availability when she wanted black currants for cooking or jam making (especially larger amounts), although luckily I think they have become more popular / widespread over the past few years. Never knew they were banned, but explains a lot! Thanks for the informative video :)
I have blackcurrant jam on toast all the time, Americans are really missing out
@@kaitlyn__L The ban was lifted in 2003. We have black currant jams and things in shops. It's just that most people aren't very familiar with it, so it's not as ubiquitous as it is in other countries; on par with strawberries or blueberries or something. Takes time.
I have a jar in my fridge right now, lol.
Getting ready to plant some but I have never tasted them.
I live in europe and my family has always had quite a few black currant bushes in the back yard and at least one gooseberry bush. Same goes for my grandparents. Like black currant and gooseberry bushes are a must alongside raspberry bushes where I’m from. I was really baffled to hear that those berries are pretty much non-existent in the US. Btw I, personally, really dont like black currant
Totally the same.
I know right? It feels a little surreal seeing someone excited over getting black current syrup considering as kids we would eat them from bushes and make them fresh into pie or syrup.
American here! I first heard of blackcurrant when I first started looking into the city I'm currently studying in: Dijon, France. Here, the local specialty drink is called kir, and it's a sweet, refreshing mix of white wine and crème de cassis (blackcurrant cream)! I plan on shipping a bottle of crème de cassis back to the US so I can make my American friends try this wonderful drink :)
A Kir royal - Kir liqueur and champagne - is amazing
Started gardening at a young age in the PNW & one day ended up meeting a sweet, sweet older Russian lady who gave me several of her back currant trimmings to try and plant. Never realized how much I lucked out by personally being able to grow up alongside those shrubs & eat from that effort. Ended up moving out & one day when visiting my parents, I found out my mother had pulled up the bushes. Glad to at least have had my childhood years spent eating those delicious berries!
Interesting note: In the early 1900s the logging industry was replacing clear cuts with a LOT (almost exclusively) of pine trees. The lack of diversity created opportunities for disease - nature's way of correcting an imbalance. Nature is still doing her thing - in Oregon's Malheur forest, for example, an infestation of honey fungus measuring MILES across is steadily munching its way through the pine monoculture that the logging industry planted.
They should probably aerial spray fungicide.
Good old capitalism wigglin in everywhere lol
@@thomasrial4444 not capitalism
@@jamesrosewell9081 out worlds industrial revolution was capitalism. And the wood from Pine trees was planted because of the demand for that kind of wood. That would be supply and demand which is a huge part of capitalism. I’d like to see how it’s not though
Chill guys, white pine is not up to code for stick built buildings in the US anymore, nor is there need for ship masts. Essentially all its good for is log cabins.
Wow, as a Polish person I always wondered why there were no porzeczki in the US. I could only find them imported to the Polish and Russian stores.
I spent some time living and working in Ukraine. I first encountered black currant while my host family and I went back and fourth on trying to translate the Ukrainian word for the berry into English. Google translate kept coming up with “black currant” and I thought it must be incorrect since I had no idea what that was. Soon enough, I was educated on the berry’s existence and spend my entire time in Ukraine consuming black currant everything. I’m stuck searching for the berry everywhere I go like the rest of the black current enlightened US citizens.
I never thought of blackcurrants as exotic, It didn't even cross my mind that these were a novelty thing in the US, given that I get to enjoy freshly made blackcurrant juice from my grandma's garden every summer. Here in Finland, they're easy to grow and many people with gardens have them and other berry bushes. 😃🇫🇮
They aren't a novelty. Just they fell out of popularity and have never come back in any sort of way.
German here; we literally have black, white and red currants growing in our garden (usually so much every year, that our family freezes a whole lot of them to make jam later), so it's kinda interesting that they aren't that common in the US
Being brought up in Britain in the 1960s
Ribena was the most desired cordial
for drinks
and when I first had an "american style no bake cheesecake"
it came with a blackcurrant fruit topping
My parents grew blackcurrants and gooseberries
in the back garden and made jam regularly
until my father became too old to tend the plants.
So blackcurrants were part of everyday life for me.
Here in Germany
where I now live
schwarze Johannisbeeren
are also a staple fruit
in frozen mixed berries
in cordial form
and on cakes.
So when I had a cold
I automatically reached for the blackcurrant cordial
made with hot water
Not sure it is very healthy
but it is reassuring to me.
Blackcurrants and gooseberries can apparently cross pollinate and make jostaberries.
You’ll find black currant is very common in New York, it’s a favorite flavor of Eastern Europeans, and you’ll often find juice or other black currant products because of our high concentration
It's interesting to hear that kind of information while living in the northern part of Russia! On the countryside my granny does grow a lot of berrys, black and red currants included. Although our north side of the country doesn't have that kind of soft climate like in our southern parts, but we still have a lot of unique plants like cloudberry! They are pretty rare and only can be found in forest. Maybe you can make a video on them and tell people about our most finest berrys of Arkhangelsk, Russia!
Living in Siberia, it is hard to imagine having no currants or gooseberries! And there are other kinds of berries too, like honeyberry or seaberry, which I believe are not so common in the US as well, but provide us with vitamin C all year round.
This is the third video I’ve watched by you and I must say, I love how smooth and concise you are with topics that other content creators would turn into a 20-30 minute video. Every video feels like I’m just having a friend chat with me about something they’re really interested in, rather than a lecture. You’ve definitely earned my sub!
I've always lived in the US, but my mom was born in England and spent much of her early childhood there. Partly due to this, I feel a little British - culturally speaking - and love the taste of blackcurrants! Not that I've ever had fresh blackcurrants. But I've often had candies and jellies, and those are absolutely fantastic.
grew up on an island off the coast of NA where we had currants. I remember being really confused when I moved to the mainland and no one knew what they were. The first place I’ve seen them being used fresh is at vineyards near me where they imported them to dredge up older styles of berry wine making and using them as a stabilizer.
Such an interesting story for us living in Europe. It makes me wonder, what are the other things we consider common but that are not in the US and vice versa.
The only thing I was missing in your video is a deeper insight in the reasons, why this is a problem in America and nobody abroad has ever heard of it... I mean maybe interview some botanist (kinda Vox-like approach I guess)?
I'm not a one, but I did study biology for teaching purposes and therefore I know a thing or two. This phenomenon is actually quite common in the world of parasitic fungi. Switching between hosts (different species of plants) is exactly what rusts (group of fungi) do during their life-cycle. We in Europe - or at least in the Czech republic - have similar problem with a rust switching between pear-tree and juniperus causing the pear to die. But it definitely isn't such a big deal as you have or had with white pine.
One last "fun fact" - we don't have a problem with black currant here, we have a problem with white pine. It's not native to Europe and it is becoming sort of an invasive species, cause it has no natural enemy, it kills bushes and little trees on the forrest floor and it spreads easily. We started to eradicate white pine at least in the Natural Parks. And all of that only because some aristocrats in the 19th century thought that this tree looks good and that it would be a cool idea to have this thing standing in front of the castle :)
Electric Kettles would be one thing. Because the US electric grid uses a lower voltage electric kettles are almost unheard of there and they boil water on stoves or in microwaves (yes I know). In Europe however they're considered like the most essential kitchen gadgets.
@@hedgehog3180 the US has the same voltage for large appliances like stoves, and the Japanese are far better at hot water boilers than europeans.
@@hedgehog3180 I don't think its a voltage issue, but instead that tea isn't as big of a cultural phenomenon here.
@@hedgehog3180 Based on a quick search. American houses typically have two taps/faucets, one for hot and the other for cold, I know the UK tends not to have actual water heaters, and maybe depending where you live. Air con may be unusual.
I know that in Australia we have a few things that are maybe only otherwise commonplace in New Zealand. Like fairy bread (sprinkles on bread).
By the way. We have kettles. Even if you tend not to drink tea, it's still basically essential. Plus it saves buying a coffee machine. Not sure about other places, but we have coffee in packets that can be emptied into water and milk.
Also one other thing. We generally cook Mac and Cheese with milk instead of water. Makes it creamier.
@@callummclachlan4771 In the UK pretty much every house has a boiler, it's just not hot enough for tea which is why we use kettles.
Wow idubbbz you really changed your life around now, loving the new look!
I live in the UK, Ribena is great! I recommend trying it with hot water, works a treat when you're feeling unwell.
Also, Robinson's makes Apple and Black currant squash which I saw in the shop in your video, that's basically the default squash in the UK. Can't go wrong with it.
Hey thanks for the tip!
Yep, I agree, hot blackcurrant is the best! Robinsons apple and blackcurrant is basically my water, I go through two bottles a week!
Thatchers cider apples are crushed and processed at the same factory as the blackcurrants (blackcurrant season is just a couple of months, then its apple season). Think he should try vimto next
@@olavsantiago Vimto is merely an anagram of Vomit....
Americans: OMG there’s black current juice
British people: OMG there such a thing as grape juice
British person here: I wonder if there’s a misunderstanding here: “currants” and “blackcurrants” are completely different things.
“currant cookies” means cookies with dried grapes in them.
Currants are one of the three main types of dried grape you’d find in the supermarket: raisins, sultanas and currants.
Seems like blackcurrant scones do exist but I’ve never heard of them. Scones with raisins or currants are pretty common.
Currants are a type of fruit: blackcurrants, redcurrants, gooseberries, and a bunch more that aren't well known in the English-speaking world. It's also, separately, a type of dried grape. Language is sometimes confusing.
Right on, no blackcurrants in scones or cookies in UK!
@@andrewholdenmusic I've definitely seen blackcurrants in scones. Not common, but it does happen. Raisins might be more common.
@@qwertyTRiG Perhaps blackcurrants in scones is an Irish thing - I've never seen it in the UK. Usually it's sultanas or currants. And then we need to discuss the pronunciation of of "scone" 😀
@@malcolmrose3361 I pronounce it correctly. *sniff
This is crazy! We literally have these in the garden. I'm from Slovakia and they're quite common here. Well, at least in people's gardens who plant fruits. You won't usually find them in the store. They're also usually planted together with red currants, which I find a bit less bitter and more acidic. Also sometimes with gooseberries, which are super interesting tasting I think. Wonderful videos by the way, keep them coming! :)
As with some other comments on this thread, I am so impressed and jealous!
Growing up in Norway with a Finnish mother, homemade blackcurrant juice was something I consumed a lot as a child, and still enjoy to this day. We drink it cold in summer, hot in winter. Everyone I have visited in Nordic countries, who owns a house with a garden, has a blackcurrant bush. It's very interesting to hear, how events like mentioned in this video, can affect what we consume and see as common or exotic food.
To your point, you wouldn't believe how magical and unique this sounds to me!
I'm from India and black currant is one of the most common ice-cream flavours here.
Watching this made me feel strange but also makes me think how many awesome fruits or berries I may be missing but don't know about.
I’m Canadian, but I always grew up with Ribena. As a child my grandparents (who lived in the uk previously) would give me warm Ribena and I always loved it, so I’m always surprised when someone doesn’t know what it is.
I’ve been a fan of your videos for a long time; I’m usually a silent lurker.
I really enjoy your intimate and personal nature in exploring these curious strings that unravel the world around us.
At the end of this video you do this surprised chuckle when you say you love this berry and I know that feeling.
I recently learned to ride a unicycle; something I’ve wanted to try for a long time.
When I see it sitting in the corner like an awkward teenager at prom I get that feeling.
Thanks for these great videos!
I'm from Poland and black currants is one of my favourite fruit. I plant it by my self in my garden. It's good to know about that fungus :D
Thank you for keeping us up to date on currant events.
After living in the UK for around 4 years, I ended up falling in love with this alternate "Berryverse." Probably one of the things I was surprised to like the most - a Guinness Black Currant!
Try hot 'bena - get some ribena in a mug, pour on boiling water, drink when you fancy. Winter treat. Yum.
Also ribena ice cubes next level good on a hot day - Make up some strong 'bena with water in your ice cube tray, freeze then when they're ready, pop out one of those little delights to crunch and suck on on a hot day. Or put them in a glass of 'bena. Yes, I'm sure you could make ice lollies out of them too but we didn't have anything g as fancy as that growing up so ice cubes have a special place in my heart (and freezer).
Great video, glad to have stumbled across your channel.
This is on my winter agenda now!
@@PhilEdwardsInc great! Let me know how you get on.
Wow, this is very strange for me, I had no idea they were banned in the US. Growing up we always had black currants in our garden, and while it was nice, I always thought of black currants as lesser than strawberries and raspberries
I first tried them when traveling in Europe and the UK. A couple of years ago I happened across a black current plant in a nursery, so I bought it and added it to my berry & herb garden. At the moment my berry garden has black current, blueberries, honey berries, aronia berries, gooseberries, and strawberries. I have raspberries on the edges of my vegetable garden too. I’ve also got a lingonberry plant, but it’s been overshadowed by my vigorously growing gooseberry plant. I’d transfer it, but the gooseberry thorns have thus far dissuaded me.
Ribena is such a classic in New Zealand too. One time school children got them fined after their chemistry class accidentally proved they were lying about the nutritional content. It was the obvious place to learn about detecting Vitamin C but couldn't find any.
My Oma in Germany had a large garden where she grew lots of fruits including blackberries, red currants and gooseberries. I loved the tartness of the red currants. We tried to grow them in our backyard in upstate NY with limited success.
4:35 You're supposed to pour the Ribena in first, then the water, so you don't have to mix it in as much
I remember having black currant wine and liquor, and they were fantastic. The closest I could suggest for an similar flavor in the US might be elderberry or Concord grape. Really enjoy your videos, Phil!
i continue to chase down the jam (which i can get pretty easily!). need it but more cassis though....
Growing up in Minnesota, my grandparent's farm had black currant and gooseberry bushes, so I had them all the time as snacks, jams or in baked goods. Getting older, I always wondered why I could never find these in stores, and almost convinced myself they were something else and my family just had a weird name for them.
Really enjoy your posts, and love the glimpses of RVA
My dad grows a few bushes of Gooseberries, Red currant and Black currants in his back yard. The black are way too bitter to be edible raw. The red on the other hand are great! The last fruit most Americans are missing are the poorly named (in English) 'wild strawberries". Terrible name! They are a naturally small strawberry. Very different taste. A handful of those is worth a basket of the big domesticated(?) strawberries.
Dang I am very curious about the difference.
I have black currants growing in my garden, next to a hedge of red currants, gooseberries and a bunch of rhubarb. In the old days, you could find those in almost every vegetable gardens here in Belgium. You can even find black currant flavoured Fanta (Fanta Cassis) in the Netherlands.
I once had both juniper trees and Saskatoon berry trees in my backyard a few years ago. This is another bad combination. A fungus, cedar-apple rust, established itself and was impossible to eradicate. Once I moved the 2 Saskatoon berry trees at the very far end of my yard, the disease just sent away and both groups of trees healed. But it was hard work, having to move trees.
I really have been enjoying your videos, just a bit of information presented in a fun and relaxing way.
I was just looking at the web site of the Ontario department of agriculture. Black currants and gooseberries can be grown in that province. So apparently Canada has not needed to take similar action.
Yup, and their delicious
I grew up in Europe, and because they are impossible to find in the US stores or farmers' markets my parents have them in their backyard. It's always fun to eat in the summer, along with red currants and gooseberries. My kids like them too. Grandma (my mom) used to make jams, but no one wanted to pick them off the bush so, it's just for eating fresh.
How does this channel only have 1k subscribers?
Your videos are amazing! Eversince I found your personal channel you have been dominating my RUclips Recommended
Omg, I adore black currant! I only ever had them dried or as juice until last year, after moving from Texas to Washington state. Discovered there's a lot of commercial cultivation up here in the PNW, bc it's not banned AND the climate is ideal, but I don't think much of the resulting produce actually leaves the region, bc I sure never saw any show up in grocery stores in Houston. Only ever had access to the imported shelf-stable products. No idea if they're still banned in Texas, but it doesn't matter bc nearly the entire currant/gooseberry family is not heat tolerant and doesn't grow well in most of the state.
Now I'm growing my own in pots, though it'll be a year or two before they're established enough that I can let them set fruit instead of removing flowers before the plants start pouring in energy that would be better spent getting big enough for a reasonable harvest in the future.
I'm a hobby baker who loves using homemade jam in my recipes, so I'm considering adding redcurrant and golden currant to my collection of tasty potted plants this coming spring. But black currant is my fave of the Ribes species I've had the opportunity to taste thus far!
Love that you are growing your own!
I feel the same way about American grape flavoured sodas and grape juices. I think it just goes to show variety is the spice of life.
Blackcurrant is the absolute best flavour of sweets and squash which is what Brits call the diluted fruit juice drink like the Ribena Phil drinks here.
Interestingly, there is also a squash called Vimto which is a combination of blackcurrant and grape flavour. Some people love it but I'm not a fan - I think it tastes like an anagram of its name.
Dammit, Phil. Now I need to go and buy some Ribena.
Acctually in Russia black currant is a very common garden berry. We usually have both red and black in basically every back yard
They are the latest addition to my garden. Next year will hopefully be the first harvest 🤞. But I've been growing the red and golden ones for some years and they're very good too. Looking forward to the next harvest.
I live in Brazil and it's also a rare berry here. We call it Groselha Preta and they are very expensive to buy. The regular Groselha (gooseberry) on the other hand is very common, specially it's syrup.
So happy I found your channel!!
In Germany blackcurrant cake is so widespread - so many bakeries have it and it is delicious. Also making juices out of it is amazing. And you have the blackcurrant jelly in every supermarket.
There's a monastery in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan that sustains itself primarily through producing and selling jams and baked goods in a little roadside shop called the Jampot. A few years ago we stopped in there and I just semi-randomly chose a jar of black currant jam. It was absolutely the best jam I have ever tasted in my life, and I have been trying to seek out more black currant products ever since!
dang i wanna visit this place
There are a number of West coast nurseries that will ship black currant bushes to your doorstep. Raintree, Burnt Ridge, and One Green World carry them. Autumn is the prime ordering season for most nurseries and they often run out of stock fast. One Green World releases most of their plants in Winter. I am growing white currants in W Washington and they are great. I will likely add red and black to the yard. They can also be propagated easily from dormant cuttings with common rooting powder. Burnt Ridge and Fruitwood Nursery sell cuttings. All of the nurseries I mentioned have websites you can order from.
FYI Ribena today tastes nothing like it used to. The UK government brought in a sugar tax on soft drinks a few years ago and Ribena reduced sugar and added sweeteners. It used to taste amazing, now it's undrinkable. Maybe they still make the old recipe for export?
Scottish born American here! Growing up in the US in a British household I used to have black current jam on toast and it was my favorite jam. I actually didn’t know that it wasn’t common until this video! I live in Denmark now and black current (or solbær in Danish) flavored candy and drinks is also quite common. For drinks it comes in a concentrated liquid that you’re meant to dilute with water
I realized a few seconds in that you were filming at Libby Hill, and had to do a double take to make sure I wasn't just imagining it, but Proper Pie popping up on screen for a second confirmed it for sure! I love that place, I usually get a savory and a slice of sweet pie and take them to Libby Hill for a little picnic. I might have to go soon to try that blackcurrant pie!
My dad was English, and while I grew up in the US, we grew up with black currant jam from England. Luckily, today, it is pretty easy to obtain in the US in better grocery stores. My favorite is Tiptree Black Currant Preserve. BTW, there are also red and white currants, though the flavor is mild compared to the black version.
In Canada they're relatively common in dried form (like raisins). My grandma always used them when making butter tarts. However, I'm not sure I've ever had them fresh
If you've eaten those Royal Danish butter cookies (the ones with the iconic tin used for sewing supplies) there's a chance you've had a black currant cookie. Though it seems that it was replaced by a different flavor in certain markets (and their website doesn't mention a black currant flavor). But I had them again in China just last year and they had the black currant cookie. I had always thought they were dried blueberry or raisins.
If you want to grow them, you can find them in the US. I think the first current bush I ever bought was a red currant bush from HomeDepo. I think e-bay would most likely be the best place to look. You may have to wait until the spring.
The black currant bushes in our yard has been giving berries for almost 40 years now, but I never really liked the taste of them and most berries never got picked. But last summer I did pick some black currants that had grown in a very sun lit spot and they were actually really sweet and quite tasty.
Hello!!! I am a bit late to the comment section, but my name is Malika and my family is originally from Uzbekistan! Black currents, red currants and rose hip (the banned fruits) are a huge part of most Slavic or central Asian cuisines!! I grew up eating or drinking everything black/red current flavored, so my mind was blown by this video and that my American boyfriend had never had it either! All this to say- if you enjoy this flavor, please please please find a Slavic grocery store near you if you haven’t already!! You will encounter a variety of sweets, jams, juices, etc!!! Thank you for your videos, and I hope this comment reaches you :)
My parents used to have a garden when I was a child we had black currant shrubs, they where my favorite to eat right from the bush, they are amazing!
black currant jam best jam
I never considered that they'd be almost unheard-of in the US! The plants are everywhere, growing wild in the UK. I can remember going into the garden as a kid to grab some to put in breakfast cereal or, if there were enough, cooking them with slices of apple to make blackberry and apple crumble. Considering how hardy the plants are it must've been a truly massive task to eradicate them by hand! (I'm assuming that they're not endemic in the US anymore?)
They aren't anymore. I don't know a single person who would even know this fruit exist. It is a shame but at the same time the reason we got rid of them was logical. You'd probably be able to find a few wild ones but otherwise there's nothing. If only we could do the same with tumble-weeds
I spent a lot of time in Germany as a kid, and now I live here. Currants are available in black, but also red and white varieties. Each tastes a bit different. The red is most common in Germany, and white is pretty rare. Picking them and Turning them into something can be a bit of a pain though- as the grow in dense bunches kind of like grapes, and you gotta pull them all off the stem. It’s worth it though.
The gooseberry is another one you should check out. IMO it’s better than currants. Similar to grapes in size, they are also available in white and black varieties, each being an attractive translucent color.
They are related to kiwis, and are a little like a cross between grapes and that fruit. Love them.
I didn't know these were banned anywhere! My grandparents had blackcurrant, ribes and gooseberry bushes in their garden and once I can, I'll definitely plant those in my own garden as well. I have fond childhood memories of making jam out of them or just picking some and eating them straight.
We had black, red and white currant in our orchard. As a child we would go and eat them straight from the bushes. White were best, red tasty if very ripe and black I only tried out of curiosity, but never really cared for. Later in life you come across blackberry juice which I started to enjoy. Last week I had a glass of white wine and the smell of black currant was very present. But it’s more the smell from the leaves and branches than the berry itself. The wine triggered some nice memories of that orchard and childhood.
England here. In my back garden rite now are at least a dozen black currant shrubs as well as a hand full of red currants and various goose berries. Just love them. Also for note there are now variants of black currant that are fungal resistant and therefore legal to grow in many states in the US.
Ribena made up with boiled water (like tea) is excewllent in winter or if you're feeling sick. Extremely comforting.
Here in Latvia we blend and freeze black currants. Also, we make jam out of these berries, eat fresh, mix them with green tea make a sauce for meat food, etc.
I learned of Black Currents when my family lived in Germany and I was in High School. Easily my favorite berry and flavor, whenever I had the option I chose it. The grown up grape analogy is very correct in my experience.
When I think of jam fruits, blackcurrant is probably second only to raspberry to me, followed by strawberry. I cannot imagine never to have tasted the unique and utterly delicious flavour of blackcurrant jam!
When I studied in Wales, they had black current scones at this little coffee shop in Chester that I stopped in a couple times. And in Wrexham where I stayed, down the street from Glyndwr University there was a bar that gave you a Guinness with a shot of Black Currant juice in it. I think it's purple Irish or something. Now every so often I gotta chase that dragon here in the US.
Super interesting, I grew up in Morrisburg Ontario, just on the border of the U.S. and Canada (the St. Laurence river). and my mother grew black currants in our back yard, and would make black currant jam every summer. No idea they were banned in the U.S.
My Caribbean mother always has to hunt for them here to make currant rolls. It is possible to find them but it’s a chore. Finding pre packaged black currant flavored things isn’t that hard and they sell Ribena in the grocery store but dried currants are super hard to come by.
Being that my father's British, I grew up with Ribena. It was always exciting to see my friends reaction after having tried it for the first time. Such a great flavor!
I grew up in rural Newfoundland where gooseberries and currants still grew wild and were not banned. They make great jams.
Americans not having blackcurrant in their everyday lives blew my mind. It is literally the every-day juice here, above OJ. Especially for kids. This is like when I discovered you guys don't have "fortnight" in your everyday (pre-game) vocab
I still have to google fortnight.
We get Starburst candy shipped from the UK. The black currant is in the pack there, eliminating grape. It is amazing. As is Proper Pie Co. in Richmond!!! Cool seeing a wonderful local business!
Red currants are the real tragedy, but gooseberries and black currants are missed aswell
greetings from germany, the red ones are really good to, and if you wanna try a super unique berry, try getting your hands on things made of Sanddorn its a bush i think that only grows in places near the baltic and northern sea and there are candies and ice of it, it tastes really unique
My mom used to put black currants in her homemade pumpkin bread. And I've always loved black currant tea.
I enjoyed watching you discover blackcurrants and ribena. Like the novelty of it for you was fun to watch. I grew up with blackcurrant flavoured everything here in Australia. It was always the best but sometimes you would have the risk that a black lolly was licorice/aniseed instead.
I ate a lot of blackcurrants from the bushes that grew wild in our English back garden in the 70s and early 80s. I've spent the past nearly 40 years gardenless in Paris and Tokyo, however. I still love blackcurrants and raspberries, although blueberries are much easier to find in Tokyo, and are much enjoyed.
My Polish grandfather used to grow black and red currants in his backyard here in NJ. My absolutely favorite jam/preserve! Definitely recommend it in a spread or in paczki! 😁
If you not feeling well you should try blackcurrant drink warmed up and just take small sips - so relaxing. Or even better a blackcurrant/pear/apple crumble either with hot custard or vanilla ice cream - YUM!!
Currants are actually one of the most popular berries here in the Czech Republic when it comes to growing berries in your garden, we have like 15 currant bushes, but black currants are pretty rare, we only have like 3 black currant bushes, red currants are way more popular here, but it's mindblowing for me that most Americans never had these berries that are really common here.
I got a book reminder and a recommendation for a new berry. Thank you. But I must admit that the huckleberry will always own my heart.