Currant: The Northern European Garden Berry
Red, black, and white currants are northern European staples. The story of these tart berries, including the famous English ban.
Currants (Ribes species โ red, white, and black) are tart small berries from northern Europe. Black currants (Ribes nigrum) are particularly prized for cassis liqueur and jam; red and white currants are more mild and used in fresh eating and preserves.
Origin and history
Red and black currants are native to northern and central Europe and northern Asia. Cultivation in northern European gardens dates to the medieval period. The British 20th-century ban on Ribes species (because of white pine blister rust) crushed the U.S. currant industry โ only recently has commercial production resumed in the U.S.
Where currants grow today
Russia, Poland, Germany, Ukraine, and the UK are major commercial producers.
How to grow currants
USDA Zones 3-7. Cool summers preferred. Low bush 1-1.5m. Self-fertile. Easy to grow but very attractive to birds.
Bottom line
Cold-climate gardeners โ currants give you intense-flavored fruit that simply does not exist in supermarkets. Plant Ben Sarek (black) and Red Lake (red).