the hardest thing to pick: blackcurrants

[sarraceniac]

I just got in from the soft fruit garden (you know, that row of currants against the greenhouse). I am bleeding from both paws and aching in every limb. My dessert gooseberries were (at last) luscious and red and succulent. I had to fight through thorns for every one of them. Guess where my vote goes?

[rustylady]

Fiddly little things, blackcurrants.

I tried picking off a bunch at a time, they weren't coming. Lots got squashed.

I could cut off each stem, but then you've still got to separate stalky bit from berry somehow

I guess I need a proper tool. Something like this

Do what I do - use a pair of scissors and cut off the whole strig. Take them home, run or soak in cold water to get rid of the bugs. Use a fork to strip the berries off the stems. Easy peasy!!!

[BarleySugar]

All my blackcurrants go into jam, so I usually pick them with the strigs on, wash and cook. Then I sieve the whole lot to get out pips and strigs. It didn't work this year though, because there were tiny aphids on the strigs. I picked as usual, a back breaking job, then had to de-strig (?) each one, and wash carefully. After all that, they went into the freezer. I'll be making the jam later, maybe when the blackberries come into season, so the currants set a mixed fruit one.

[Jennyp19]

Am I reading the pruning right, cut off the banches that have had fruit on this year, and just keep new growth?

[gojiberry]

Only have a couple of redcurrant bushes. The stalks of fruit came away from the bush quite easily but it was them a little more difficult to separate the berries from the stalks. I wanted to make jam and leave the berries in so I neede to make sure all the stalk was removed. Wish I hadn't bothered as I didn't realise just how big and hard the pips in redcurrants are. Don't know how much difference there is to blackcurrants. Next year it will definitely be redcurrant jelly.

Ian

[Tam]

If you cut off the fruiting canes when the fruit is ripe it gives the new wood a better chance to ripen and so keep the productivity going. Blackcurrants fruit on year old wood (unlike gooseberries and redcurrants) - you may find fruit on older wood, but lf you keep renewing the bush you will find it gives much higher yields. If you are planting a new blackcurrant, make sure you plant it really deeply so that it can throw up plenty of new canes from ground level.

[chris]

Bit of a bump...

anyone tried those berry picker scoop thingy-ma-jigs?



Did my head in last night.. spent probably a couple of hours picking blackcurrants off 3 bushes (grown in a triangle arrangement, all over grown - grr!).. I did drop a load, unable to get to them and squashed a load too as above.

[taff]

i'm with rustylady, a fork and a bowl

[Aberdeenplotter]

I grow Ben Connan which has very big berries which are easier to pick. With a heavy harvest, even these are a trial if like me you have half a dozen bushes.

[BUFFS]

picked mine last week,one at a time,but i only have 4 mature plants(6 young ones will boost next years crop),wife blitzed them and made homemade ice ceam with them,now that does make it all worthwhile,and much more fruit in it than shopbought,filled 6 ice cream tubs...lovely,but they are a pain in the butt to pick....

[chris]

Looks like it'll be a job for the little one when she's old enough then

You kept me awake all those nights, NOW PICK!

[BUFFS]

but dont make her count them,she will pick 3 and eat the rest if anything like our lot....

[chris]

Indeed, she happily eats them raw - they taste foul raw in my opinion!

[Hans Mum]

ive got one of those Chris, cant tell you if it works cause bladdy pigeons got every single currant this year, they got through my old nets somehow i'll let yoiu know next year