Red Currants

[Artisan]

I have not grown Red Currants before. Can anyone tell me if the fruit is sweet tasting or sour? I have seen for sale at my local garden centre the variety Rosetta. Is this a good variety to have? I hope so because it is on a clearance price!

[bario1]

It's quite sour, Artisan - not really for eating straight from the bush. Most people make redcurrant jelly out of them, but last year I made sorbet, which was delicious.

As for varieties, I couldn't say - I inherited my bush when I got my plot.

[nickdub]

I eat mine raw when I can get a few before the blackbirds do, but I'd say they'd be a bit too sour for most people. They don't crop as heavily as either gooseberries or black currants.

Perhaps buy a few to try from a shop first, before spending time and money growing them ?

[Artisan]

Thank you bario1. My problem is that I have never grown fruit before so I am at a loss as what to get. I want a selection of fruits that can be eaten as a dessert fruit straight from the bush/tree. I have now got two Blueberries, a Dwarf Raspberry, a Blackcurrent, a Dwarf Apricot, Kiwi -Jenny and two Dwarf Apple trees. I am looking to add to the above but I'm not sure what would be suitable as dessert fruits rather than fruits you would make jam etc from.

[veggiechicken]

You need more raspberries (autumn & summer) and strawberries. They're the best fruits for eating straight from the plant IMO

[nickdub]

Loganberry would be my top choice, try to find a thorn-less type - followed by gooseberries and a Tayberry - you are going to need a fair bit of room for all these, though some of them can be trained against a fence or wall.

[Jay-ell]

Red gooseberries are a good one although they rarely last long. Mine hardly made it to the car.

[Zelenina]

Plums and greengages. Gooseberries if you get a dessert variety, but I think some are more for cooking and are quite sour. Peaches. Pears. Ground cherries. Figs. Cherries. Mulberries.

[polly_ni]

Redcurrants are tart, rather than sour, and it really depends on your own taste whether you eat them from the bush. I love them and think they're perfect straight from the bush.

They are delicious with white cheese: Cheshire, Lancashire, any crumbly cheese or cream cheese or baked with Brie, Camembert - any of those melty ones. They are brilliant on cheesecake, pavlova, ice cream or gooey puds of any type. They freeze well and make great smoothies too.

I know nothing about varieties, sorry. Mine came from my granny's and I just stick the prunings into the ground for new bushes. You could say I'm a fan.

The birds love them and nets are essential.

[Artisan]

Red Currants

Thanks to everyone for the advice on soft fruits. It is appreciated.

[Snadger]

The beauty about red curants and goosegogs is that they can be grown in so many ways. The way I like to grow them is as half standards but they can be cordonised or fan trained as well as the more usual way of just letting them get on with it.

[BUFFS]

The beauty about red curants and goosegogs is that they can be grown in so many ways. The way I like to grow them is as half standards but they can be cordonised or fan trained as well as the more usual way of just letting them get on with it.

they do seem to thrive on neglect too, I can vouch for that..

[Ocelot]

I also like to eat entire sprigs of redcurrants straight from the bush.

You could try whitecurrants - like redcurrants only a bit sweeter.

[Filbert]

They do a pink variety too in some fruit catalogues which are meant to be sweet.

[burnie]

Off at a slight tangent, but on the sweet/sour/tart theme, just tried a Honeyberry, they are minging, sour and never seen honey in their life lol.