First watch in early spring as green leaves unfurl from what looks like a dead twig stuck in the ground. Water well if Mother Nature decides not to bother and add a suitable feed to boost production.
Step back in amazement as not only does the dead twig seem to be alive after all but by mid June it is fully clothed in leaves and adorned with racemes of tiny flowers. It cannot be denied that I've seen more colourful flowers, but they have a charm all of their berry own. (see what I did there?)
Pour pan contents into a jelly bag to drain overnight. Measure volume of liquid obtained and add sugar (450g sugar per 600ml juice).
Start over a low heat, then increase heat skimming any surface scum as you go. Check for setting after reaching jam point (a quick internet search will give you this info if you're unsure). Add resulting tiny amount of jelly to a sterilised jar and once set, proudly display to anyone who passes by. Ignore husband's first comment of, 'Is that it?'
We use ours to make a compote which we freeze to serve with porridge and yoghurt. The bees love the tiny flowers in spite of them being almost insignificant to humans
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll try compote next year - at least then we get the benefit of eating the fruit pulp as well.
DeleteI'm hoping to focus more on growing fruit in the future. I like your last couple of sentences in your post!
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying having permanent fruit bushes as well as all my annual veg and herbs. Less maintenance and (fingers crossed) the harvest should rise as the plant matures.
DeleteYum, I love redcurrants! I've got loads left on my plant too. I like to make redcurrant cheesecake and like Sue I love them with porridge and yoghurt. I make a cheat's compote - 20 seconds in the microwave with a pinch of sugar! Works a treat :)
ReplyDeleteRedcurrant cheesecake sounds fabulous. I'd imagine it's a lovely contrast between sweet cheesy filling and slightly sharp berry topping. Not to mention the striking colour difference.
DeleteHilarious! It does sometimes seem a lot of work for just a jar or two at the end - I make rosehip cordial and jelly and that takes hours of picking and cleaning before we get round to the actual cooking! I had a small handful of redcurrant strings this year, hoping for lots more next year but would love to know: do you cut your redcurrant bush back? Not sure how much pruning I should inflict on mine! Caro x
ReplyDeleteCaro, I tried to keep a cheery look on my face that said, 'yes, that's what I was expecting', when in all honesty I was a little disappointed myself... I was wondering the same thing about pruning myself as it's now about 3 or 4 years old. My trusty RHS pruning book says prune in winter as late as possible before bud burst. For formative training (1-4 yr old bushes): shorten by half, all new shoots on existing branches. On established bushes (with a framework of strong branches), prune to one bud, all shoots that grew in the previous growing season. This is in addition to pruning dead, diseased and dying branches out as well as anything growing in the wrong directions, crossing or congesting the centre. Always to an outward facing bud. Will add this to my winter to do list!
Delete