Redcurrant (Ribes rubrum)

General info about Fruit

The Redcurrant (Ribes rubrum) is a member of the genus Ribes in the gooseberry family Grossulariaceae, native to parts of western Europe (France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, and northern Italy). It is a deciduous shrub normally growing to 1-1.5 m tall, occasionally 2 m, with five-lobed leaves arranged spirally on the stems. The flowers are inconspicuous yellow-green, in pendulous 4-8 cm racemes, maturing into bright red translucent edible berries about 8-12 mm diameter, with 3-10 berries on each raceme.
According to the “Orbis Naturführer” (Orbis Verlag, Munich, 2000), while Ribes rubrum and R. nigrum are native to northern and eastern Europe, large berried cultivars of the redcurrant were first produced in Belgium and northern France in the 1600s. In modern times, numerous cultivars have been selected; some of these have escaped gardens and can be found in the wild across Europe and extending into Asia.

Ways to prepare and serve the Fruit

Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Fruit.
Fruit - raw or cooked. A pleasant acid flavour, it can be eaten out of hand but is more often cooked in pies, jams etc. There are rather a lot of seeds in each fruit.

Health Benefits and Warnings of eating Fruit

Medicinal Uses
Antirheumatic; Antiscorbutic; Aperient; Poultice; Refrigerant; Sialagogue.
The fruit is antiscorbutic, aperient, depurative, digestive, diuretic, laxative, refrigerant and sialagogue. The leaves contain the toxin hydrogen cyanide. A concoction of them is used externally to relieve rheumatic symptoms. They are also used in poultices to relieve sprains or reduce the pain of dislocations.
Other Uses
Cosmetic; Dye.
A yellow dye is obtained from the leaves[100]. A black dye is obtained from the fruit. The fruit is used cosmetically in face-masks for firming up tired and lifeless skin.

Classification

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Order: Saxifragales

Family: Grossulariaceae

Genus: Ribes

Species: R. rubrum
Binomial name
Ribes rubrum

Recipes made mainly with this Fruit

Redcurrant fruit is slighty more sour than its relative the blackcurrant, and is cultivated mainly for jams and cooked dishes, rather than for eating raw. For example, in Scandinavia it is often used in fruit soups and summer puddings, and in Germany it is also used in combination with custard or meringue as a filling for tarts.
Although blackcurrant is more traditionally associated with medicinal uses, English and German language herbalist sources consider redcurrant berries to have fever-reducing, sweat-inducing, menstrual-flow inducing, mildly laxative, astringent, appetite increasing, blood cleansing, diuretic and digestive properties. Some of these proposed effects are probable, due to the verified high levels of vitamin C, fruit acids, and fiber the berries contain. Tea made from dried redcurrant leaves is said to ease the symptoms of gout and rheumatism, be useful in compresses for poorly healing wounds, and as a gargling solution for mouth infections

it is discussed here where can we pick red currant and how does it grow…

youtube.com/watch?v=gLC6HTjHzpg

This video has no explanation in it but it is nice to watch because you can see bunch of red currants really fresh and yummy… :smiley:

youtube.com/watch?v=7u0B-nF- … re=related

Dan shares with us how he pick some red currant that he grow on his own. He also shared what else we can do with this currant not only its berry but also its leaves. Some benefits was also shared.

youtube.com/watch?v=lO02J-vT … re=related

this video shows us how to clean red currant without getting them wet… with just some aid of a towel and a tray then they are ready for a good freezing…

youtube.com/watch?v=d-7tVKicXXg