Currant-ly

We have been harvesting quite a lot of these little red and black jewels lately. They look like little gems, don't they, hanging so succulently from the branches. These are another plant I'd never grown before but red and black currants are something I'm going to have to get used to using in the kitchen. When we lived in a warmer climate we grew guavas, citrus and kiwi fruits, pepino, watermelons and passionfruit. The cooler climate here in Tasmania means a whole new range of culinary delights but also a steep learning curve both in the growing of them and cooking them! 

I prefer to feed my family most of their fruit in fresh format. I can't see the sense in cooking up vital enzymes and vitamins and then adding sugar to the denatured mix, so I try to use fruit as fresh as possible. Sometimes, though, it's just not possible...... and these tiny treasures have vexed me greatly. 

The children will eat the red currants fresh from the bush if they are very very ripe but the black ones are not to their taste so I tried to find some way of cooking them without losing too much of the good bits! Unfortunately, they are just as tangy cooked as raw, so in went the ubiquitous sugar - loads of it actually! We had blackcurrant fool, blackcurrant topping on yoghurt and the most exciting of all (for my cordial deprived children at least), was the cordial. It even smelt like the Ribena I had as a child! 

Next season I'd like to have a bit more of an idea how to use currants - maybe with honey? or perhaps they freeze well? Any ideas/recipes would be greatly appreciated. 

   

I also think next year I'll use the red currant pic as my header for the Christmas season - it does remind me very much of a summery version of holly!