What to do with a 1/2 tonne of blackcurrants?

[Lee Winger]

Personally I'd take a majority of them to my largest local Sikh temple, larger Sikh temples feed people for free regardless of cast, religion, race or financial status day in day out. In big UK citys you'll find all types of people having a free dinner, you can make a donation. The ones in London are a lifeline for the homeless and destitute. All the food is supplied and cooked through donations of time and ingredients.

[difflock]

Lee,

The wife has given an inordinate amount of Jam away over this past 5 years, and the sugar and (some of) the jars arnt/wernt free! (About £0.40 per pot for the Pallet of pots I bought)

Essentially randomly to delivery men, tradesmen etc.

Plus random acquaintences/friends at work.

Plus neighbours.

 

Like that about the Sikh temples though Lee, a very good idea.

 

Re the photograph of the hybrid, no Macro facilityon my wee camera (brill in other respects though), but I will try Peasgood.

 

cheers

 

marcus

[scbk]

Blackcurrant/gooseberry cross = Jostaberry

[bobh]

Blackcurrant/gooseberry cross = Jostaberry

 

Just been informed by the other half that we have jostaberries in the garden

[difflock]

Peasgood,

Photos no work.

But, It is the sum of few things;

(i) Hybrid? fruit body still green and rockhard, ALL other blackcurrants ripe/very ripe.

(ii) This at the very top of the stem, where the fruit is ripest.

(iii) Growth habit is different, fruitbody sticking straight up on a short stem, not dangling like the blackcurrants.

(iv) Plus it looks more like a bloody gooseberry, ovid in shape and stripey.

cheers

marcus

[StephF]

Would be great if you could put up the quantities, we've got a glut coming as well.

BTW if you've got a plan for courgette as well that would be great 😁

 

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Sorry I have not replied to this! You may not have any blackcurrants by now. but frozen ones work as well, recipe for cordial:

(Recipe from very old Book but works well and keeps)

crush fruit, can use a fruit press, I just mashed them up.

Allow to drain in a scalded (pillow case) jelly bag over night.

Add 3/4 1b sugar (sorry recipe only in lbs & ozs) per 1 pint juice

Stir until dissolved completely.

Pour into clean bottles to 1.5 inches of top, dont screw tops on just place on top.

Stand bottles in a very large pan, I put newspaper on bottom to protect bottles. Fill to necks with hot water.

Bring water to 170 deg farenheight and keep for 30 mins to pasturise the contents.

Remove bottles and screw tops on tightly as soon as possible.

 

This is amazing and tastes better than Ribena, keeps for a long time as well. dilute with water soda etc to taste.

Raise temperature to 170deg farenheight

 

there are loads of recipes for Cassis on internet, I just crushed berries, marintated in vodka 2-3 months. strained, added sugar and bottled.

[difflock]

Well we got the harvest finished on Sunday past, the Mrs. picked the last sandbag full (about 8 to 8.5 kg worth) the poorer fruit, over or underipe was left with the striggs on for juicing.

The better fruit is all single berry clean.

AND,

Bloody hell, was quite astounded at the poor showing of blackcurrants at RHS at Tatton today.

Ours would easily have taken a prize.

On the other hand, cherries, read and white currants, never mind goodeberries whos mothers OBVIOUSLY got knocked up by a daddy Melon.

were all ASTOUNDING, by owt I have seen eleswhere.

Oh and blackberries the size of a mans fat thumb.

but not the blackcurrants!!

Poxy small by ourn standards.

cheers

m

[Eddy_t]

Ca?

My understanding was the gooseberry had fertilized these 3 blackcurrant flowers.

Hence the hybrid fruit.

Need to get the hybrid seeds to germinate, to see what fruit (if any) they in turn produce.

cheers

m

 

 

You can't get hybrid fruit unless the plant itself is a hybrid, the fruit is produced by the parent plant and has no influence from the pollinator, only the seeds do. But remember, plants hybridise a lot more readily than animals, and generally are fertile.

The blackberry/raspberry crosses are confusing enough!

 

 

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