Blackcurrants

RAS

Hi

Americans call alcoholic fruit drinks cordials. I have a harvest book at home and will try and bring a European cordial recipre tomorrow. You have to bottle and then sterilise in a hot water bath and they keep.

kazwookie

See if anyone has a freezer on your local freecycle, or your neighbours have a spare one you can borrow, till yours is fixed

floyd

How about fruit leather, not sure how long it keeps but I would expect to get a good few weeks out of it http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_fruit_leather/

safesound

Out of interest Rhiwfield, how do you keep the birds from stealing your blackcurrants? I have three bushes but although they crop heavily they always seem to get eaten by the birds while still green. I think I have about ten berries left this year.. which is an improvement over last year when I had none.

Trishh_2

You could net your fruit to keep the birds from munching it
I have a cat so birds tend to give mine a wide berth .... though I do have to net the veg beds to keep the cat from scratching about in there :rotfl:

champys

Where I live in France, all my neighbours make 'creme de cassis' with their blackcurrants. My bushes have only just started producing, so I didn't have enough to make any myself yet - one of the ladies has promised to give me her recipe, but I haven't got it yet so can't share it! However you should be able to Google a recipe for this no problem. It is a liqueur-type thing, but not very strong as you make it with blackcurrants, red wine and sugar. It keeps very well indeed in bottles - no freezer required. To consume, put a little in a glass and top up with dry white wine, cider, lemonade - or, the best one, champagne or sparkling wine for a 'kir royal'. If you'd like to make it and cannot find a recipe on-line, just PM me and I'll ask my neighbour again.

rhiwfield

safesound wrote: »

Out of interest Rhiwfield, how do you keep the birds from stealing your blackcurrants? I have three bushes but although they crop heavily they always seem to get eaten by the birds while still green. I think I have about ten berries left this year.. which is an improvement over last year when I had none.

Our bushes are netted as soon as the blackbirds start to take an interest in the ripening fruit. We've only got 2 productive bushes but even with wastage we should get about 12 kg so well worth while!

rhiwfield

champys wrote: »

Where I live in France, all my neighbours make 'creme de cassis' with their blackcurrants. My bushes have only just started producing, so I didn't have enough to make any myself yet - one of the ladies has promised to give me her recipe, but I haven't got it yet so can't share it! However you should be able to Google a recipe for this no problem. It is a liqueur-type thing, but not very strong as you make it with blackcurrants, red wine and sugar. It keeps very well indeed in bottles - no freezer required. To consume, put a little in a glass and top up with dry white wine, cider, lemonade - or, the best one, champagne or sparkling wine for a 'kir royal'. If you'd like to make it and cannot find a recipe on-line, just PM me and I'll ask my neighbour again.

Champys, the recipe I have for cassis has brandy instead of red wine, I'd be very interested in a recipe that used red wine instead, so please ask your neighbour, thanks, rhiwfield

brownhandbag

My Cassis recipe goes like this:

1 1/2 lb blackcurrants
2 pints red wine
1/2 pint brandy
2 lb caster sugar

wash currants (no need to top n tail) and crush with a potato masher in a large bowl. Pour over wine and cover. Leave for two days.

Press mixture through a sieve into a large pan. Add sugar and bring to boil stirring . Simmer for 5 mins. Cool, strain again and add brandy.

Pour into bottles and cork.

I use beer bottles as this is not cheap and then use as xmas pressies.
Proper grown up ribena that is also fab for a sore throat!

touch*my*food*feel*myfork

a quick question please
I picked my blackcurrants and was hoping to make jam, but they still have the little brown bit in the ends that was attached to the branch, do i have to sit and remove all these beforehand ? (i can see that being very messy - lol)
many thanks