Currants are the cousins of gooseberries, but without the thorns and they grow prolifically on healthy bushes. Whether picking black, red or white currants, the method is the same. Follow these simple instructions to get at these juicy gems for your next batch of currant wine or jelly. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Do not judge how many berries are ready on a currant bush by looking at it. The currants are hiding under the branches and leaves.
2. Pick the currant bush by starting at the top of the bush where the ripest berries are and working your way down. Picking in the reverse is fine too.
3. Lift a branch of the currant bush carefully by grabbing the end of it with your non-picking hand and lifting up.
4. Look underneath the branch for the ripe berries hanging in clusters.
5. Use your other hand to grasp the berries gently by the fingers, picking off the soft currant without squeezing them and dropping them into the palm of the same hand.
6. Place the currants into a bowl or bucket so you do not drop them on the ground (currants roll) and repeat.
7. Tug at the currants carefully but do not force them from the stem. Unripe currants tend to come off as entire clusters.
8. Pick the entire bush, working your way around the bush in circles as your work your way down, like hanging Christmas lights on a tree.
9. Get down on the ground and even lay on your back to pick the berries from the branches at the bottom of the bush. The berries grow from the tip of the currant bush branch all the way down to the trunk.
10. Expect a healthy, established currant bush to yield almost a gallon of picked berries per bush.
11. Use your picked currants fresh in salads, make jelly, currant pies, currant wine or freeze for use later in the year.
Tags: currant bush, currant wine, working your, your down