What do Black, Red and White Currants, Gooseberries, Jostaberries and Worcesterberries have in common? For a start, they all belong to the same botanical family Grossulariaceae, of the genus RIBES. All of them are deciduous, producing edible fruit and provide an excellent source of Vitamin C and Pectin. They are native throughout the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, don’t grow very big and are easily grown in small suburban gardens.
WHO ARE THEY?
Black Currant (Ribes nigrum) is the most widely grown for culinary and medicinal use. Its leaves have a characteristic scent that is lacking in the other varieties; and the essential oils that create this scent have medicinal properties of their own.
Ribes rubrum includes both Red Currant and its albino variant White Currant. During the 1600s CE, large-berried cultivars of both Ribes nigrum and Ribes rubrum were developed in Belgium and France, which produced the ancestors of the popular varieties grown today. These Ribes Currants should not be confused with the dried “Currants” used in cakes that come from a small-fruited cultivar of GRAPE!
Gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa) is a thorny shrub native to the cooler regions of Europe.
In contrast, the Worcesterberry is a form of the North American species “Ribes Divaricatum”, which is more thorny and vigorous than its European cousin, making it a good hedging plant. Another difference between the two is the size and colour of the fruit. The European Gooseberry has large, green often “hairy” or “prickly” fruit that grow in bunches, whereas the Worcesterberry’s fruit is much smaller, borne singly instead of bunches, and turn a dull-black colour when ripe. It was originally believed that Worcesterberry was a hybrid cross between the cousins Black Currant and European Gooseberry but in fact it is Jostaberry that is the cultivated hybrid cross, producing a thornless, pest and disease-free bush with fruit similar in size and colour to Worcesterberry. The fruit of Jostaberry have the smoothness and darkness of their Black Currant parent but are not heavy croppers like its Gooseberry parent.
WHAT DO THEY DO?
Thanks to the commercial drinks’ brand “Ribena”, most people know about the high Vitamin C content in Black Currants. However, both Red and White Currants, and the various Gooseberry types, are also rich in Vitamin C, as well as other valuable constituents, such as Pectin.
Pectin is a structural heteropolysaccharide contained in the primary cell walls of terrestrial plants. Its name comes from the Ancient Greek word pektikos, meaning “congealed or curdled”, which describes its function as a setting agent in jams and jellies. It is also a natural part of the human diet, helping to break stuff down, rather than being nutritious. In human digestion, Pectin binds to cholesterol in the gastrointestinal tract and slows glucose absorption by trapping carbohydrates, making it a soluble dietary fibre. So, consumption of Pectin reduces blood cholesterol levels by increasing the viscosity in the intestinal tract, leading to a reduced absorption of cholesterol from bile or food. Not only that but in the large intestine and colon, micro-organisms degrade pectin and liberate short-chain fatty acids that have a POSITIVE influence on health (prebiotic effect). Pectin products have long been used in commercial medicines to combat diarrhoea and to soften stools in constipation. It can gently remove heavy metal from biological systems and has even been added to the food of the inhabitants in the Chernobyl-contaminated regions of Ukraine, promoting effective excretion of incorporated radionuclides! The FAO / WHO Expert Committee Report on Food Additives considers Pectin to be safe, as does the European Union.
THE MEDICINAL CURRANT
The ROOTS and SEEDS of the three different varieties of Currant (Black, Red and White) are high in gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA), which has been clinically verified as an effective treatment for pre-menstrual syndrome. The SEEDS also assist the production of prostaglandins that control blood pressure and regulate metabolism.
However, it is specifically BLACK CURRANT (Ribes nigrum) that has been used in traditional folk medicine for millennia. The Native American Blackfoot Indians used Blackcurrant Root of Ribes hudsonianum for the treatment of kidney diseases and menstrual and menopausal problems; while the Cree Indians used the fruit of Ribes glandulosum as a fertility enhancer to help women become pregnant.
Despite its traditional reputation for being an herbal healer, Black Currant is not usually included in modern herbals that prefer to concentrate on hedgerow plants. Of course, Black Currant is CULTIVATED in the Kitchen Garden and is often classed as culinary rather than medicinal. In fact it is BOTH! “The Kitchen Pharmacy” book writes that Blackcurrants, like Bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillis), are perfect for what the Chinese call, “too little Yin”! It is used to reduce fevers, where there is heat, redness and thirst. As we already know, Blackcurrants moisten and cleanse the intestines, inhibiting harmful bacteria that cause putrefaction and inflammation (heat again) in the digestive tract. Black Currant LEAVES, made into tea, have a cool dry action on red, painful and swollen joints caused by rheumatism. The tea is also mildly diuretic.
Bartram’s Encyclopaedia of Herbal Medicine accredits both the leaves and fruit of Ribes nigrum as a mild febrifuge, astringent, diuretic, anti-rheumatic; anti-inflammatory for rheumatic disorders and gout; a nerve tonic; hypotensor, mild-antispasmodic; cooling; capillary fragility; irritable bowl; renal calculi; oliguria; renal colic……….
Juliette de Baϊracli Levy writes how the aromatic leaves of Black Currant are almost as medicinal as the fruit! She says that Black Currant berries are refrigerant and anodyne. Both leaves and fruit are celebrated for their action upon inflamed areas of the throat and mouth (hence the old-fashioned black-currant lozenges bought in the chemist that I remember as a child!) and are helpful in fevers. Leaves and Fruit relieve bladder ailments, anaemia and dysentery. Above all, they are an important aid against miscarriage and are an acknowledged general tonic in pregnancy for both humans and animals! I remember feeding our in-kid goats with blackcurrant leaves for this very reason!
Juliette also mentions Red Currant (Ribes rubrum) as being more laxative and cooling than Black Currant. However, it does not share the Black Currant’s anti-abortive or throat-soothing properties. Only the Red Currant BERRIES are used, not the leaves, which don’t have the aromatic scent. Red Currant Berries treat blood disorders (well, they are the same colour as blood, aren’t they?), fevers, constipation and jaundice, effective for both humans and animals.
RECIPES
There are plenty of regular recipes available for Black, Red and White Currants and Gooseberry types. They include puddings, jams, jellies, purees, non-alcoholic drinks, wines and vinegars, all readily available in books and on-line. So, what I am sharing here is the less-well-known kind of recipes. Remember that ALL currant and gooseberry varieties need to be topped and tailed before use, unless they are going to be sieved after cooking. These fruits are also delicious raw when very ripe. Use as garnish too!
BLACK CURRANT LEAF TEA: (very refreshing!) Use one ounce of black currant leaves to one pint of boiling water. Infuse for 15 minutes and then strain off and keep the liquid. Drink one cup a time throughout the day, especially during the early stages of fever. You can also use the tea as a gargle for sore throats.
SUGARLESS BLACK CURRANT JAM:
stew your prepared Black Currants in the minimum amount of water until very tender. Measure, then return to the pan and add the same volume of APPLE JUICE CONCENTRATE (preferably home-made) and the juice of one lemon. Boil the mix until a teaspoon of the mixture sets when chilled in the freezer for a few minutes. When ready, bottle into sterilised jars with covers and keep in the fridge as it has no preserving agent (sugar).
Because Currants and Gooseberries contain both acid and pectin, they are ideal for mixing with other fruits that have very little of either, such as Raspberries, Rhubarb, and Strawberries. You can either make a mixed-fruit jam or jelly, or you can add Red-Currant / White Currant / Gooseberry JUICE to a recipe instead of ordinary water.
For instance, here’s a recipe for Strawberry Jam:
4 lbs Strawberries; 4 lb sugar; no water BUT half pint red currant or gooseberry juice.
Simmer the strawberries carefully (without any liquid), stirring frequently. When the strawberries are soft (but NOT mashed down and colourless), add the sugar and fruit juice, stirring well to dissolve the sugar. Then boil rapidly to setting but not fast. You will know when it is set by putting a teaspoon of the mix on a cold saucer in the freezer for a few minutes and if a “skin” forms, then the jam is ready. You can also tell by the back of the wooden spoon you use to stir the jam: if the liquid has “set” to a coating, then it’s ready! Have pre-sterilised jars and lids standing by. For this jam, you need to wait until it is practically cold before potting to ensure an even distribution of whole strawberry fruit. Enjoy!
TO MAKE THE JUICE:
RED CURRANT JUICE: wash 4 lb ripe red currants on the stalk (white currants can be used partially but will lead to a lighter pink colour). Place them in a pan with 1 pint of water and simmer gently until the currants have broken down and mashed. (You can make a more concentrated Red Currant juice by excluding the water and cooking very slowly so that it does not burn.) With either method, once the currants are cooked, strain them through a jelly bag, which has been previously soaked in boiling water and rung out (this soaking not only sterilises the bag but also encourages the juice to percolate through). Straining may take several hours, or even overnight, to retrieve maximum juice. Once cool, measure the juice into half pint or one pint lots to freeze until needed. Remember to thaw out the blocks completely and reheat BEFORE adding to your mixed fruit jam.
GOOSEBERRY JUICE: There’s no need to top and tail the gooseberries for this recipe. Put 4 lbs of washed gooseberries into a pan with 2 pints of water, bring to the boil and simmer gently until the fruit has broken down and mashed. Strain them through the sterilised jelly bag as for Red Currants. Once the juice is cool, measure it into half pint or one pint lots to freeze until needed.
FROM JUICE TO JELLY:
You can use the above recipes to convert the full quantity of strained juice into jelly.
With the Gooseberry Juice, measure it before adding back to the pan, and for each 1 pint of juice, measure 1 lb of sugar.
With the Red Currant / White Currant Juice, measure it before adding back to the pan, and for each 1 pint of juice measure 1¼ lb of sugar.
METHOD FOR BOTH: Leave the sugar standing in a basin, while you reboil the juice in a large preserving pan (it’s safer to use a pan that’s too big than one that is too small and could over boil and scald you). Once the juice is hot enough, add the sugar and stir constantly until the sugar has completely dissolved. Now boil the juice and sugar mix rapidly. The setting point will be reached more quickly than with jam. When it starts getting thick and syrupy, place a small amount of liquid onto a chilled saucer, place in the deepfreeze for about 10 minutes and then test to see if it “wrinkles”, when you tip the saucer. Also, the back of the wooden spoon that you are using to stir the jam should start to coat and wrinkle. Once set, pot the jelly immediately into sterilised, pre-heated jam jars. Fill right to the top. Cover the surface with waxed jam disks and seal tight at once. As the jelly cools, it creates its own vacuum seal. Make sure not to tilt the jars during cooling as this will spoil the surface.
SYRUP VERSUS JELLY!
During my 40 years of preserve-making, I have found that jellies tend to keep much better than syrups. Jelly does the job just as well as syrup, too! All you need do is to put a teaspoonful of jelly into a cup, pour over boiling water, stir, and you have the same kind of medicinal drink as syrup. You can also administer the jelly on bread or in a pudding, a fun way to get Vitamin C into the little ones!
MEDICINAL BLACKCURRANT JELLY: You need 4 lbs of washed fruit still on their stalks and 2 ½ pints of water. Cook the fruit using the same method as for the Red Currant / Gooseberry Juices. When the Black Currants are cooked down and mashed, strain the brew through the prepared jelly bag and measure the resulting liquid. For each pint of juice, measure 1 lb of sugar. Follow the instructions for the Red Currant / Gooseberry Jellies. Always have a jar of this Black Currant Jelly ready for the winter months, to relieve colds, flu and sore throats and to boost your immune system with Vitamin C! Enjoy!
Author: Veronica Smith originally published on 28th July 2016.
REFERENCES:
“The Kitchen Pharmacy” by Rose Elliot and Carlo de Paoli; published in 1994 by Tiger Books International plc, London. ISBN: 1 85501 584 6.
“The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable” by Juliette de Baϊracli Levy; published by Faber & Faber London; paperback edition of 1984; ISBN: 0-571-13205-7
“Bartram’s Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine” by Thomas Bartram; published by Constable & Robinson Ltd. Of London; paperback edition of 1998; ISBN: 978-1-85487-586-0
WIKIPEDIA articles on:
Ribes; Redcurrant; Gooseberry; Pectin.
The Royal Horticultural Society publication “Growing Fruit”, by Harry Black with Editor-in-Chief, Christopher Brickell; published by Bounty Books, London; 2004 edition; ISBN 0-7537-1185-0.
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