[Sca-cooks] currants

[Pixel, Goddess and Queen]

On Thu, 17 Jun 2010, Stefan li Rous wrote:

> Grace asked about elderberries but then asked about currants:
> <<<  I also have a huge crop of currents.  So, do I freeze the currants and use them 'fresh' for my tarts or should I be drying them? >>>
>
> currants-msg (22K) 9/ 3/08 Medieval currants. Red or black currants, not "raisins of Corinth".
> http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-FRUITS/currants-msg.html
>
> Currants show up in a lot of medieval recipes. You might also try going to the top page of the Florilegium an plug "currant" into the search engine there. That should point you to a number of other recipes.
>
> Stefan
>

Actually, Stefan, now that I re-read her message she's talking about red 
or black currants, not dried currants which are actually teeny raisins. 
Red and black currants are Ribes rubrum and Ribes nigrum respectively, 
they're in the gooseberry family.

I have a small black currant bush and a larger red currant, and I've been 
stockpiling the harvests in the freezer for a number of years now until 
there's enough to do something with since my red currants are particularly 
seedy.

We've talked about the difference between the two different fruits called 
currants on the list before, I know.

Margaret FitzWilliam