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Blackcurrant harvesting
emmalou
Posts: 8
in Fruit & veg
We have a garden with some blackcurrant bushes but do not know the variety. They are 50% ripened but when we taste the black ones they taste sour. Are they not ready? I don't want them to overipen then lose them. Thanks
0
Posts
Where are you?. i generally reckon here in the Midlands, I pick blackcurrants mid July. They are then sweet enough to eat raw. You may need to net them to keep the blackbirds off.
Blackcurrants are quite sour, even when ripe which is why they are eaten cooked in crumbles, pies, jams or made into cordials, liqueurs and vinegars which all have added sugar.
When all the fruit on one stem are a deep, black/purple, remove the whole branch and then sit in comfort and pick them off at your leisure on the lawn or terrace - outside to avoid stains indoors. This makes harvesting the fruit a lot easier and automatically prunes out the old wood leaving fresh stems to mature and produce fruit next year.
Thank you both that is great. Do you mean just prune the very small stems that hold the fruit? When do I prune back the whole stem, leaves and all please?
The whole stem, right back to the base, emmalou.
Thanks Bob