Ribes nigrum

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit, Leaves - tea, Seeds - oil, Twigs - flavouring

The fruit has an excellent aromatic flavour and is about 10mm in diameter, though selected cultivars produce larger berries. Fully ripe fruit is very good eaten raw, but it is more commonly cooked into pies, jams, and similar preparations. It is very rich in vitamin C. The leaves can be added to soups, and when dried they make a tea substitute or can be blended into herb teas.

Where to Find It

It needs a cool temperate climate. It can stand moderate frosts. It requires constant moisture. In the Himalayas it grows between 2,300-4,300 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 5-9.

Armenia, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Austria, Balkans, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Europe, Falklands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Himalayas, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mediterranean, Moldova, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, North America, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Scandinavia, Serbia, Siberia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, Ukraine, USA, Yugoslavia,

How to Identify

A small shrub. It grows 2 m high and spreads 1.8 m wide. It loses its leaves during the year. It grows as a group of canes. The young stems are downy. The leaves have 3-5 lobes. These are downy underneath. The flowers are yellow-green with red centres. They hang down and are downy. The fruit hang in loose bunches.

Nutrition Score: 38/100

How to Grow

Easily grown in a moisture retentive but well-drained loamy soil of at least moderate quality. Best grown on a deep sandy loam. Dislikes very heavy clay, chalky soils and thin dry soils, but it can succeed on most soil types if plenty of organic matter is incorporated. Plants require plenty of nitrogen if they are to do well. Prefers a pH in the range 6.7 to 7 and is intolerant of acid soils. Plants are quite tolerant of shade though do not fruit so well in such a position. Plants fruit less freely when grown in windy sites. The plant is hardy to about -20°c, though flowers are damaged at -1°c. Blackcurrants are widely cultivated in temperate areas for their edible fruit, there are many named varieties. Most fruit is produced on one year old wood. Pruning usually consists of removing about a third of all the stems from just above ground level in the autumn. The oldest stems with least new growth are removed since these will be the poorest fruiters. The plant is able to make new growth from the base of the removed stems and, if the plants are well fed, this growth is very vigorous and will fruit heavily the following year. The flowers can self-fertilize but many cultivars fruit better with insect pollination. Plants can harbour a stage of 'white pine blister rust', so they should not be grown in the vicinity of pine trees. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. Currants are usually harvested in mid to late summer, from June to August (Northern Hemisphere), depending on the species and local climate. Ribes species generally flower in spring, around April to June (Northern Hemisphere), with flowering occurring before or as the leaves emerge. Currant plants are relatively fast-growing, reaching maturity in about 2 to 3 years. They typically grow to 1 to 2 meters (3 to 6 feet) and can be quite productive. Most Ribes species, including black, red, and white currants, are self-fertile, meaning they can produce fruit without needing cross-pollination. However, cross-pollination with another Ribes plant can improve fruiting.

Propagation: Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 3 months of cold stratification at 0–5°c and should be sown as early in the year as possible. Under normal storage conditions seed can remain viable for 17 years or more. Prick out seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle, grow on in a cold frame through their first winter, then plant out in late spring the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 10–15cm with a heel, taken July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, preferably with a heel of the previous year's growth, taken November to February in a cold frame or sheltered bed outdoors.

Medicinal Uses

Blackcurrant fruits are a good source of minerals and vitamins, particularly vitamin C. They have diuretic and diaphoretic actions, help increase the body's resistance to infections, and are a valuable remedy for colds and flu. The fresh or vacuum-sealed juice helps stem diarrhoea and calm indigestion. The leaves are cleansing, diaphoretic, and diuretic; by encouraging fluid elimination they help reduce blood volume and lower blood pressure. An infusion of the leaves is used to treat dropsy, rheumatic pain, and whooping cough, and can be applied externally to slow-healing cuts and abscesses. It can also be used as a gargle for sore throats and mouth ulcers. Leaves are harvested during the growing season and can be used fresh or dried. An infusion of the leaves is believed to increase cortisol secretion by the adrenal glands, stimulating the sympathetic nervous system, which may be useful in treating stress-related conditions. An infusion of the young roots is useful for eruptive fevers. A decoction of the bark has been found helpful in treating calculus, dropsy, and haemorrhoidal tumours. The seed is a source of gamma-linolenic acid, an unsaturated fatty acid that assists the production of hormone-like substances — a process commonly blocked in the body, causing disorders affecting uterine muscles, the nervous system, and metabolism.

Other Uses

The oil from the seed is added to skin preparations and cosmetics, and is often combined with vitamin E to prevent oxidation. A yellow dye is obtained from the leaves, and a blue or violet dye from the fruit. The leaves are used for vegetable preservation. Currants can be used in agroforestry systems as a shrub layer in mixed-species plantings, where they attract pollinators and beneficial insects and their dense growth provides habitat and shelter for wildlife. The flowers are rich in nectar and pollen, attracting bees and other beneficial insects. The berries are a food source for birds and small mammals, and the dense shrubs offer cover, shelter, and nesting sites for birds. Leaf litter and dense growth provide overwintering sites and shelter for invertebrates.

Ribes nigrum is a fast-growing deciduous shrub reaching 1.8 m tall. Foliage present March to November; flowers April to May with seeds ripening July to August. Hardy to UK zone 5, self-fertile with hermaphroditic bee-pollinated flowers. Attracts wildlife readily. Grows in light, medium, or heavy well-drained soils across mildly acid to basic pH ranges. Tolerates semi-shade or full sun and prefers moist soil.

Production

Plants fruit 2 years after planting.

Other Information

About half a million tons of fruit per year are produced worldwide. It is cultivated.

Notes

The fruit are rich in Vit C. There are about 150 Ribes species.

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