The black currant bushes in the veggie garden and orchard areas here at Struan Farm are delivering beautiful fruit this year, progressively, each day. I go out in the late afternoons to pick them, bringing along my beginner's mind. You see they hide. They are quite shy, and to gather them properly one needs to stoop and peer underneath leaves, gently move branches, and come at them from various directions. I always start picking them a bit earlier than I should, I can see that when I pour my darker, subsequent pickings into the freezer container. I need to hold myself back until they are entirely dark rather than simply purple. And often one side is ripe when the other isn't quite yet. And because they're harvested in "dribs and drabs," it's best to pop them into the freezer after picking and use them frozen for jam or baking.
Black currants are an exercise in patience, but worth it. At least to me. They are considered a "super food." There are those of the English persuasion (including noted cookbook author Nigel Slater) who spell them "blackcurrants." I just saw that Edmonds does too, while Google is all over the place. So I go back and forth too, I can't decide. But I'm happy we're able to grow them here at Struan Farm.
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