Blackcurrents were banned by the US Department of Agriculture because they carried the white pine blister rust disease. This fungus threatened to wipe out the pines in the US, so all Ribes were banned to protect the logging industry at the time. The national ban has been lifted however each state now regulates this on their own.

As a person growing up in the UK, blackcurrant was one of the most common flavours for drinks, jams, candy and medicines. When I moved to the USA, I found it impossible to find except in the occasional supermarket that stocked Ribena. Ribena unfortunately now contains artificial sweeteners which make it taste horrible. Recently, I have discovered a source of blackcurrant products. A local international supermarket stocks products from Poland, Slovenia and Croatia. I have been able to find jams, fruit compote and syrups with real blackcurrant and no artificial sweeteners. The best blackcurrant syrups are Vavel (from Poland) and Adriatic Sun (from Slovenia). Nothing tastes quite like blackcurrant.

I will vouch for the health benefits! Currants are very common in Poland and for generations my family has been consuming them fresh from their gardens. Zero kidney/UT issues, zero dementia, all lived to 80+. Sizes: Currant berries are about the size of peas. Gooseberries are about grape size

I'll be damned. I've been suggesting keeping peanuts around to snack on to people trying to quit smoking cigarettes, because it helped me when I quit smoking. I always thought it had more to do with the salt and just being another way to get out that oral fixation, but to hear peanuts possess a chemical that helps break addictions, is pretty awesome.

Even before you identified it, I knew you were talking about black currant. One of my favorites. My grandmother used to grow it. Not a lot of pine trees where she lived so the authorities ignored it. She used to make jam and syrup from them. I still make them when I can because it reminds me of my time at my grandparents farm. Good memories.

Redcurrants and blackcurrants are very traditional foods in Norway. The blackcurrant is very popular for boiling down with sugar, to make what we call "saft", which can be mixed 1 to 4 with water and drunken as a soft drink. All grocery stores in Norway has this, look for "solbærsaft". It also makes a great jam. The redcurrant is perhaps a bit less utilized in our time, but many people still eat them for dessert, raw with vanilla sauce and sugar. You can also make good saft from it.

The first things planted in the garden of my first house were Redcurrant, Blackcurrant, Rasperry and Gooseberry bushes. Mainly because they were absolutely delicious and required little maintaineance apart from pruning now and then. Of course this is in the UK where there is no real problems with white pine blight.

I remember as a child we lived in town but we had a big barn in our backyard next to the alleyway and there was a current bush that grew behind the barn. And I would watch it until the berries became ripe and I would sit there between the barn and that brush and eat those berries until I was almost sick. They were so good. And even though I was so full I couldn’t stop eating them. In all my life that is the only current bush I’ve ever Seen.

This is one of my favorite KZfaq channels. God and Homesteading, what a wonderful combination for a fulfilling and simple life. Keep up the good work brother.

I grew up in England during the 1940s and we had blackcurrant, redcurrant and gooseberry bushes growing amongst the cabbages, carrots. tomatoes, kale and raspberries etc. They are very polific producers and were a valuable addition to our very rationed wartime diet. I now live in subtropical Australia and they just won't grow here, neither will raspberries or blackberries. I can grow strawberries in winter and I can grow mulberries and probably blueberries. Fascinating information. thanks for sharing.

I started growing both blackcurrant and gooseberries because you just can't buy either fruit in the shops and I figured if I'm going to put time and effort into growing food, might as well choose something that isn't readily available. Turns out they're great plants to have in your garden - they're shade tolerant, grow to zone 3 or 4ish, very unfussy, and gooseberry especially is vigorous and easy to grow from cuttings, literally just stick them in the ground! I bought one plant in 2018 and already have about 20 in various stages of growth, and that's with me giving some away and keeping just a handful of cuttings each year. No birds or mice eat the berries either, not had any diseases, the only pest that attacked the gooseberry so far has been the sawfly larvae, tiny green caterpillars on the leaves. No pests have touched the blackcurrants. Gooseberries when ripe are really sweet and mild tasting, no pips, you can just snack on them. Blackcurrants have an intense "berry" flavour and are amazing cooked with apples in either jam or crumble/pie.

In my childhood garden, we had three kinds of currants - red, white, black. They are super delicious and nutritious. Ribena, a children's vitamin drink made in the UK, is the processed juice from black currants. We also had an entire row of gooseberries, which I loved. Gooseberry jam was very popular.

My grandmother and father used to grow black currants in our yard in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, so it must not be restricted here. My mother used to make black currant jelly. Another favorite tea of mine is black tea flavoured with black currant.

I just love the way the red berries look. Something about the vibrant translucent red color is very satisfying to look at.

I grow blackcurrants here in Ontario Canada, they make the worlds best tasting jam! I love the way blackcurrant jam sets because of the natural pectin in the fruit! I have grown gooseberries and red currants in the past too. Klaus

This video was great. I have started a few years ago getting into wild edibles and their benefits. Like slicing garlic letting it sit on the counter for it's antibiotic properties. All I can say the more I get into this the less I go to the doctor's office. To at this point I hardly get sick. Videos like this are very beneficial

I grew up on the farm in Alberta, we had both many red and black currants in a huge garden behind our house.

When a society outlaws an organic plant that is so unbelievably beneficial to your health because of some tree fungus, &/or forces you to "get a permit to grow it," you know your society needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.... Great video!

Between the info on the video and the feedback in comments, this has been a VERY informative post. Thanks a ton, Everyone!!

Thank you for the info. I am putting both currents into my and my mother's garden plan in the spring. Hafta check the law in both states. But willing to go the extra mile. I'm excited. A few years back I was introduced to currents by a sorta public garden, one I guerilla plant in. They were red and incredible. The amount of fruit the lil' guy barred and the versatile flavor. 👌🏼👍🏻🌱

My grandmother made jams, juices, and syrups with black and red current. It was all very delicious! It grows wild all over my area in Utah.

If the so-called authorities ban something that means it's of benefit to you. If they endorse something then avoid it.

these bushes are a very common sight here in Sweden. they are hard to kill. if you walk into the forest and end up finding these, there is a high possibility to find remains of a homestead that might have been burnt down or demolished close to a hundred years ago.

Great vid! Thanks for taking the time to post this.

I am able to grow currants here in WA. I have red, black and white. They are abundant producers. So much so I can't even harvest it all! Last week I found a banana bread recipe I used to make 30-40 years ago when my kids were small and it calls for currants! Whipped up a batch and it's out of this world delicious. Currants are yummy in everything!

When people use what mother nature provides as is, rather than taking out something, they'll have all of what mother nature intended you get from her complete package, now matter what it is. Berries, fruits, greens, roots, etc.

WPBR. The whole problem was created by the timber industry anyway but somehow all the responsibility got placed upon the individual and now even a native plant is illegal. Unexcusable to make the individual responsible for government and corporate mistakes.

There are also white currents. White currents look exactly like the black and red currents yet a sort of translucent yellowy white colour. My fathers yard in BC Canada has all three varieties. My mother would make current jams, jellies and wine. White currents are NOT gooseberries, they grow those too. Gooseberries are much larger and tend to be lightly striped.

Wonderful breakdown of the health benefits of currants. Going to go out and forage some soon. Sending love and greetings from Missouri ♡

We never stopped eating black currents in the UK. People made pies from them, made syrups and long drinks from them, you can make wine also, mainly used through the winter. Yummy, yummy pies, jams. One of my favourites. We also ate gooseberries, mainly desserts, you could make jam also. Very good to keep healthy through the winter months. The other thing was elder tree flowers we made a syrup, from which we would have long hot drinks... Very good for the lungs when one had flu or colds absolutely delicious. With all these things sugar or honey needs to be added for preserving or cooking because they are so tart. 😁

Black currant preserves is my favorite hands-down, especially on pancakes. Occasionally get quality preserves from an overstock store (US) that carries "Danish Choice" from Poland. Look for natural sweeteners, artificial sweeteners tend to leave a slightly off taste.

This year I bought and planted one black and I also had three black currant seeds germinate . I am really looking forward to making jam in two or so years.

My English garden has red, black AND white currants growing in it every summer. Gooseberries too. Incredibly easy to grow and grow from “cuttings”. They root within a week or two. English gardens are full of currant bushes and English people are well-curranted too with currants in cooking, cakes and buns and as jam, as a sauce with meat(red currant sauce..like cranberry). Our children have also been fuelled with a black currant drink called “Ribena” since the 1930s. All well so far …..

My grands came from Italy and they grew Currants. One grandmother made jam and wine out of the berries. 1930 - 1970’s

I have always been curious about this. Thanks for sharing.

There are wild currants growing in many areas of North America. Some very tasty, some tart, some bland. All very edible.

Growing up, we used to have a few currant bushes. I remember going out and harvesting them in thunderstorms because they would be extremely plump then. In the last year that I lived at that house, I discovered a white currant bush. When I left to live on my own, my dad let me take the white currant bush with me. Once I get a house, I'll plant it, along with some more white bushes and some red and black bushes. Definitely my favorite berry to eat when it's picking time

Very informative, THANK YOU so much for sharing!! I live in Texas & I'm 99% sure it's too hot here to grow them. Most berries don't grow very well here.

Lawmakers: "We know evolution better than life does."

This is a very interesting video. I would love to taste some of these. Unfortunately I live in a state where these are probably illegal to grow since we have a verity of trees, including the white pine. I used to eat goose berries growning up in MO, and boy did I love them. I miss those little tart treats.

I'm glad to learn about these berries. I've had dried currants before, but have absolutely no idea of what kind of flavor to expect from fresh ones, or gooseberries. I am looking to expand our garden next year and want to look into this more. Ohio bans black currants (except hybrids that are resistant to the disease), but allows red, white, and gooseberries. Thanks for the good info!

Thank you for teaching such vital information.

Here in New Zealand, as a kid, I remember almost every house had gooseberry and black currant bushes as fences. My Nana used to make the best black currant jam.

I spent many of my childhood years under my Grans currant trees raiding the red and black currants.

I was perplexed why you showed a picture of Oregon Grape berries when mentioning wild blueberries 🙂

Can remember my mom making black and red current jam when really young. About 80 years ago. Thank you for sharing. God bless

Thank you sir, I will absolutely look into it for central Illinois. When I was a young man I recall my grandparents having a Gooseberry bush in the yard. The pies were wonderful, I really wanna try this plant!

I don’t think red currants were ever illegal to grow in the US, at least in Oregon. My mom has been growing them in our yard since the 80s. We always had loads of red currant jelly in our cupboard growing up. Red currants are pretty much too tart for anything without adding sugar. She just 3 (? maybe) years ago got a black currant bush and this is the first year it’s been producing prolifically. I’m not sure when they lifted the ban in Oregon, but I’m sure glad they did. Black currants are okay to eat plain, in my opinion. A bit seedy, but not sour like red currants.

If no one else has said this, they are so easy to propagate. When I prune them I just stick a cutting in the ground and they grow. I have about 7 blackcurrant bushes in my garden. I have it heated up to cook, let it cool then eat with plain yogurt.

Grandma made wine with red currants in the 60s. My dad found some someone wanted rid of, so we dug them out and planted them at home. Currant jelly!!!! The best.

Woah! I didnt thought about it. And they grows in my garden. (all of these) This is gold. Ty so much!!

I make current cookies around Christmas time and they are so good!! It’s something that has been a family tradition for generations.

Yes, my grandmother was big on making wine and red/black current was a favourite. It's a shame about their effect on American white pine as I'm under the impression they pretty much look after themselves if grown in a garden. They can be found growing like weeds in the UK so you don't always need to even have them in your garden.

THANK YOU I grow all three of these red, black currents & gooseberries. I never knew this important information! Now I love them even more.

your videos are so informative and interesting. I enjoy every one of them. God bless you and please keep on posting ;>)

My family lived in the NWT in Canada in the 1970's. We used to pick black currents every summer near the rivers not far from Yellowknife. Just like wild cranberries, they are there for a reason in northern areas that have 4 seasons and cold winters.

Check us out on Patreon www.patreon.com/healthandhomestead If you have any interest in black currant powder her is an amazon affiliate link. amzn.to/3xYJgzV I am not connected to the company but if you use the link I get a tiny income but it costs you no more.

An older sister lost several white pines on her property to blister rust. It didn't stop her from raising currents and gooseberries. Most of the pines, about 20, are fine.

Fantastic information, have blackcurrants in my porridge along with raspberries. Love the tartness

They're all over Canada. We grow them in my community garden, I make jelly out of them.

Growing up in Canada, we had black current jam with pourage. It was an amazing tasting dish my Grandma would make every time we visited.

You’re a wealth of knowledge. I so deeply appreciate your videos, thank you so much!

The ban was lifted in Oregon because there’s so many native species of Ribes all over the wilderness that it was impossible to enforce. People in my area forage like crazy. But what got the ban lifted was a farmer looking to raise black currants. Here’s a little clip from an article I read: “There are now black currant growers in other states that have lifted the ban-including New York, Oregon, Illinois and Minnesota-who commercially grow the once-forbidden berries. The ban still remains on the books in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Virginia and West Virginia. In some places, like Michigan, a permit is required to plant black currants anywhere in the state.” 🙏💕🧿🤚🏽🌿💨🪶🪶

I've found these at farmers markets, they make a tasty treat. 😋 I knew of their health benefits, however I didn't know the history of its use in the lab or the white pine blister rust. 🤔🙂 Goodness bless you, thanks for sharing this. 😀

I've had currents growing for around 40 years. If they were banned, nobody told my local nursery. Black and red.

I've grown a red current in a (large, 2'x2') pot for ~7 years now. It's gotten moved 4 times (ah the renter life) and it still produces. So if it is legal where you are and you don't have a garden space, it is an option and works surprisingly well (in a peat-perlite-shredded bark mix). Doesn't produce enough at once in the pot to spend time making anything special with it - but enough where I'd get a good handful every other day just grabbing off the bush on the way to the car. You can also find currant products at probably any Polish Market - I have black current jelly cookies on my table right now. Enjoy!

My Danish grandmother had red currants in central Colorado and always made jelly with them . Loved it.

In Europe, and the UK we make red- and blackcurrant jelly. It's delicious. We grow the bushes in our gardens. Great with anything, incl. venison, chicken and turkey. Gooseberries are great too. Makes incredible icecream. Jostaberries are a mix of gooseberries and blackcurrants. So good.

This sounds quite strange to me as where I am from, black currant, red currant an gooseberries are very common in gardens (I have some in my garden) an there are even black currant plantations.

I grew up with grandparents that had like 20 red current plants. Grandma would make great pies out of them. I love eating them straight off the plant. They have a tartness that is a family favorite. I have been wanting to get some to plant in my yard.

Thank you for your posting.

Thank you for the informative video. I like to stay on top of currant affairs.

Thanks for the video, God bless you sir.

Blackcurrants are so delicious! I have just (still am, actually) been enjoying homemade blackcurrant sorbet and sauce (for on yoghurt and icecream). Redcurrants we more than anything make jelly from. It is super yummy, including in gravy e.g. for a Christmas turkey or a Tofurkey! It just makes the gravey extra good, it’s the little oomph it needs! It’s also very good with cheese on crackers/biscuits! Blackcurrant leaves are also great to make tea out of (fresh or dried leaves). I wouldn’t be surprised if the redcurrant leaves are good for this too, but I never tried. I’m in Norway.

Used to love blackcurrants and redcurrants and gooseberries. Not as easy to get them now, in some areas in the UK. Something to be said for the pre supermarket days

My Grandma used to make both black and red currant jam. It was sooooo good! I miss both it, and her. She grew both on her property, so there was always plenty to be had.

4:44 is Oregon grape.4:40. Mahonia Aquifolium. Not related, but edible.

We get to grow them here in Oregon thankfully.

I live in Canada, never knew they were illegal anywhere. I have black currants growing wild in my back yard, not a lot but any time I'm walking by I grab a handful to eat. Quite a pleasant flavor.

I just bought black current mixed juice today. So.... Yeah it's sold at most store's. So glad it's legal now. I never knew it was outlawed. At least where I am at it's legal. Some other plants are still banned

we ate gooseberries as a kid in Northern Wisconsin

Interesting, I have Glaucoma in one eye and it hasn't changed in about 15 years. I trusting the Lord to heal it and God willing one day he will, but I like currants so I could add more to my diet. 🤔🙂🙏 thanks for sharing.

I lived in Germany and in the UK and fell in love with blackcurrants! Always wondered Y I did not see them in the U.S.. Now I know.

Thank You and all your commenters. Happy New Year.

All berries I grew up with, yummy stuff!!!

Thank you, my path in life crossed with a Man Charles Elmer Fox/ Reefer Charlie(Hobo name)/ Doc (locally known). He was born and raised in Indiana and fondest memory was spending summers with his grandparents which he swore were full blooded Delaware Indianas. He would spend most of his time foraging and currents were on the top of his list of favorites whether they straight off the bush, in Grandmas pie or on a piece of toast! He wrote a couple of books during his life ' Tales of American Hobo' and 'Weeds and other good things to eat'. He had a disagreement with the publisher and yanked it from press. An Artist/ Photograher was not!

God bless you too Health and Homestead 🙏🏾

great title, cool information !

Several companies now market currents. They are sold as Zante currents or current raisins.

Thank you so much for this video, before your video was over I ordered some seeds😊.

Many years ago they sold refrigerated black currant juice in 1/2 gallon containers at Trader Joe's. I loved it and miss it so much! I'd buy them three at a time.

From the time I was a kid I loved red currant jelly. I don't know why but I haven't even looked for it in the supermarket lately

Interesting thanks

American born, but raised with an English Gran. She grew currants, & we couldn't wait for her black currant jam, when it was jam making time. So, yummy 🤤 Now that she's gone, my sister has taken up her jam recipes, but she didn't do black currant last year as she said the prices were ridiculously high 😕 The government doesn't want you to be able to heal/help yourself naturally, because they & Big Pharma would lose too much money 😡👎🤡

Thanks brother 🌹🌹 great information

The beautiful background in the beginning is amazing , would love to visit one day.

I take a supplement restorvol.... funny that I could probably get it for free if I took a walk in the woods. It can be grown where I live, in Wisconsin. Thank you for this. I just retired and am having fun walking around and looking at all the wonder in the woods and along roadsides!

So good. I had my best blackcurrant harvest this year. I made a video on the easiest and best way to preserve and use them..

I just watched your video and it is very good. I do want to learn more about the edible wild plants for survival situations and general hiking and camping in the woods or forests. I liked this video and I subscribed to this channel and turned on notifications so I will be able to see new videos when they are posted.

Thankyou for sharing.