Red Currant

Have you ever tried Red Currant? Well, technically, I have. I've had black currant candy, but I guess that doesn't really count. Now, I'm proud to say I have. Real, fresh, juicy red currant.

I came across this little morsel while browsing the local Trader Joe's after a day of sledding at Mt. Baldy.

Side Note: If you haven't gone sledding and would like to go, this is THE perfect time to go. East of San Gabriel Valley, you can go to Mt. Baldy. It's just north of Upland/Claremont/Montclair/Chino on Mt Baldy Road. If you're either in the west of San Gabriel Valley, you can go to Mt. Wilson or Mt Waterman, found north of La Canada. You just travel 2 North and you're there. Please be careful, you may need chains. Always check road conditions before leaving. You can buy chains at your local AutoZone for under $30, depending on wheel-size.

So, back to red currant.

In the produce section, I saw the label Red Currant. "Oh, what the," I thought to myself. I exclaimed to my sister, "LOOK, red currant!" I looked at the price, $4.99 per pack. Ouch, steep price for such a small container. In case you're wondering, the size of the box was equivalent to small packages of berries (blueberry, raspberry, black berries) found at your local high-end grocery store (i.e. Pavillons) when they're not in season. With a deep inhale, I walked blindly to the cash register and bought the little devils. Red currant, red currant, how will you warrant...

So, below are some pictures and facts about the fruit; as well as description. Please don't be mad if the qualities of the photographs are bad. I just bought this camera (Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1) and am still learning how to use it. Unfortunately, I've found that their macro (flower power!) feature does not work as well as other cameras.

^- Red currant shrub found on wiki-p -^


^- Side view with stem still attached -^

^- Different angle, slight top, side view -^


^- You can see a few seeds in one red currant. -^

^- Skin of fruit, the seeds and nectar found inside -^


^- Texture of nectar -^


^- Texture at a different angle, notice its natural shape -^

^- Seeds and color of stain -^

Scientific Name: Ribes rubrum
Origin: Western Europe (Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Northern Italy & Spain)
Color: Red
Texture: Skin - firm; Inside - soft and jelly-like
Description: Red currant is a tangy fruit. Surprisingly, it is firm and pretty juicy for a little fruit. I've noticed that when it is overly ripe, the fruit tastes slightly sweeter; but not by much. For such a tiny fruit, it contains a LOT of seeds (see above). The color of the seeds are somewhat mustard brown and it tastes slightly bitter. So, if you want it to be tangy and slightly sweet, discard the seed by sucking on it. Once in a while, the seeds won't taste bitter....or maybe I've grown accustomed to them. The bright red nectar (see above) is slimier and chunkier than blueberry insides. In fact, it almost looks like jelly that you eat with your peanut butter sandwiches.

What is it like? Anything remotely close? I'm not sure how to eat the fruit, but when you ingest the entire morsel, it really reminds me of pomegranate (not overly ripe)--down to the color, taste and seed.

Overall Taste: Tangy with a hint of sweetness (w/out seeds); Tangy, sweet and tangy-bitter (with seeds)