I do remember currants, they were small berries that grew on bushes. I have recently seen currant jelly somewhere, but none dried. The "currants" that I see at the store are actually raisins/dried grapes, and not currants at all.

I do know that some companies sell the bushes, I've seen them recently advertised by Stark's Brothers and some others.

Annie

Aren't the currants you are referring to a relative of the gooseberry?

ETA spelling correction.

I grew up with both. The currants that were the berries you're talking about mostly showed up for us in jam. I love blackcurrant jam. The currants that are like tiny raisins are delicious, and came in a yellow box from Sunmaid when I was young. We loved them. I keep them in my pantry and put them in all kinds of things. They have a lot of flavor for something so little and aren't super-sweet like the raisins are now. But, of course, no good for the grape allergy.

Re the name, per Wikipedia: In the 14th century, they were sold in the English market under the label Reysyns de Corauntz, and the name raisins of Corinth was recorded in the 15th century, after the Greek harbor which was the primary source of export. Gradually, the name got corrupted into currant. Wikipedia also told me that grown blackcurrants in the USA was banned at the beginning of the 20th C. because of disease and is still banned in some states, though it's making a comeback, which explains why the jam. I guess it was from England (my father favored UK jam). Redcurrants are European.

Here are organic dried black currants: https://www.amazon.com/powbab-Dried-Black-Currants-Concentrate/dp/B08RCZKQF1/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1GZNKIJAHUSX7&keywords=dried+current+berries&qid=1673250570&sprefix=dried+currant+berrie%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-4

Freeze dried red currants: https://www.amazon.com/FREEZE-DRIED-RED-CURRANTS-Natural/dp/B0B5MBQCKL/ref=sr_1_5?crid=38X4EB5I213ME&keywords=dried+red+currant+berries&qid=1673250697&sprefix=dried+red+currant+berries%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-5

They have dried red current on Etsy, and you can get red, pink and black currant bushes there too.

‘Currants‘ (with an A) is a word applied to two entirely unrelated fruits. Red, white, pink and black currants are berries in the Ribes genus normally eaten fresh, or cooked from fresh, and are, as stated above, related to Gooseberries. Dried they would be pretty sour and unpalatable. They have a very distinctive flavour, especially Blackcurrants, and would be used for making tea. There is a very popular soft drink here made from Blackcurrants And they are also used to flavour candies and medicines. They are all, including redcurrants, commonly grown in British gardens, including mine, and used in jams, jellies and desserts.

Currants are small dried grapes, entirely unrelated to Ribes, tasting completely different, and used in baking. Dried Ribes would not make a good substitute for the grape currants.

Red currant shortbread. A seasonal summer treat.

Peanut butter and redcurrant jelly sandwiches 😋

I recall my aunt in WI grew red currants many years ago and made preserves. They were so pretty and yummy 😊

I haven't had red currants in ages... I loved them as a kid (a neighbor had huge shrubs of red currants and big rows of rhubarb :)

I remember when I bought Zantes currants, many years ago, not expecting raisins either. lol! The closest thing to it, in appearance and taste, that I can get now would probably be the fruit from autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata). AO has seeds, but they're not bad... smaller and softer than elderberry seeds, in my experience. I was at my sister's house in MA in autumn a few years ago and spotted them in full fruit at the back of her property. She had no idea they were edible... we picked some and made jam and she was an immediate fan. I don't know if you can successfully dry them like raisins, though. I should tell her to try drying some next year.

eta: I agree w/ colleenoz's DH -- dried cranberries ("craisins") are much better than any raisin. :)

Well, the dried cranberries have a bunch of sugar added...they'd better be yummy!

Currants in the Ribes plant family are somewhat unpopular, being a host for white pine blister rust, a serious problem for timber trees. For many years they were banned from being sold in areas where white pine grew. Theoretically there are new rust resistant strains of black currant, but I'm skeptical. Would be an issue in MI with white pine being our state tree and big crop, but probably not in NE . . . I have seen them fresh occasionally in markets, but not around here. Maybe visiting Europe? Perhaps lingonberries a possible substitute? Of course they aren't easy to grow either . . .

FWIW, dried blueberries might be subbed for raisins too.

Our DD has become quite fond of black currants, and asked me to post this information here: "I use currantc.com for my addiction. They have frozen black AND red currants available, dried ones, and countless prepared products. I heartily recommend them."

The farm and company are located in New York's Hudson Valley. This is from their website: "CurrantC™ is the nation's leading farm-grown, all natural black currant company since 2003 having overturned a century old currant ban. We specialize in sustainably grown black currants and offer a wide variety of products made from these delicious berries."

I was thinking dried blueberries too, for the size. But I don't use them much unless I want a very strong blueberry taste. That is both their plus and their minus. I find they overpower other tastes in baked good, unlike frozen blueberries which have almost no taste, and fresh blueberries with a very delicate one.

I have toyed with trying out growing the rust-resistant black currants, since they are a berry crop that will grow in the shade, which I have in spades on my property. However, I got hooked into raspberries, and now I have more than I know what to do with . . .

Edited to add that "josta berry" is another name for the rust resistant black currant. I'm not a big fan of gooseberries, which is another reason I haven't gotten into this plant since it is a hybrid. It's seedy like the raspberries, so I've decided to focus just on one seedy member of the Ribes family . . . .

I’ve grown Jostaberry and it is not the name of a type of Blackcurrant. It is a hybrid Ribes generally considered to be a cross between Blackcurrant and Gooseberry. The flavour is milder than Blackcurrant imo and the bush is much larger. But it is blister rust resistant.

Yes, it is a hybrid so that adds to the confusion of what exactly a "currant" is . . . which is why horticulturalists use Latin names and an additional nomenclature for hybrids, to avoid this problem, even though you have to learn the terminology. I do not know for sure, but I think the non-hybrid currants are still banned in some regions in the US.

Thank you, pillog, for the links. And my thanks to all of you that gave the infomatiion about the plant and berries.

I know that I don't care for raisins, and I think it was because we didn't use raisins very often when I was a kid, and so I got use to a less sweet taste.

I think blueberries have their own flavor and it might mess with the other flavors. Cranberry can do the same to some recipes, but I do like them in Oatmeal cookies.

Pillog: Dried cranberries are only good if they don't have any sugar added! Sorry.

I've never found dried cranberries with no sugar added. I don't like the sweetened ones—the don't taste like cranberries to me— so don't use them. But a lot of times when things are described as yummy, it's because they're sweet. There's a primal instinct to like sweet things.

I recently looked into buying dried goji berries but found their cost prohibitive. They don't grow in my zone, and they are invasive so I'm not going to be growing them. However, if I didn't live in the center of white pine country, I would definitely be game to give true currants a try on my property. As it is, I am keen to try elderberry. I see them growing wild in my neighborhood.

The Mystery of Goji Berries

Blackcurrants and redcurrants?https://www.google.com/search?q=black+and+red+currants&rlz=1C1ASVC_enFR990FR990&oq=black+and+redcurarnts&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0i13i19i512l2j0i5i13i19i30.5580j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

I ordered a bag of dried black currants from currantc.com. I will report on what I get from the company.

The dried currents arrived today. They indeed are currants and taste wonderful! Now to bake with them.

My grandson who is allergic to grapes explained the "BoyScout Method" for determining if something will harm you:

* 15 minutes rubbed on the skin, if no reaction then;

* 15 minutes rubbed on the lip, if no reaction then;

* chew one, spit it out, wait 15 minutes to see if your mouth itches or tongues swells;

* If all is OK then you can try eating a little and see what happens.

I guess it will be interesting when they visit in February.

Meanwhile, I think currant scones just might be a starter.