⚪ Whitecurrant

Whitecurrants are translucent, pearly berries that are sweeter and milder than redcurrants, with a delicate flavour. They are grown exactly like redcurrants, tolerate partial shade, and look beautiful as cordons or standards.

They are a gourmet fruit and excellent for desserts, as they can be eaten raw, and last on the bush for weeks if netted.

Varieties to try

White Versailles (the best known)White Grape (sweet)Blanka (late, sweet)Primus (early)

Plant bare-root bushes between November and March in moisture-retentive, fertile soil in sun or partial shade. Space bushes 1.2–1.5 m apart, or cordons 40 cm. Plant at the same depth as in the nursery, with a clear leg of 10–15 cm.

Cut stems back by half after planting. Mulch with compost and water in. They also thrive in large pots (30 cm) of loam-based compost.

Top tips

• Plant in sun or shade.
• Leave a 10–15 cm leg.
• Cut stems by half.
• Mulch with compost.

Water in dry spells, and mulch each spring. Prune in winter, cutting main branches by half of the new growth and side shoots to 2 buds. Cordons are summer-pruned in July.

Net bushes before the fruit ripens. Watch for sawfly caterpillars in spring and currant blister aphid, which causes red blisters on leaves.

Top tips

• Prune in winter.
• Net early.
• Check for sawfly in spring.
• Mulch annually.

Watch out for

Currant sawflyBlister aphidBirdsCoral spot

Pick whole trusses in July to August when the berries are translucent and pearly white, sweet to taste. Use scissors, and handle gently. Fruit hangs on the bush for a few weeks, especially if netted.

Pick on a dry day. Berries in shade ripen later, extending the season.

Whitecurrants are tender and delicate, so pick into shallow trays and keep in a cool place. Fruits left hanging on the bush develop sweeter flavour in September. They are particularly good eaten straight from a bush, warm from the sun.

Top tips

• Pick whole trusses.
• Handle gently.
• Pick when translucent.
• Net to extend picking.

Whitecurrants can be eaten raw, sprinkled with sugar, or used in desserts, jellies, sauces and summer puddings. Their pale colour makes pretty jelly. Use as decoration for cakes and cocktails.

Fresh sprigs keep for a week in the fridge. Freeze on stalks on trays and strip with a fork. Whitecurrant jelly keeps a year.

Top tips

• Strip with a fork.
• Make pale jelly.
• Garnish desserts.
• Freeze on stalks.