The season for delicious and he althy currants begins on St. John's Day, June 24th. The berries can be harvested until August. Since they perish quickly, it is a good idea to strain the berries and possibly freeze them.
How to strain currants?
To strain currants, wash and stem the berries, discard any shriveled and unripe berries, and press the remaining berries through a sieve to create a seedless pulp. This can be used for desserts, sauces, jellies or drinks.
The varieties of currants
There are three different types of currants known:
- red currants
- white currants
- blackcurrants
All berries grow in grape shape and ripen in summer. The differences, apart from the color, lie in the taste. The red currants are relatively sour. They can be eaten raw, are an ingredient in red jelly, and are suitable for jam, desserts and as a cake topping.
The white berries are rarely found on the market. They have more sweetness and aroma than their red sister. Black currants are slightly larger than the red and white berries. They have a tart taste and a slightly sour aroma.
Current currants
Since currants usually ripen in large quantities and they don't last very long in the refrigerator, we recommend pureeing the berries and freezing them. In any case, the many small seeds that have to be filtered out are annoying in the puree. To do this, you can strain berries through a sieve.
- First wash the currants and drain them.
- Pluck the berries from the panicles. The easiest way to do this is to use a fork and scrape off the berries.
- Sort out shriveled and unripe berries carefully.
- Now put the berries in a sieve and strain them with the help of a spoon or ladle. The result is a fairly liquid, seedless porridge that can serve as the basis for a dessert sauce or be stirred into a quark dish.
- If you would like to prepare a currant jelly or jam, boil the berries briefly and then strain them.
Use pureed currants
The thin puree gives quark and yoghurt a delicious aroma. Thickened slightly with starch, the pureed currants become a tasty sauce for a fruit salad. It is also suitable for making jellies, syrups or lemonade or liqueur.
