The currants at the orchard are native varieties to North America but taken from from further west: the common Clove Currant (Ribes odoratum), the Missouri Giant Currant (Ribes odoratum var. villosum), the Golden Currant (Ribes aureum), Crandall Currant (Ribes odoratum “Crandall”) and we have recently received seeds from “Gwen’s Buffalo Currant” (Ribes odoratum “Gwen”). These were also provided to us by USDA’s GRIN germplasm program. The fragrance of the flowers in the springtime is lovely, with their strong clove scent. And so, it earned the mellifluous name, “odoratum”…
The berries are juicy and tart and have something of the clove aroma. What they lack is the muskiness or earthiness of European blackcurrants, a flavor that some North American palates consider to be an “acquired taste”. To maximize the sweetness, these bushes need full sun, and bird netting, so that the berries ripen before the birds make off with them.