Summer

I am lucky to know someone who has several currant bushes and is eager to have them picked and used. Red, white, and black currants, so plentiful, I couldn’t possibly use them all. With gratitude, I ventured down the path of learning about and preserving these stunning little fruits.

Currants were cultivated in Scandinavia centuries ago and were domesticated in Europe during the mid 1500s. The term “currant” was used because of the fruit’s resemblance to dried currants from Greece made from small seedless grapes. Currants are anti-oxidants and are Vitamin C powerhouses. Black currants provide 338 % of daily Vitamin C requirements. During WWII, the extreme shortage of citrus fruit in England prompted Winston Churchill to encourage people to grow black currants to stave off scurvy!

Currants are excellent as jams and jellies. They are exceptionally high in pectin and acid which make them perfect for jams and jellies. Black currants are the base of the liqueur called “Cassis” which can be made at home. Black and white currants can be added to a fruit salad or baked goods, but red currants are too tart to be eaten raw. Still, red currants have a long history of being used as a jelly, sometimes solo or sometimes mixed with port, citrus, and mustard (Olde English Cumberland Sauce) and used with game or other rich meats. All currants can be frozen or dehydrated.

If you are making jams and jellies, there are a few helpful tips. Unlike black and white currants, red currants are tarter and have large seeds which generally should be removed using a food mill. I made a jam of black and red currants without seeding the red ones and it worked out nicely because of the balance between red and black. But I also made a raspberry-red currant jam where I cooked the red currants first and passed them through the food mill creating a puree. It’s really a matter of personal taste. Because currants are so high in pectin, do not be tempted to add commercial pectin. A nasty hard mass will result! Remember also, currant jams and jellies will continue to firm-up for 24 hours after they are removed from the canner.

There are many recipes from reputable sources, but for a flexible batch format, I like the recommendation from chef David Lobovitz who suggests a 1 to 1 ratio of currant puree to sugar. Once the mixture comes to a full rolling boil, boil hard for about 8 minutes. Check the gel point. If desired, add a teaspoon or two of Cassis or Kirsch. For long-term storage, process in a water bath or steam canner for 10 minutes. Rest for five minutes and remove to allow the jars to rest undisturbed for 24 hours.

For more information:

Preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

For information: preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

I am most grateful to a reader of my regular column “Worth Preserving” in the Dundalk Harold and Flesherton Advance who got in touch with me about her over-abundance of gooseberries (thank you Jean). She generously offered 10 pounds and off I started on a gooseberry journey.

I first read a reputable source saying the gooseberries are so named because they were often served with (you guessed it) goose! According to British Food: A History, this isn’t the case. Although true that gooseberries pair well with goose and other poultry, the name comes from Old Norman/Middle English words “grosse, grosier” or, in French “groiselle” which means red currant. Yes, the gooseberry is a relative of currants. They are all part of the ribes genus of which there are 150 different species. Gooseberries date back to 15^th century in England when there were growing registries and gooseberry clubs by the hundreds.

The gooseberry has a long history in part because it was a relatively easy bush to grow, provided early fruits, and was plentiful. What generations before didn’t know was how good gooseberries are for health. They are very high in Vit C, are antioxidants, are rich in fibre. They are associated with heart health, brain health, stabilizing blood sugar levels and immune system function. Not too shabby on the health front.

Gooseberries are a little finicky to work with. They need to have the tops and tails removed which is time-consuming to be sure. I decided I could cope with some “tops and tailing” but not for the whole 10 pounds.  I first chose a Bernardin recipe for Gooseberry Conserve that mixes gooseberries with orange and golden raisins, it’s a lovely combination of flavours that could be used for an accompaniment to meats, poultry or even a spice cake or ice cream. And then I turned my attention to gooseberry jelly using a recipe from “So Easy to Preserve” that is the recipe book from the University of Georgia, home of the National Centre for Home Food Preservation in the US. The jelly turned out to be a most gorgeous pink. Still with an edge of sweet/sour, I can see this jelly as an accompaniment to poultry or as a glaze on meats. If you like the little bit of tartness, the jelly would also be great for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Generous gifts lead to new learnings and experimentation. Sometimes nature’s bounty is in our backyard ready to share, to teach us about history and health, and to contribute to our winter pantry.

Get in touch:

Preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

martha@thevalleypreservery.ca

In a recent post, I mentioned making rhubarb juice as a lovely old-fashioned summer drink. Trust me, I’ve been making a lot of it. Sweetened, lightly sweetened, unsweetened, and combined with strawberry juice. All this juice making got me investigating other old-fashioned summer drinks like shrubs and switchels. They are examples of extremely healthy, vinegar-based food preservation methods from days gone by and they are making a come-back!

Since it is haying season, let’s start with the switchel also called the “haymakers punch”. A switchel is a sweetened drinking vinegar often infused with ginger that can be made with or without alcohol. It is sometimes referred to as the original home brew or somewhat akin to ginger ale. A jug of switchel would go with those who were haying and was also a popular tavern or university student drink in the 17^th and 18^th century. The original blends included water, molasses, ginger (and rum or brandy). For those labouring under the hot summer sun, the switchel quenched thirst and provided a good deal of potassium for electrolyte balance. Modern versions of the switchel include water, ginger and sweetener such as maple syrup, honey or simple syrup.

The shrub is also a drinking vinegar that is sweetened generally with fruits and sometimes herbs. Mixing fruit, sugar and vinegar was one way of preserving fruit into the colder months. A shrub is more like a syrup designed to be mixed with drink. They were used as medicinal cordials or added to drinks as you would a bitter. Now, shrubs are very popular additions to cocktails.

To make a shrub, a cold-pressed method is recommended meaning the fruit and sugar are mixed together and placed in a fridge for several hours or days depending on the fruit. This will allow the extraction of the juice. The juice is strained, and the vinegar is added. The bottled shrub can be refrigerated for 6 to 8 weeks. Michael Dietsch from “Serious Eats” suggests 1 cup berries, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup red wine vinegar (although any vinegar can be used). Once this shrub is made, it can be mixed with sparkling water or made into a cocktail such as a martini: One ounce each of the shrub, vodka and vermouth topped with sparkling water.

They say, “what goes around comes around” and that adage seems to hold true when it comes to old fashioned acidulated beverages like switchels and shrubs. The take-away is that nature provides us with wonderful fruits that can be preserved in many forms. Whether you are home canning fruit juices or trying your hand at a switchel or shrub, all forms of preserving are ways to embrace the past while guiding us toward a wholesome and self-reliant future.