Combining currants

[happyhacker]

Is it OK to bung all my white, black and red currants together as I only have small bushes?

[MKG]

Yes it is, as long as you observe the correct spacing of five to six feet.

The best plan would be to ensure that no two adjacent bushes are of the same type, as alternating currants is much more efficient than planting them directly together.

GOVT. HEALTH WARNING: The last statement is a joke. Bad, true, but a joke nonetheless.

Mike

[WhiteWolf]

Mike

It wasn't that bad, though I did find it a little shocking

WW

P.S.
Sorry for going off topic

[ojay54]

I hope we're not going to get a series of these puns.

[MKG]

Do I detect a little resistance to my humour?

[WhiteWolf]

I hope we're not going to get a series of these puns.

Nope that would only happen in a parallel universe.

WW

[Zech]

Is it OK to bung all my white, black and red currants together as I only have small bushes?

Returning briefly from the dreadful puns, did you mean for planting them, or combining the fruit for brewing or cooking (just noting that the question is in the home brew section)?

[MKG]

You know, HH, I simply hadn't read it that way. Top marks, Zech.

The answer is yes and no if you're talking about winemaking. Yes, of course you can mix currants in any proportion you like to make wine. But if there's a preponderance of blackcurrants in there, that will be the VERY dominant flavour. White and red should be harmless in any mutual proportion (and you can go up to 4 lbs per gallon) but my advice would be that 3 lbs of blackcurrants per gallon is plenty and flavourwise would probably override a bulb of garlic if you were daft enough to include one of those in the recipe. You can use use white or red for more bulk but don't expect to distinguish their flavours.

Mike

[dave45]

Blackcurrant and apple crumble seems to work - would mixing currants and apples work for wine too? anyone tried it? got loads of both...

mind you apple wine is pretty good on its own I find.

[MKG]

I don't see why not, dave45, although I've never tried it. Apple and blackcurrant is certainly a mixture used to make cordials.

Try extracting the juices and sampling a few mixtures. You have to use your imagination a bit to lose the sweet part of the taste, but it will give you some idea what a wine would taste like. Then you have to look up the fruit acidity tables to make any necesssary adjustments in that respect, leave in some apple peel or chuck in some tea for tannin, decide what strength you want (again, look up the tables for sugar content after which 1 lb of sugar will give you as near as dammit 5% ABV) and away you go.

It's all part of the fun, and if you manage to make a not-so-good wine, you can always use it for blending.

Mike

[Zech]

if you manage to make a not-so-good wine, you can always use it for blending.

Or have a go at making vinegar. I have several bottles of really nice rosehip vinegar, which I now use instead of lemon juice in cooking. Admittedly, that was an accident, but when life hands you, um... well you get my drift!