{{Short description|Cultivars of a species of flowering plant}} {{Infobox cultivar | name = White currant | image = Groseilles blanches.jpg | image_caption = | hybrid = ''Ribes rubrum'' (red currant) | origin = Central and Eastern Europe }} {{nutritionalvalue | name=Currants, red and white, raw | kJ=234 | protein=1.4 g | fat=0.2 g | carbs=13.8 g | fiber=4.3 g | sugars=7.37 g | calcium_mg=33 | iron_mg=1 | magnesium_mg=13 | phosphorus_mg=44 | potassium_mg=275 | sodium_mg=1 | zinc_mg=0.23 | manganese_mg=0.186 | vitC_mg=41 | thiamin_mg=0.04 | riboflavin_mg=0.05 | niacin_mg=0.1 | pantothenic_mg=0.064 | vitB6_mg=0.07 | folate_ug=8 | choline_mg=7.6 | vitE_mg=0.1 | vitK_ug=11 | water=84 g | source_usda=1 | note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/173964/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry] }}
The '''white currant''' or '''whitecurrant''' is a group of cultivars of the red currant (''Ribes rubrum''), a species of flowering plant in the family Grossulariaceae, native to Europe.
It is sometimes mislabelled as ''Ribes glandulosum'',<ref>{{cite web |title=White currant (Ribes glandulosum) (With images) {{!}} Fruit plants |url=https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/13018286395072232/ |website=Pinterest |accessdate=6 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>Michael Thurlow {{google books|D4K2ssHLuD8C|Grow Your Own Fruit and Veg (2010)|page=126}}</ref><ref name=Darina>Darina Allen {{google books|8cFdDwAAQBAJ|Grow, Cook, Nourish (2018)|page=898}}</ref> called the "skunk currant" in the United States.
==Description== It is a deciduous shrub growing to {{convert|1|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} tall and broad, with palmate leaves, and masses of spherical, edible fruit (berries) in summer. The white currant differs from the red currant only in the colour and flavour of these fruits, which are a translucent white and sweeter.<ref name="rhs">{{cite web|title=Whitecurrants|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/fruit/whitecurrants|publisher=rhs.org.uk|accessdate=28 January 2017}}</ref>
==Cultivation== Unlike their close relative the blackcurrant, red and white currants are cultivated for their ornamental value as well as their berries.<ref name=GYOF>{{cite book|last=Klein|first=Carol|title=Grow your own fruit|year=2009|publisher=Mitchell Beazley|location=United Kingdom|isbn=9781845334345|pages=224}}</ref>
Currant bushes grow best in partial to full sunlight and can be planted between November and March in well-drained, slightly neutral to acid soil.<ref name="rhs" /> They are considered cool-climate plants and fruit better in northern areas. They can also be grown in large containers.<ref name="rhs" />
The firm and juicy fruit are usually harvested in summer. Whole trusses of fruits should be cut instead of individual fruit,<ref name="specialty" /> and then either used, or they can be stored in a fridge. They can also be bagged and frozen.<ref name="rhs" />
Various forms are known including 'Blanka',<ref name=Darina /> 'White Pearl',<ref>{{cite web |title=Ribes rubrum 'White Pearl' |url=https://www.victoriananursery.co.uk/White_Currant_Bush_White_Pearl/ |publisher=victoriananursery.co.uk |accessdate=29 January 2017}}</ref> and 'Versailles Blanche' (syn 'White Versailles').<ref name="rhs" /><ref name="specialty" /><ref name="Geoff">{{cite book|last1=Hamilton|first1=Geoff|title=The Ornamental Kitchen Garden|date=1990|publisher=BBC Books|location=London|isbn=0563360178|pages=229}}</ref> 'Versailles Blanche' was first bred in France in 1843.<ref name=Hartvig>Kirsten Hartvig {{google books|lGlMoQo59lAC|Healing Berries: 50 Wonderful Berries, and How to Use Them in Health-giving Immunity-boosting food and drinks (2016)|page=69}}</ref>
The cultivars 'White Grape' and 'Blanka' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector – ''Ribes rubrum'' 'White Grape'|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=1629|accessdate=30 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=1629 |title=Ribes rubrum &s;White Grape&s; (W) | whitecurrant &s;White Grape&s; Fruit Edible/RHS}}</ref> There are also cultivars with yellow and pink fruit, called respectively 'yellow currants' and 'pink currants'.<ref name="specialty">{{cite web|title=White Currant Berries|url=http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/White_Currant_Berries_430.php|publisher=specialtyproduce.com|accessdate=28 January 2017}}</ref>
The bushes can suffer from pests such as gooseberry sawfly and birds.<ref name="rhs" /> The bushes are best grown in fruit cages for protection.<ref name=Hartvig />
== Culinary uses == White currant berries are slightly smaller and sweeter than red currants. When made into jams and jellies the result is normally pink. The white currant is actually a less pigmented cultivar of the red currant but is marketed as a different fruit. White currants are rarely specified in savoury cooking recipes compared with their red counterparts. They are often served raw and provide a sweetly tart flavor.<ref name="Geoff"/> White currant preserves, jellies, wines<ref>A Practical Chemist {{google books|nSZhAAAAcAAJ|The Cyclopædia of Practical Receipts in All the Useful and Domestic Arts (1841)|page=27|ISBN-13=978-1230138923}}</ref> and syrups are also produced.<ref name="specialty"/> In particular, white currants are the classic ingredient in the highly regarded Bar-le-duc or Lorraine jelly although preparations made of red currants can also be found.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bar-Le-Duc Jelly|url=http://www.cooksinfo.com/bar-le-duc-jelly|publisher=cooksinfo.com|accessdate=29 January 2017}}</ref>
==Nutrition== White currant berries are 84% water, 14% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and contain negligible fat (table). In a 100 gram (3.5 oz) reference amount, white currant berries supply 56 calories, and are a rich source (46% of the Daily Value, DV) of vitamin C, with no other micronutrients in appreciable amounts (table).
== See also == * Zante currant * Gooseberry * Jostaberry * Ribes
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://crfg.org/wiki/fruit/currants/ Currants], California Rare Fruit Growers, 1996
Category:Berries Category:Ribes