Make red currant harvest easier

The yield of red currants is usually much larger than what we need for few cakes and that is good of course. Many of us make a delicious red currant jam too. However, if you still have red current containers in your fridge from last year, you can make homemade red currant syrup. You will love the refreshing taste and making it is super easy. You will be done in no time and you do not need any special ingredients.

A treasure called red currant

Germany, Austria, Switzerland, but also the Netherlands, these are all countries where red currant syrup is very popular. Compared to other fruits, the taste of currants can seem sour but it may be improved by adding sugar of course but the finished syrup will never by as sweet as strawberry syrup for example. But that is ok. Both red currants and strawberries should be used as soon as possible.

Photo: Pixabay

Very healthy indeed

Red currant is unique because it is loaded with vitamin C and plenty of antioxidants. In addition to jams or syrups, you can make a jelly or even gummy bears from red currants (you need to have moulds). Due to higher acidity red currants can be preserved well for long time. Sour taste goes very well with sweet dishes and red current is often used in sweet dishes to make them refreshing.

Harvest berries with ease

Berries are quite small and picking them can be annoying and a time-consuming process. Try using a fork and you should be able to “comb” berries and separate them from stalks easier.

Red currant syrup

To make red currant syrup you need the following ingredients:

• 1 kg of ripe red currants (stems removed),
• 400 ml of water,
• 400 g cane sugar (or white sugar ),
• juice from 1 lemon.

Pour water over red currants several times, rinse and drain. You want to clean berries as much as possible. Place clean berries in a large pot with water and boil over medium heat. Do not crush berries. They would release too much pectin and the mixture would become too thick. When berries are soft enough strain the mixture through a sieve. You should get about 1 litre of juice. Add sugar and lemon juice (the colour will turn into a bright red). Boil for 2 minutes – the juice should thicken enough. Fill clean glass bottles and seal well. A good idea to place glasses on a wooden board to prevent cracking. Syrup should last for about a year without any need for refrigeration.

Shorle drink and other ideas

A drink called Schorle is very popular in Germany and you can make it too. It is just sparkling water with red current syrup but it tastes great with ordinary tap water too. You can also make delicious homemade ice creams by adding red current syrup into ice cream mixtures.

Source:

https://swisshomegarden.com/recipes/red-currant-syrup-recipe/

https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/12059685760-co-nase-babicky-umely-a-na-co-my-jsme-zapomneli/11098-recepty/7975-rybizovy-sirup/

Preview photo: Pixabay