Overview: BLACK CURRANTS
Valuable History and Facts:
Black Currants are well known around the world, but one of the best kept secrets in the United States because of a law the federal government put in place in 1912 that prevented their cultivation because of the spread of blister rust. This fungus infects white pine trees and causes cankers when a currant or gooseberry serves as an intermediary host. However, after over a 100 years, the logging industry has changed and thankfully Black Currant is back on the menu as locally grown.
Not many farms in the USA grow and harvest the Vitamin C rich, tart berry. It is slowly being added into more products as the health benefits and the unique super berry makes a comeback. Some of the uses of Black Currants are in a variety of different wines, juice, dessert toppings, syrups, jams, jellies, meat sauces, and of course, fresh-frozen sold directly to consumers.
Black Currants offer more vitamins and minerals over the red, white, and other translucent varieties. Within a 100-gram serving of these berries includes 180 milligrams of vitamin C (a 300% daily value), 1.54 milligrams of Iron, B vitamins, copper, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, magnesium, and potassium. Also, on the ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) chart they are only 4th in line, after Aronia (chokeberries), Elderberries, and cranberries.
It's for your health...
U Pick - closed 2024 and beyond
I am certainly not against people picking berries, but the cost and time it takes to run a U-Pick is not easy when you have to work another job to pay for it. Therefore, check out note on the "Pick your own" page to see where we stand on this going forward. Thanks for your interest.
Lancashire Farms
We started the Farm in 2017 - had almost 13 acres of berries planted by 2018. We have done everything Organically, but never certified. We like to think the bugs on our plants help prove that story.
The Farm is still here but it has scaled back by 2025 - going forward, we hoe to sell some plants, cuttings, and Aronia and Elderberry's fresh, frozen and cleaned organically.
Black Currant Jam - it is worth it now and during the winter months.
Of all my berries, I think Black Currant makes the best Jam or Jelly. We tried it on a home-made crepe and I think Paris food vendors would be jealous. It's such a healthy berry and yet contains all the features of an tasty fruit. Not so table ready as grapes or blueberries, but amazing in many recipes. We sell a 1/2 pint (8 OZ) jars for $5 and a pint (16 OZ) for $10
Dancing in the fields is optional...
My daughter loves the outdoors, as she says, "I'm an outside girl." This is so much better than sitting indoors glued to a screen, so I hope you'll bring your children to pick berries with you...a great way to let them experience fresh air and food.
Currants grow in cluster-stems...
This pattern of growth makes them easier to hand-pick, although Aronia seems easier for me. Much easier than Raspberry and Black Berry for sure. You really need to read about the health they give to humans when they ingest them.
Click here to read more: https://foodfacts.mercola.com/black-currant.html
Black Currants have...
300 percent of vitamin C for the daily recommended value in about 100-gram servicing (less than a cup of Apples serving size). They have B-vitamins. Iron, as well as, calcium, copper, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, and potassium. They have a high ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) - only behind choke-berries (Aronia), Elderberries, and Cranberries, (and this farm has all but cranberries for sale).