First, black currant was used by man as a medicinal plant and only in the 15th century it was used as a dessert berry. Already in the 19th century Europeans began to bring out the best varieties of black currant , and now it is difficult to find a summer residence and a vegetable garden on which this berry would not grow.
In order to choose the correct variety of black currant for planting on your site, it is necessary to take into account that they differ between themselves frost resistance, the period of ripening, the size of berries, the yield and many others. In order to determine what sorts of black currants will suit you better, you should familiarize yourself with their basic characteristics.
According to different characteristics, the following groups of black currant varieties are distinguished: dessert, early and late, large-fruited and small-fruited.
Large-fruited varieties of black currant
Large ones are those black currant varieties, in which the weight of one berry exceeds 1.5 g.
These include:
- The beauty of Lviv;
- Dobrynya;
- Comfort - very unpretentious in growing;
- Sanyuta;
- Large Litvinova - a very vitamin grade;
- Cherry;
- Jubilee Digging.
The newest large-bodied variety of black currant is Yadrenaya, bred in Siberia. Very large berries (up to 7.8g) ripen in the middle of July, but are considered very acidic. The disadvantage is that shrubs of this variety should be rejuvenated often and it reproduces poorly.
Early varieties of black currant
These varieties are those whose berries ripen in the second half of June and the beginning of July:
Yarynka is the earliest variety;- Overture;
- I'm in love with Mliev;
- Mriya of Kiev;
- Golubichka;
- A wonder;
- Exotics;
- Nara;
- Summer cottage;
- Heiress;
- Exotics;
- Nika;
- The Sevchan woman;
- Sybil.
Dessert varieties of black currant
Such varieties include those with a degustation rating of berries above 4.5 points, they are divided into sweet and sour sweet.
- Centaur;
- Perun;
- Mriya;
- Selechenskaya and Selechenskaya-2;
- Nadia;
- Venus;
- Orlovsky waltz;
- Slastena;
- Ben-Lamond;
- Nestor Kozin;
- Teasel.
Almost all dessert varieties of black currant are related to berries of early and middle maturity.
The most sweet and large (ie the best) are the varieties of black currant:
- Pearl - early ripening (early July), berries weighing up to 6g, very sweet, bred in Siberia.
- Black Boomer - early maturing (early July), berries very very large (5-7g) and sweet, very fond of children.
- Raisin - early maturity, large berries with sweet and fragrant flesh, tasting score - 4.7 points. It is distinguished by high and regular yield.
- The legend - a very early maturity (at the end of June), large berries (up to 3.5 g) are considered the most delicious among the early varieties. The bushes of this variety are distinguished by high yield.
- Bummer is a blackcurrant of the latest ripening (late July - early August), but the berries are very large (up to 6g) and sweet, excellent for use in desserts.
It can be noted that the following Ukrainian varieties were bred and most widely spread in Ukraine: Sophievskaya, Kozatskaya, Jubilee Kopanya, Suite Kievskaya, Vernisazh, Sanuta, Chereshnevaya, Ametist, Chernecia, and Russian ones - Oryol Serenade, Smolyaninova's Gift, Charm, Rachel, Muravushka, Selechenskaya-2, Pygmy, Venus.
Very tasty sweet and sour berries of black currants of any sort can be used both fresh (as a separate dessert or in combination with ice cream) and in processed form (compote, juice or jam).
Planting black currant bushes on your garden plots, you will provide yourself and your family with a complex of necessary vitamins and microelements.