Nothing better than ice cream in the summer – especially if it involves a story of forbidden fruits 🙂
Three years ago, when I was searching for blackcurrant shrubs to buy, I came across Google results on growing blackcurrants being banned in the US, and I couldn’t believe it! Coming from Europe, where blackcurrants and related products are very popular (see Ribena in the UK), this info intrigued me, and I wanted to learn more.
I found out that in the 1920’s, the US federal government banned the growth of blackcurrants because they were the carrier of a fungus that destroyed pine trees. Decades later, the ban was lifted at the federal level, and the matter was left to the states. 
As explained in the Library of Congress blog article “America’s Blackcurrant Ban,” “In some states, like New Hampshire, the cultivation of blackcurrants remains restricted. Less than a hundred miles away, in New York, farmers resumed cultivation in the early 2000s. This inconsistency could explain why blackcurrants still have not joined the popular ranks of their well-established fruit counterparts more than fifty years after federal growing restrictions ended.” Fascinating, impeccably researched article I highly recommend 🙂
Blackcurrants are packed with delicious nutrition, as evidenced in the specialized literature. The Healthline.com article “6 Health Benefits of Black Currant” highlights some of the amazing qualities of these tiny fruits and of their leaves (the latter can be used in teas): abundance of vitamins, anti-inflammatory properties, decreasing plaque buildup, lowering blood pressure etc.
Upon coming back home from our recent family vacation, I noticed that the blackcurrants from our bushes were ready to eat. This is our first blackcurrant harvest, and there are only a handful of fruits.
I used some as an ice cream garnish on the summery dessert plate below, featuring ice cream sprinkled with Melissa’s Produce Clean Snax Coconut, Ginger & Turmeric (my detailed review of these snacks can be found here), with fresh mint, mulberries, and edible flowers.Â
So delicious and gorgeous:
Blackcurrants as a bagel topping have been on repeat in this house. I have been obsessed with sourdough discard bagels ever since I came across Acts of Sourdough’s recipe. I must have made these bagels at least 10 times in the past 2 months, including a batch to take with us on our family vacation (lol) This recipe is perfect if you’re looking for ways to use up sourdough discard.
Last but not least, I recently included blackcurrants along with other fruits in one of my all-time favorite sponge cakes, a family recipe that’s very dear to me. The tartness of the currants worked great in combination with the cherries, mulberries, and raspberries, and the soft texture of the cake was perfect to highlight the goodness of the fruitylicious variety inside. I drizzled some lilac honey on top – and voila, my sweet baked snack was ready, and it was sooo delicious!
Do you like white, red or black currants, and do you have a favorite recipe? Let me know in the comments 🙂
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