99.9% of Americans have never tasted a Blackcurrant or Gooseberry. For nearly a century, the US government conducted a war on currants and gooseberries. The History Guy YT
I remember my Grandmother having Gooseberry in her garden and joking that they would get her in more trouble than the still she ran on her property.
Can someone tell me why so I don’t have to watch the video?
TLDW: A fungus called "white pine blister rust" can only pollinate in the presence of white pine trees and "ribes" (pronounced rye-bees), which is what currants and gooseberries are. The lumber was deemed far more valuable so in order to save it from the spread of the fungus, cultivation of ribes was outlawed and the US Government enacted a large scale eradication.
Thank you. And TIL why ribeana is called ribeana.
It seems mad to me that the US essentially banned a food group so they could make money by cutting down trees. Why didn’t they follow the lead of Europe and just focus on reforestation and breading genetically immune pine trees?
So that's why it's called Ribena! Ribena is a blackcurrant juice that's commonly sold in the UK.
Disease
I grew up in the USA and my parents had to go to Canada to get Ribena (Black Currant syurp) for me as a baby because that was the only thing I drank
Breast milk probably woulda been better but hey your still here and thats what counts...
Ribena is the shit.
Weird, my parents were able to buy Black Currant syrup in the U.S. Just not the actual fruit lol.
I love putting the syrup in a bottle of mineral water.
In Canada, we have gooseberries in our yard. Currants are also delicious.
I haven't had gooseberry yet, but I get black currant all the time. I haven't had rhubarb either, but having learned it's supposed to be sour as hell, I wanna try it. I fuckin' love sour stuff.
I can try the gooseberry in a pie, since they sell gooseberry pies at the bakery in the grocery store across the street. No one out here has rhubarb, tho. Not even Sprouts. :(
Rhubarb was basically a weed around where I grew up. Yes, sour as hell but delicious! Sweeten it up and turn it into a sauce or pie - to die for. I've seen it in the store around here, but never get it cuz it's crazy expensive. You should definitely try it if you get the chance.
I'm from the Midwest and it's pretty crazy to read that rhubarb is expensive lol. Everyone in my family has at least one plant and people are always happy to give you a cutting if you want more. They grow easily and are hard to kill even if you try to do it.
Apple rhubarb pie might be my favorite pie
Strawberry-rhubarb cobbler is awesome
From the US. The first time I tried jelly babies, the black currant flavored ones blew me away. I've had the real thing now as well (in jam form), and it's so so good.
I grew up with a golden currant patch in my yard in New Mexico.
here in Canada I know of a few spots nearby these are growing, just north of the states border. Crazy to think if they were growing just a few miles south of where they are, they'd be on a hit list.
Currants are great. Super underrated in North America. The authenic "purple" flavour imo.
Oof check your link, dont send people to that hell hole! They are sneaky, tricked you into thinking you posted a jpeg.
I just watched this episode! Getting psyched for the new season!
Whoah! I just today got my first ever gooseberry off the bushes I planted last year and then saw this a couple hours later. I feel special.
Gooseberry pie best pie.
I've only ever had it once. And that was about 30 years ago lol. But it was good.
Currants are delicious and I wish we had them here more often
In NJ, you have to get a permit to grow black current even in your backyard. Only 4 varieties allowed. Red current and gooseberry can be grown without restrictions. So, I have gooseberry, but birds like it too...