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8:12 am
Knowledegable
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Sat 9-Jun-12
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Hi,
I had to chop out my red and black currant bushes yesterday (as the landscaper is in this week) and harvested about 3kg blackcurrants and 2kg red currants before removing the bushes. About 30% of the currants were ripe and the rest are in various stages of ripeness from green through to 'blush'.
Is there any hope of these ripening properly off the bush? I am willing to freeze in batches as they ripen until there is enough to process into jelly...
I have zero experience of these fruits so any/all advise much appreciated.
9:22 am
Supreme Being
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Sun 30-Jan-11
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I don't know the answer Rob, but I'll be interested too as husband picked a small bowlful of blackcurrants yesterday while they were still red.....
He's also picked some peas this morning before they've started swelling......I think he needs a lesson in how to recognise ripeness 
learning to love veg…..except celery :-O
11:16 am
Supreme Being
Wed 30-Dec-09
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Too late, I know, but I think I would have been tempted to temporarily plant them into big pots to help them finish off the ripening. I can't imagine they will ripen now, and not sure if I would want to use them unripened either. Sorry Rob. 
5:15 pm
Supreme Being
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Tue 1-Jan-13
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The few red blackcurrants I picked turned black overnight in a warm room. I have pick my red currants and I am leaving them on a plate to see what happens
Never give up Tomorrow is another day.
12:39 pm
Knowledegable
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Sat 9-Jun-12
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Thank you, so I guess I have a 50/50 chance of this working. They were all washed in a weak vinegar solution to clear off the dust (originating from the scale bug or powdery mildew...no real clue) and placed on trays undercover outdoors...so shall see what transpires.
3:00 pm
Supreme Being
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Tue 1-Jan-13
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I have been researching online , some sites say they don't ripen after picking, so say they do. My redcurrant bush, I bought at wilkinsons last year, I think has turned out to be a white currant. The berries are a pale cream colour with a slight blush, but are very soft and delicate. So I think they are ripe, you can very easily squash them when handling them.
Never give up Tomorrow is another day.
9:10 pm
Councillor
Wed 30-Dec-09
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I've got a blackcurrant bush in our garden and it looks like some of the currants might be ripe but I'm not 100% certain how to tell. I picked a few and some were sweetish and ripe-ish, while others were a bit hard and bitter. They all looked pretty much the same colour! I guess I should give them a squeeze before picking?
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3:14 pm
Knowledegable
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Sat 9-Jun-12
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Hi,
I can happily report back now that both red and black currants do ripen fairly well after picking. The red is considerably better at this than the black. The black currant berries mostly ripened but some just turned an odd brown colour and went squishy soft...
That said I got 9 bottles of black currant jelly and 5 bottles of red currant jelly out of what I took off the bushes so I am well pleased.
My poor gooseberry bush only produced 5 berries but they also tasted delicious (the strain is Hinnomaki Red so just just sweet enough to eat fresh).
3:16 pm
Knowledegable
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Sat 9-Jun-12
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bobquail said:
I've got a blackcurrant bush in our garden and it looks like some of the currants might be ripe but I'm not 100% certain how to tell. I picked a few and some were sweetish and ripe-ish, while others were a bit hard and bitter. They all looked pretty much the same colour! I guess I should give them a squeeze before picking?
Hi Bobquail, our black currant was of an older variety, even fully ripe it was disgustingly sour…making up the jelly I added 1 1/2 lb of sugar to each pint of juice (to give you an idea of sourness). They do go slightly soft (springy?) to the touch when fully ripe but ours did not develop the translucence that the red and white berries do when ripe.
3:25 pm
Supreme Being
Wed 30-Dec-09
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Rob, you must have had plenty of blackcurrants to make that amount of jelly - my poor little harvest was barely two handfuls! 
1:05 pm
Knowledegable
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Sat 9-Jun-12
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The bush was full of berries. A credit to the previous owners I guess as we did nothing to them since moving in last year. I have just been to the allotment and found four more bushes with ripe fruit as well ad two raspberries with tiny but tasty fruit. Not enough for jam sadly.
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