Friday, January 9, 2009

Ribes Rubrum Discovery

The sun was out partially today and I wandered all through my yards, taking photos from different angles, with the intent of having them on my computer to help plan the gardens this spring. There's a bush on the east side of the house that I have not looked at closely before. Today I noticed that it still had the plant tag on one of it's lower stems, and discovered that it is "Rubes Rubrum", or Red Currant! I also saw that it still had fruit hanging off some of the branches (though definitely past the harvesting stage), so I know that it produces well. The fact that it still had berries leads me to believe that the birds and deer didn't bother it much. Wow! So I looked it up online and discovered all sorts of great things about the excellent nutrient value, growth patterns, and plenty of recipes for this rather prized fruit. I'm excited! It propogates easily, so I'll cut a few branches and see what happens. Red Currant Tarts, jellies or Muffins...doesn't that sound good? Mmmmmm...

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