Golden currant

What it is

A golden currant measures just 0.6–1 cm (¼–⅜ in) across. It is round to oval, with numerous seeds inside. The berries pass through yellow and red as they darken, while the shrub has spineless branches and leaves shaped like small maple leaves. Its botanical name is Ribes aureum.

Where it comes from

Golden currant grows across western North America, from southern Canada to California, Arizona, South Dakota and western Texas. Its homes include stream banks, mountain meadows, thickets and roadside ditches.

It travelled to European gardens in the nineteenth century. Escaped garden plants now grow wild in western and central Europe, extending its range beyond its North American home.

How it's eaten where it grows

On the North American Plains, Indigenous peoples ate golden currants and their close relative, Ribes odoratum, fresh or dried. Dried berries mixed with dried buffalo meat or venison went into pemmican.

A Colorado preparation turns one batch of berries into both jelly and jam: the cooked juice drips through a jelly bag overnight, then the remaining pulp cooks with more sugar to make jam. Golden currants also go into pies and ice cream.

How it's grown

The shrub usually stands 1–3 m (3–10 ft) tall and sheds its leaves each year. It grows from seed or cuttings and spreads through underground stems, sending up new shoots. Dry, exposed ground and a range of soils suit it. Currants generally begin bearing fruit after about three years; the golden currant’s yellow flowers smell of cloves.

When and where you'll find it

The berries usually ripen from June through August, sometimes beginning in May. In one New Mexico garden, ripe berries were being picked individually by hand by mid-June in 2018. For a home harvest, the shrub is grown as a garden plant, and the Watershed Nursery Cooperative in Richmond, California, raises it as one.