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Currants, black and red, are one of the most beloved and popular berry crops among gardeners. It is unpretentious, frost-resistant, does not require special attention, unlike other fruit-bearing plants. The beneficial properties of wild currants (repis) are due to the composition of the fruits, which contain a whole pantry of vitamins, trace elements, which makes it indispensable for the nutrition of adults and children.
Where does wild currant grow?
Wild currant (repis) grows in forests, along the banks of rivers and swamps, in ravines. The culture is very common in Siberia and the Far East, the Urals and Kazakhstan, as well as in the forests of western and central Our Country. Wild currants are grown everywhere in gardens, in household plots. The exception is regions with a very cold climate.
Description and photo of wild currant
Repis is a powerful, sprawling shrub with a height of 1 to 3 m, which is distinguished not only by its decorative effect, but also by a fairly good yield of healthy, tasty berries. In appearance, the small three-lobed leaf plates of the plant resemble gooseberry leaves. Saturated green, they are covered with red and yellow spots by autumn, which makes the currant very spectacular and attractive.
A visual photo of wild currant demonstrates the charming flowering of the shrub.
It blooms with bright, large yellow flowers in late May, attracting bees with its pleasant aroma. Fruiting begins in mid-July with medium-sized berries in color from red, light brown to black. The shape of the fruit is round, slightly elongated. The taste is sweet and sour, but with a more pronounced sourness. Especially sour are the berries of red currant, which is a kind of black wild repis.
Useful video about the description and growth of repis:
Useful properties of wild currant
Wild currant fruits are not only tasty, but also very healthy due to the large amount of vitamins and minerals. Just like the leaves, they have a diuretic and antipyretic, anti-inflammatory effect. Therefore, they are recommended to be eaten for infectious and colds, reduced immunity. Repis berries are useful for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular organs, and oncology. In addition, they:
- improve mental activity;
- reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood;
- strengthen blood vessels;
- cleanse the body of waste and toxins.
Such useful qualities of the plant are explained by the unique composition of currant fruits. Repis berries contain a large amount of vitamins, organic acids, tannins, essential oils. They also contain pectin, which makes it possible to widely use currants for making all kinds of jellies and jams.
Противопоказания
Currant fruits are not recommended to be eaten:
- with acute diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- hepatitis;
- heart attacks and strokes;
- thrombophlebitis.
It is impossible to eat currants in large quantities, especially red ones, and people prone to allergies. One of the main contraindications to the use of berries is their individual intolerance.
Wild Currant Recipes
In cooking, the fruits of wild red and black currants are widely used for making jelly, jam, jams, compotes, fruit drinks. Proper preparation of preparations for winter use allows you to save vitamins and useful elements, which is especially important for maintaining good health in the cold season. Below are the most popular recipes.
vitamin jam
To make jam you need:
- 1,5 kg of berries;
- 1 kg of granulated sugar.
Berries are ground in a blender, food processor or passed through a meat grinder. Then mix with sugar until it is completely dissolved. Jam is placed in clean prepared jars and stored in the refrigerator. Due to the absence of heat treatment, it retains all the vitamins and beneficial properties.
Jam Pyatiminutka
From 3 kg of sugar and 2 tbsp. water, syrup is boiled, in which 2 kg of berries, selected from debris and twigs, are laid. After boiling, cook for 5 minutes. Pour hot into prepared jars and close with lids. Quick cooking allows you to save useful substances, makes cooking simple, and the jam itself is unusually tasty and fragrant.
Jam
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of sugar;
- 1 kg of berries;
- 1 lemon.
The lemon is pitted and, together with the fruits of the currant, is ground through a meat grinder. Mix with sugar and put on a slow fire. After boiling, cook for 30 minutes, stirring and removing the foam. The resulting hot jam is poured into jars and corked. The delicious taste of currants is harmoniously complemented by citrus notes.
The fruits of repis are dried and frozen for the winter. In the cold season, it is enough to throw some dry berries into tea so that the drink acquires useful properties and is saturated with the unique aroma of summer. Frozen burdock berries are often used to decorate confectionery. When frozen, they completely retain all the characteristic properties and composition.
Planting and caring for wild currants in the garden
Wild currant repis is unpretentious to climate and growing conditions. It is able to grow and bear fruit on any soil: from sandy to clay. However, in order for the harvest to please with its abundance, pleasant taste of fruits, you should choose the right seedlings and a place for planting. Planting material must be:
- with a developed root system measuring at least 20 cm, without dried roots;
- with stiff branches, each of which has 3 – 4 healthy buds.
After planting, repis does not require particularly careful personal care. But do not forget about the basic agricultural practices – watering, fertilizing, pruning.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
Currant repis can grow on any soil. However, in order for the fruiting to be good, and the shrub to please with its decorative appearance, it is better to plant it in a sunny, well-lit place in fertile, high-humidity soil. To do this, the site is dug up with the introduction of humus or rotted manure into the ground. With the planned planting in the spring, this can be done in the fall. Planting holes are dug 40×40 in size and compost or rotted humus is added to each.
Rules of landing
The basic rules for planting wild currant repis are as follows:
- planting of seedlings is carried out in early spring or autumn in well-lit places protected from drafts and cold winds;
- the site should not be swampy, waterlogged;
- it is necessary to plant 2 bushes of repis on the site for a full fruit set.
Currants begin to bear fruit in very small quantities from the second year of planting, but a full-fledged crop is obtained only in the 3rd – 4th year.
Landing algorithm:
- dig holes measuring 50×50 at a distance of 1,5 m from each other;
- rotted manure, humus or superphosphate is added to each planting hole;
- fertilizers are sprinkled with earth and seedlings are planted;
- fall asleep, compact and water abundantly.
Wild currant repis responds well to the introduction of wood ash, so it is also added when planting seedlings, at the rate of 2 cups per bush.
Watering and top dressing
Wild currant is quite drought-resistant and undemanding to regular watering. However, after planting, young plants must be watered with warm water once a week. After the leaves bloom, watering is limited, since powdery mildew is likely to develop here. The rest of the time, repis is recommended to be watered no more than once every 1 weeks.
In early spring, wild currants are annually fed with mineral fertilizers or bird droppings. For mineral top dressing, the following composition is suitable:
- superphosphate (20g);
- ammonium nitrate (15g);
- potassium sulfate (15g).
In autumn, in order for the shrub to prepare well for the dormant period, humus is introduced into the soil, at least 5 kg for an adult bush and 1 glass of wood ash.
Trimming
Wild currant does not require regular pruning. Her bushes practically do not thicken. Meanwhile, spring sanitary pruning allows you to get rid of damaged, dry and broken branches. During the haircut, weak processes are also removed. When growing burdock for decorative purposes, formative pruning is carried out, leaving strong, strong shoots and cutting off the apical parts to form a crown.
Preparation for winter
Repis grows almost everywhere, except for areas with a very cold climate. Therefore, he does not need shelter for the winter. Frost-resistant culture easily tolerates low air temperatures – up to 40 – 45 degrees below zero under snow cover. Preparation for winter consists in mulching the near-stem circle with fallen leaves, peat, which will additionally protect the root system from freezing, and in spring it will become a good top dressing, which has a beneficial effect on the active growth of the bush.
Harvesting
Berries of wild currant repis ripen in mid-June – early August: it all depends on the specific climatic conditions. Fruiting lasts 1,5 – 2 months, during which the fruits do not crumble and hold firmly on the branches. Harvest in stages, as the berries ripen, which ripen unevenly.
Conclusion
The beneficial properties of wild currant (repisa) forced gardeners to take a closer look at this berry crop. Despite the prevalence of cultivated, hybrid currant varieties, it is especially popular precisely because of its unique properties. Often unpretentious, frost-resistant shrubs are planted to protect the site from cold winds. Well, a nice bonus of decorative green spaces is a good harvest of delicious, incredibly healthy berries.