HARVESTING BLACK CURRANT IN EARLY SUMMER

  The taste of black currant is heavenly! The berries ripen late in summer, but the distinctive taste can be enjoyed already.
  The leaves of black currant have the same aroma as the berries do. And the leaves are starting to bud now. What I do is collect the buds of those branches that have overgrown, or are too old, and use them in my cooking.

Black currant isn´t exactly a wild edible, and certainly not a weed, but it is sturdy, and grows outside without care. And is full of vitamins of course!

At this stage the leaves are very tender and soft.

You can whip them up in a blender with  your smoothie, or simply chop them up into a (fruit)salad.

  Here´s a refreshing green smoothie recipe for these early summer days:

1 small handful of black currant leaves
1 small piece of beet (to give color)
1 apple
1 banana
(one handful of cashews if you want a more filling smoothie)
water, as needed

+ Blend all until smooth.

  Keeping the ingredients quite simple allows the taste of black currant dominate and really play the head role in this concoction.  Bottoms up!