Blackcurrant Organic Andega - Ribes nigrum

The Organic Blackcurrant Andega, from Organic Farming, is a highly productive variety, offering long clusters of black-pinkish very aromatic fruits with a tangy flavour. This variety is self-fertile and has good disease resistance, particularly to powdery mildew. Enjoy blackcurrants in juice, jams, pies, or as an accompaniment to savory dishes. Plant preferably in autumn, or in spring with regular watering. Harvesting takes place from early July. Andega is a very good pollinator for other blackcurrant varieties.

Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) belongs to the Grossulariaceae family, like Gooseberries. It is a deciduous bush, native to regions ranging from the Pyrenees to central Asia. Cultivated since the 16th century, the Blackcurrant grows spontaneously in the cool woods of northeastern Europe.

The fruits appear on 2-year-old branches and become less frequent on 4-year-old branches and older. Harvest when the fruits are fully black and begin to fall to the ground. Wait for the fruits to ripen completely before harvesting. The Andega variety, obtained by INRA, is the result of the cross-breeding of Noir de Bourgogne x Ojebyn. It offers regular production, with firm and highly aromatic fruits and a slightly tangy flavour. Blackcurrants are rich in tannins, aromas, vitamin C and C2. They can be consumed fresh in a mixed-berry salad, as juice, syrup, jams or jellies, in pastries (pies, charlottes, and sorbets), or as an accompaniment to savory dishes. They are used in the production of liqueurs and nectars. Blackcurrants can be well preserved when dried or frozen, providing a reserve of fruits for the winter.

The Blackcurrant forms a vigorous bush, with an upright habit and few branches, reaching a height of 1.50m (5ft) with a spread of 1m (3ft). The plant reaches its adult size in three years. It is a very hardy bush, resistant to temperatures as low as -20°C (-4°F) but susceptible to drought in summer. The leaves, deciduous, are large, flat, with three to five lobes with toothed edges, bright green and pleasantly fragrant when crushed. Leaves, fruits, and buds are intensely fragrant due to the presence of glands containing essential oils, which are used in perfumery. The bark is smooth and reddish on young branches and darkens with age.

Flowering occurs in spring, in the form of small bell-shaped flowers that are often barely visible. It is followed by the formation of large berries with a black and shiny skin, grouped in long clusters. Some Blackcurrant varieties are self-fertile, while others require the proximity of another variety for proper pollination. The Andega variety is self-fertile and a good pollinator for the Noir de Bourgogne variety. In a blackcurrant plantation, as in any plantation, it is important to alternate varieties and species, when space allows it: pollination will be favored, even if the variety is self-fertile, and the risk of diseases will be limited. In the garden, create a small gourmet hedge by mixing Blackcurrants, Gooseberries, and Raspberries, for example, along the edge of a vegetable garden or place the Blackcurrant within a flower bed of shrubs.