The old-timer of the Russian garden is currant. In Ancient Russia, it grew everywhere. The banks of the Moskva River were once completely covered with its thickets. It is no coincidence that the old, now forgotten name of the river is Smorodinovka.
For today's gardeners, currants are still one of the “garden favorites”. According to experts, currant berries contain more than 700 biologically active substances necessary for a person, as well as a complex of vitamins, essential oils, trace elements. And all this is in the most optimal combination. However, currant owes its popularity not only to the healing properties of its berries, but also to their magnificent sweet and sour taste.
What kind of currant is the sweetest, i.e. contains the maximum amount of useful sugars and the minimum amount of acids? It turns out that the Belarusian sweet variety is not at all so widespread in our country. After many years of research, a group of specialists from the Research Institute of Breeding of Fruit Crops has compiled a rating of the sweetest varieties of black currant. The first three are the varieties "Otlnitsa", "Nina", "Bagheera". Their berries contain about 11 percent sugars and are especially good for dessert.
But the owner of the most vitamin berries is the variety "Muravushka." It is from "Muravushka" that the most useful compotes, juices and five-minute jam are obtained. Another feature of the variety is indicated by its name: almost until the very frosts, its leaves do not turn yellow and do not dry out. "Muravushka" can rightfully be considered not only a berry, but also an ornamental variety of black currant, which can be used to form a wonderful green hedge, which will be not only beautiful, but also useful.
The largest-fruited variety of black currant in our latitudes is "Exotic". According to the authors, the berries of this variety reach 3.5 g, but they are often larger than cherries. They are similar to Isabella grapes not only in size but also in taste. In addition to the large-fruited variety, the variety has one more advantage: it is resistant to powdery mildew and kidney mites. Unfortunately, while "Exotic" fully justifies its name: in the garden this variety of black currant is a great rarity, but, apparently, this novelty has a great future.
