Currant is a small berry that grows on a low, bushy shrub. Currants are round and smooth, and they have a sour flavor. Their colors include black, red, gold, and white. Currant plants grow best in northern regions where the weather is generally cool and humid.
There is little commercial production of currants in the United States, but the berries are grown in many home gardens. Red currants and black currants are popular in northern Europe, where they grow wild. Red currants are used for jellies, jams, wines, and pies. Black currants, which are popular in Canada as well, have a sharper flavor and are used mainly for making juice.
Currant plants serve as host plants for a disease called white pine blister rust fungus. This disease is harmful to white pines and similar trees. For this reason, the growing of currant plants was once banned in many areas of the United States. The ban has been lifted in most states.
