Re: [nafex] Non-Crandall Clove Currant?

Jeff, to my knowledge the only nursery that ever offered R. odoratum seedlings was Bear Creek, in northeastern Washington State. Unfortunately, that nursery has been out of business for a number of years.

I don't know if anyone really knows whether the true vegetatively propagated Crandall selection still exists. The Repository at Corvallis has a clonal selection, which was donated by either a nursery, breeder, or an enthusiast. Whether it is actually the true Crandall is something I don't think anyone knows. The original selection was made before 1900 in Kansas. I grew up in west-central Kansas, where buffalo currants grow wild and bear profusely. I have grown Crandall here in Minnesota and although the plant I had here bore heavily, it ripened in late August instead of about July 4 as it ripens in Kansas. The selection I grew here in St. Paul lacked the really rich and sweet flavor of the wild currants we picked in Kansas. I don't think its flowers were as fragrant, either. However, the traits my Crandall plant displayed in Minnesota may have been greatly affected by the climate and amount of heat available during ripening.

I wish someone would test a number of wild clove currant selections to see if any are superior to the Crandall currant that is available from nurseries today. Clove currants are not difficult to establish from seed; my mother used to throw out the water she washed them in (which also contained a lot of seeds from burst berries) in a rough spot near our farmhouse, and eventually she had a patch of seedlings. However, they never bore enough currants to meet her needs. To get that amount the whole family went currant picking each summer along the creeks and roadsides as well as in our pastures.

My dad's favorite pie was wild currant pie, which IS delicious served warm with vanilla ice cream. Mom canned wild currants so he could have currant pie anytime she found the time to make it. And mom made lots of wild currant jelly. She even helped me make wine from wild currants one year.

We've sort of pussyfooted around the R. odoratum-R. aureum debate that botanists are engaged in. Prof. Nils Hansen made a number of golden current selections at South Dakota State University a number of years ago, but I think all of those have been lost. -- Sam Brungardt, St. Paul, Minn.

-----Original Message-----
From: nafex [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Jeffrey Boulier via nafex
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2014 6:05 PM
To: Mailing List at Ibiblio - Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
Subject: [nafex] Non-Crandall Clove Currant?

Hi folks,
Is anyone aware of a nursery (or collector) selling non-Crandall selections of Ribes Odoratum/Clove currant? I have checked my usual suspects, and only "Crandall" and generic ones come up. Lee Reich mentions that Crandall is not a single clonal variety, with some seedlings having been sold under that name, but since I have no way of telling if the Crandall I already have is the same as that from other suppliers, I'd like something that is definitively different.
Thanks,Jeff
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