Have been picking my redcurrants as they are red, apart from the last berry at the bottom of the thread that is white and my allotment friend told me leave them for a week or two as they will get bigger. Do you think he is right, they are netted but not completely. Must admit I am very impatient and we are forecast heavy rain tonight which may help or spoil them. He is a very nice man but not always right, although he thinks he is. Any opinions on this please??
Mine aren't even ripe yet. I keep peeking under the fleece jacket hoping to see the lovely glasslike fruits, but no.
I am not convinced they will get much bigger. Mine fattened up nicely each time it rained. I eat anything red before the birds get to them. They seem to be able to get past any netting that I put out, so it only seems to be a deterant. Only ones I have red are those I put in a plastic bag. Birds not yet fathomed that out. Not without problems since it gets a bit humid in the bag and the leaves can start to go mouldy.
That last berry always seems to linger as white.
I take off the lot and the red one either ripens before use or not. I think they redden quicker once taken from the stem
Either way they taste just as good so there is no hazzard at all. If you are using in a summer pudding then it looks like an extra fruit.
If you are making jelly then the colour wont matter either.
So, you can choose. Leaving them just means you get a lot together rather than a few at a time to enjoy
I always leave my redcurrants on the bushes, until they almost start to shrivel. Only then will the berries be really full flavoured and as sweet as they can get. It will be about the first week in August before they are ready with Rovada being even later. They are fully covered against the birds.
I started picking my redcurrants at the weekend and like Borlotti, the last currant on many of the trusses is still white. I find that if you leave them that last one will turn red but by that time, the ones at the other end may have started to shrivel so best to spread your picking over the season for as long as possible. The longer you leave them and the more rain you get the more they will swell but if they look ready now no point leaving them and taking the chance.
The birds have taken most of the fruit from the top of my bush but there is so much hanging on the underneath branches that it's not worth netting - plenty for all.