White Currant Versailles Blanche - Ribes rubrum

The 'White Versailles' currant is a vigorous variety with regular and abundant fertility. Hardy, it produces long clusters of approximately ten translucent white fruits, more or less amber in colour. Their juicy pulp is sweet, fruity, and slightly acidic. They are suitable for eating straight from the bush. The berries can be harvested from mid-July. Easy to grow in non-scorching sun and well-drained, even poor soil.

The red currant, also known as Ribes rubrum, belongs to the Grossulariaceae family. It has been cultivated for a long time and grows wild in many temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, from Europe to Siberia and even to Manchuria. 'White Versailles' is a bushy, non-thorny shrub with a clumping habit of slightly stiff, ramified branches. The wood is soft and has abundant pith. This bush will reach a height of 1.50 m (5ft) and a width of 1 m (3ft). The foliage is deciduous, composed of palmate, lobed, and aromatic medium green leaves. Flowering takes place in late April, with clusters of small, inconspicuous greenish to brownish flowers that are intensely visited by bees. Fruit production occurs mainly on one- and two-year-old branches. The bush is then covered in numerous clusters of small, round, translucent berries, initially green and then white-amber in colour, with a diameter of 6 mm (<1in) and containing small seeds. Harvesting takes place as the fruits ripen, starting from mid-July. The currants have pale, juicy, sweet flesh with low acidity and a thin skin. Currant are low in calories (whether they are white or red), rich in minerals and trace elements, as well as potassium, calcium, and phosphorus. They are also a good source of vitamin C and dietary fibre.

Use fresh currants in jelly or pastries for tart fillings or to make sorbets. In the garden, this bush, unassuming for much of the year, becomes attractive when laden with its long clusters of translucent pearls that shimmer in the summer light. The pleasure is threefold, both visual and gustatory, but also olfactory when its warm foliage fills the garden with fragrance. It pairs well with varieties of pink or red cluster currants, gooseberries, as well as shrubs that offer beautiful fruiting (non-edible), such as Leycesteria formosa, callicarpas, Nandina domestica and its varieties, Japanese flowering quinces, the small-leaved Cotoneaster, St. John's worts Magical Beauty, and symphorines. For small gardens or to save space, it is clever to train this currant against a wall or grow it as a standard. Note that the currant can also be grown in an orchard on a terrace, as it performs well in large pots with a depth of at least forty centimetres, but care should be taken not to water it with excessively hard water.

The wild currant Ribes rubrum has medicinal properties. It is used to treat rheumatism and infectious diseases, especially when the fruits are consumed fresh.