Green Currant Birds Won't Touch

The dacha and vegetable-garden season continues in the Arkhangelsk Region. Many readers have complained to 29.RU about birds. Some have lost their cherries, others their currants. Only one berry the feathered visitors do not peck. We share the observations of an experienced dacha gardener from Arkhangelsk.

— Have you noticed how many birds there are this summer on garden plots in the Arkhangelsk Region? Even all sorts of scarecrows do not help. I think everyone has those decoy birds by now, fluttering in the wind. We use different methods — rattling cans and store-bought solutions — but the birds still get bold. Especially when we leave… — comments Ekaterina, a dacha gardener from Arkhangelsk.

After a week«s absence, Ekaterina walked around the bushes and was upset. Many bushes had been pecked. Only one bush remained untouched — the one with green currants.

— These berries blend in with the foliage; I do not know how birds« eyesight works, but they missed this currant. And the berry, by the way, is very tasty and aromatic. And it went to us, not the birds. The variety is called »Emerald Necklace.« It smells like black currant, and the taste is closer to it too. But outwardly it resembles white or red currant.

«Emerald Necklace» is a unique green-fruited variety of black currant. Its main difference is large, bright-green berries with a golden sheen that do not change color as they ripen. The currant«s taste is pleasant, sweet, with a slight tartness.

— The bushes withstand harsh winters well, so for a dacha or plot in the Arkhangelsk Region it is just the thing. Also, since the berry has no redness, it can be given to allergy sufferers and children; there will be no negative reaction. We make jam from this currant for the winter. And, of course, we eat it fresh. It is very tasty.

How to make jam from «Emerald Necklace» currants:

Ingredients: 1 kg (2.2 lb) berries, 1 kg (2.2 lb) sugar, and 50 ml water.

The berries should be washed well, and twigs and other small debris removed.

Pour 50 ml water over the berries. Put on the heat, wait for a boil, and cook for five minutes.

Then blend everything and rub the mass through a sieve: this will help remove the skins and seeds.

Next, add sugar to the resulting puree in a 1:1 ratio and cook over low heat for 10–15 minutes until thickened. Be sure to stir the mass.

Pour the finished hot jam into sterile jars and seal with sterile lids.

An important point: when cooking, it is better to use a wide saucepan with a thick bottom so the jam does not burn.

Earlier we told you which raspberries in the Arkhangelsk Region please with berries the longest, and how to preserve them for the winter.

We also wrote about why raspberry jam is not the healthiest way to preserve food for the winter.

Take note of this unusual way of preserving cucumbers too: the recipe was shared by a cardiac surgeon from Arkhangelsk.

To make a tasty assortment of vegetables from your plot, check out the recipe from an experienced dacha gardener.

And if you are a mushroom picker, you know that the most valuable treat on the table is chanterelles. The main thing is to fry these mushrooms properly.

We would like to know how you fight birds: share your successful experience.