Buffalo Currants

Crandal Berries

Buffalo Currants are small berries, pea-sized though occasionally larger, with glossy, brownish-purple skin.

The bushes they grow on will be bush 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 metres) tall, spreading out 2 to 3 feet (about a metre.)

The weeping branches bend almost all the way to the ground with small, greyish-green leaves that turn yellowish-orange in the fall.

The bushes are self-fertile. They produce many fragrant yellow flowers with a smell reminiscent of cloves.

The weeping branches make fruit hard to spot inside the bush.

The ripe berries can be left on the bush for up to 2 months.

Cooking Tips for Buffalo Currants

The berries can be eaten raw or cooked, but because their flavour is quite bland, people often mix them with other kinds of berries to improve the flavour.

They can be used for jams, jellies, juice, syrups, wine, etc.

History Notes for Buffalo Currants

Native to North American prairies. The fruit appears to have first been identified for classification in Iowa in the 1890s.

Recipe Search

Also called:

Ribes aureum (Scientific Name)