46. CURRANTS come in three varieties--red, white, and black. They are
not often eaten fresh, but are generally utilized for making jellies,
jams, and preserves, or for pastry and pies. When they are to be used
for jelly, it is not necessary to pick them from the stems, as they may
be washed and cooked on their stems. Some varieties of currants are
dried and these are used extensively in the making of cakes, cookies,
etc. The usefulness of this fruit as a food is not so great as many
others. No recipes are given for it because of its little use in the
fresh form.
47. GOOSEBERRIES, like currants, are somewhat limited in their variety
of uses, being seldom used except for jelly, preserves, and pies. Before
gooseberries are ripe they are light green in color and rather sour in
taste, but as they ripen the amount of acid they contain decreases, so
that they become sweet in flavor and change to brownish-purple. Green
gooseberries are often canned for pies, and when in this state or when
partly ripe they are also made up into many kinds of preserves and
jelly. In their preparation for these uses, both the stems and the
blossom ends should be removed. As a rule, berries of this kind keep
very well and stand considerable handling because their outside skin is
very tough.
48. LOGANBERRIES are a fruit produced by crossing a variety of red
raspberries with a species of blackberry. They are not very common, but
are an excellent berry and are well liked by those who can obtain them.
They may be used for any purpose for which either raspberries or
blackberries are used. Therefore, in the recipes given for these two
kinds of berries, loganberries may be substituted whenever they can
be obtained.
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