Chapters 4.58

4.58.Ribes Aureum

Jillian Rideout , University of Guelph, Canada

Suggested citation for this chapter.

Rideout,J. (2022) Fleshy Fruits. In The Student Encyclopedia of Canadian Indigenous Foods. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.firstnationsfoods.org/

Introduction

What is a Golden Currant?

Ribes aureum is a shrub plant that grows a golden berry.. Ribes aureum is more commonly known as the golden currant The shrub averages around 2-3 meters tall (Wynia, 2011). The plant usually blossoms in the spring with golden yellow flowers (Wynia, 2011). The fruit growing off the shrub are 1cm wide berries that will be yellow to black when ripe (Wynia, 2011). Golden currant has a close cousin called black currants that people enjoy (Heiberg & Manage, 2003). Black currants are grown mainly in Europe, there are some grown in North America but black currants are more popular in Europe. Researchers are trying to make more varieties that will work in different countries (Heiberg & Manage, 2003).

Figure 1. A Golden Currant Bush. This picture shows what a wild golden currant bush would look like (Rasbak, 2007).

The History of a Golden Currant

The golden currant was used for more than just eating. The Indigenous communities used the berries for dye, and they used the wood from the shrub as arrows or even to make dice for games. There were medicinal uses for the plant, such as healing sores and reducing swelling (Natural History Museum of Utah, 2019). The name currant came from an ancient Greece city that was known for its production of currants (University of Massachusetts Amherst [UMass], 2009). In the 1700s, some currant plants were brought to North America from Europe. In the late 1890s, the fungus that causes white pine blister rot (WPBR) was brought to North America on an infected plant. Currants are very susceptible to this disease (UMass ,2009). Since it is so susceptible, and currants grow on the floor of the forest, they spread (UMass, 2009).

Geographic Location

These plants are native to Canada and some, but not all, of the United States of America (Wynia, 2011). You can usually find shrubs near gravel banks and plains around or near flowing water streams (Wynia, 2011). Golden currants can grow in lots of different areas. They do not need much to grow; this makes them such great plants because they are adaptable (Wynia, 2011). Before planting golden currants, check what state you are in because certain states have currant plants that can bring disease to other plants. Golden currants grow in areas above sea level. They are not found in low elevation areas (Benfer,2010).

Figure 3. this image shows a map of all the possible locations the golden currants can grow. (Fertig, 2013)

Associated Indigenous Peoples

There are quite a few different Indigenous nations that use currants because of the vast and diverse growing conditions for the golden currants. Here are some of the nations that would have golden currants growing on their land.Anishinabewaki, Cree, Atikamekw Nitassinan, Nitassinan, Eeyou Istchee, Michif Piyii (Metis), Denendeh, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla Nuumu, Yokuts, Nde Konitsaaii Gokiyaa Mescalero Apache and Mississauga (Native Land, 2021).The Gitksan of British Columbia would make dry cakes with the raw fruit (Benfer,2010). The community Hopi cautioned against consuming to many golden currants because eating too much of the golden currants can make someone feel sick (Benfer,2010)

The Uses of a Golden Currant

The Indigenous use the fruit to make jelly and pemmican, a high-energy food made of meat, fat, and fruit. The berries can be eaten raw and used for medicinal reasons and food (Wynia, 2011). Another way the golden currant was consumed was in a mush with seed flour mixed into it. For this to be done, the berries of the golden currant needed to be dried and ground (Natural History Museum of Utah, 2019). Indigenous groups used a metate to ground the berries (Natural History Museum of Utah, 2019). A metate is a grinding tool. These are usually two pieces of stone, one is more a bowl shape, and the other has a blunt round end to mash the grain (McMahon, 2022). Indigenous use every part of a plant when they can. They do not want to leave anything to waste. They used the plant’s inner bark as a poultice for skin sores and swellings (Lloyd,2018). The branches also were used for arrows (Lloyd,2018). A poultice is the application of crude, fresh herbs to the skin (Roman et al., 2010).

The golden currants were eaten almost all year around because they were very easily perverserved in jams and jellies. During the winter the raw fruit was eaten in a thin dry cake eaten with the oil of different meats like salmon, bear and groundhog (Benfer,2010). The fruit also was used to make currant soup and to flavour stews (Benfer, 2010). In early spring before the berries were ready to be picked the leaves were used for teas and to be eaten with uncooked deer fat (Benfer,2010). Some Indigenous groups would only feed the berries to the children and the adults wouldn’t eat them.

Is it still being Consumed

Golden Currants are not as popular as they were. One of the reasons they may not be as popular is because of the ban the United States of America had on golden currant bushes for a long time. The ban was recently lifted when scientists discovered a bush resistant to WPBR(Hoglin, 2022). This could be one of the biggest reasons it is not as popular as blueberries (Hoglin, 2022).

Figure 4. this is a picture of a Golden currant bush. (Fertig, 2013)

Golden Currants was a common food source for Indigenous peoples in Canada. They used the plant in lots of ways to help them survive. They also showed these shrubs to early European settlers. Golden currant shrubs were usually found to grow on hillsides and near streams (Benfer,2010).

References

1.Benfer, A. (2010, January 20). Foods indigenous to the Western Hemisphere. American Indian Health - Health. https://aihd.ku.edu/foods/currants_gooseberries.html

2.Currants - the center for agriculture, food and the environment at University of Massachusetts Amherst UMass Extension for Agriculture. (2009). https://ag.umass.edu/sites/ag.umass.edu/files/fact-sheets/pdf/currants.pdf

3.Golden Currant. Natural History Museum of Utah. (2019). https://nhmu.utah.edu/golden-currant

4.Heiberg, N., & Maage, F. (2003). Currants and gooseberries. Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition (Second Edition). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B012227055X003175

5.Hoglin, J. (2022). Gooseberries and currants. Gooseberry Gardens. https://www.gooseberrygardens.ca/post/gooseberries-and-currants

6.Fertig, W. (2013). U.S. Forest Service. Forest Service Shieldfrom https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/ribes_aureum.shtml

7.McMahon Last Modified Date: October 25, M. (2022, October 25). What is a metate? Delighted Cooking. https://www.delightedcooking.com/what-is-a-metate.html

8.Lloyd, K. (2018). Ribes aureum Golden Currant - mtnativeplants.org. Montana Native Plant Society. https://www.mtnativeplants.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/LC-Ribes-aureum-golden-currant.pdf

9.Romm, A., Ganora, L., Hoffmann, D., Yarnell, E., Abascal, K., & Coven, M. (2010). Fundamental principles of herbal medicine. Botanical Medicine for Women's Health, https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-443-07277-2.00003-9

10.Rusbak. (2020). File:Melilotus officinalis Citroengele honingklaver plant.jpg . Wikimedia Commons . photograph. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Melilotus_officinalis_Citroengele_honingklaver_plant.jpg.

11.Welcome. Native Land. (2021) https://native-land.ca/

12.Wynia, R. (2011). Golden Currant Plant Fact Sheet. United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.