Season: July

Description: Edible currants include black currants, red currants and white currants. Black currants, in particular, were once popular in the United States, but became extremely rare in the 20th century after the Federal government banned currant farming in the early 1900s. Blackcurrants were considered a threat to the U.S. logging industry because they were a host to White Pine Blister Rust. However, in 1966 the federal ban on growing currants was shifted to individual states' jurisdiction, and New York state lifted the ban in 2003. As a result, currant growing is making a comeback in New York, Vermont, Connecticut and Oregon.