Blackcurrants hang in bunches which are quite easy to pull of the bush.

Blackcurrant fruit comes on last year’s stems, which means that the fruit bearing stems are pruned out to encourage new growth for next year’s harvest.

It is therefore quite in order to cut off the whole twig bearing the blackcurrants, and then pick the berries off later.

The flower stalks of the blackcurrant (called strigs) are quite short, but pose a problem when preparing berries for the kitchen. A table fork will strip the blackcurrants off the stalk.