Where have all the currants gone? Can't find them anywhere.

[jmcarthur8]

Today, I'm making a few of Alton Brown's Free Range Fruitcakes for Christmas desserts. I went to three grocery stores and one local 'whole foods' type market, and none of them had dried currants. Was there a crop failure, or does no one buy them in my area anymore? Do you find them at your local supermarkets? They used to be with the raisins, but nary a tag on a shelf did I find.

When I got home, I looked online to see where to order some, and really don't know the best place to get them at the best price.
Meanwhile, I subbed out more of the other dried fruits instead of the currants. For my next batch, I'd like to use the currants, though, if I can find any.
Any recommendations?

[sunnyskies12]

They have what American's consider currants at Amazon (Sunmaid's Zante Currants or Bob's Red Mill Black Currants - which are also sold at bobsredmill.com). My Vons & Albertsons sell Sunmaid Zante Currants year round.

And they have real black currants here: http://www.currantc.com/index.php?sub...

The link takes you to their story, which explains why there were no genuine currants in the US until recently, and if you navigate around you can see where to buy them on their website.

[jmcarthur8]

I was so happy to finally find Zante currants at a local grocery store. It was the one supermarket that caters very much to the Latino trade, but is a standard American grocery store.

I bought two boxes. There were only two more boxes left on the shelf, so it still left me wondering if they are running out of stock, or if they are really popular with the clientele at that store.

[Jetgirly]

I just bought some for a salad and found them at the first place I looked- my local independent health food store. Bulk.

[Veggo]

Are currants a commercial crop? I have never seen them in markets. In my youth, we picked wild currants and my mother boiled and strained them with sugar and made a refreshing drink with club soda. Nice memory.
I guess currants aren't current.

[Harters]

Certainly a commercial crop - our local supermarkets always have currants, raisins and sultanas.

[Veggo]

I had to Google sultanas. Your side of the pond has more varieties of small fruit than mine has.

[sr44]

Maybe a black market ring in fruitcake supplies?

[drongo]

I can only find "Zante currants" which are not really currants at all but a type of raisin.

[Becca Porter]

I think the Zante currants are what most recipes are referring to.

[melpy]

This is what I use for all my currant recipes.

[Just Visiting]

That's true - that is in fact what I bought, not the berries from which currant jams are made.

Here is something I did not know about black currants: http://www.currantc.com/

Also happens to be a place to buy them.

[jmcarthur8]

dronge, the Zante currants are what I am looking for! I didn't realize that the fresh ones are a different species till after I'd posted my question. For this fruitcake, the teeny tiny raisins are perfect.

Sunmaid Zante currants used to be by the raisins at all our local grocery stores, and now it's like they've just disappeared from the face of the earth.
There are some WF stores in Atlanta, and we'll be heading over there a few times in the next week or two, so I'll make a point to stop at one of those stores. I guess I'll just load up on them, because I've been jonesing for some currant scones lately, too.

[Karl S]

Our markets still carry them in the Boston area, so they must be a depression-era victim of inventory-reductions in your area of Things That Don't Move Enough to Justify Taking Up Space. Has happened to lotsa things over the past 4 years...

[jmcarthur8]

That's been my suspicion ...

[sr44]

And Muscat raisins? My grandmother will be rolling in her grave if they aren't available.

[Just Visiting]

I just bought some at Whole Foods in the DC area in the bulk food aisle. They weren't in the bulk bins; they were in the dried fruit in clamshell packages section.

[coll]

I have only found them at Fairway here (never looked at Whole Foods, but they don't have at Trader Joes). There, they also come in generous sized clamshells. I have never found them in a regular grocery store, ever.

[RUK]

I couldn't find them either this year, so I simply used several different types of raisins. Worked out ok.