If possible, harvest in the early morning hours before field heat builds up in the fruit. Small quantities of fresh fruit can be stored in the refrigerator for a short time. Surplus fruit should be canned or frozen. While personal preferences vary somewhat, the following criteria should help you decide when to harvest the small fruit crops at their peak of quality and flavor. Fully ripe currants are slightly soft, juicy, and develop the characteristic color of the variety.
Most currant varieties are red at maturity, a few are white.
For jellies and jams, pick the currants when they are still firm and not completely ripe. Harvest currants by picking the fruit clusters rather than the individual berries. After picking, the individual berries can be stripped from the stems. Fully ripe elderberries are plump, slightly soft, and dull purple in color. For jelly, harvest the berries when only half ripe.