Gooseberry time here - I topped and tailed about 4 -5 lbs yesterday morning. I grow three varieties - one yellow, one green and one red, about 6 bushes in all. Very generous with their harvests, they're one of my favourite fruits for bottling - ready for straight into the pie or crumble dish; sweet, tart, delicious and full of goodness all at once. I still have a couple of pounds or so left to pick, so some gooseberry wine might be made too, and some gooseberry curd, which is really good.
I might need to sort out some more room in the garden to put in a couple more varieties - search out some of the old ones that need to be kept going; I remember reading about societies that held gooseberry competitions, where huge fruits were pitted against each other for prizes and glory. I think this still hapeens further up the country, I'll need to do a bit of research and find out I think - would be lovely to re-instate more things like that, make people proud of what they grow and eat :)
4 comments:
I made gooseberry curd a few years ago - it was supposed to last 6 weeks in the fridge - it didn't even last 6 days before we had wolfed it all down ;-)
Rosie x
We have a largest gooseberry category in our show MrsL, and there are still gooseberry shows in the north east :-)
I harvested mine yesterday, small, sweet, yellow, a cutting rescued from a bush buldozed when the wonderful smallholding and orchard next to us was built on. Only 2 familys had lived in that place for 150 years.
I am experimenting with growing the bushes 'kind of' espaliered. They don't seem to get mildew so easily and are less scratchy to pick.
For some reason the birds have shown no interest in my soft fruit this year, have you noticed the same or is it just here in the NW, where gooseberries are indeed a very popular show category.
I hope you'll post some recipes...?? please? I absolutely love gooseberries. they remind me of my mumma who always put them into her stewed fruit.
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