The gooseberries are ripe

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British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
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....and they make the king of jams!

I62GkU1.jpg
 

Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
7,981
7,757
Mid Wales
www.mont-hmg.co.uk
Just spent two days down in the woods with a bunch of total beginners; they'd never seen wild gooseberry before! Mind you, they are the size of large peas :) (the gooseberries that is).

Is it coincidence that gooseberries and elderflower are ready at the same time? My favourite Pie :)
 
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Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,438
2,859
W.Sussex
Mmmm... goosgog jam is delicious.

If you don't get a good set and it's a bit runny, all is not lost as drizzled on vanilla ice cream it's a heavenly blend :)

That sounds lovely. It’s that pre-bedtime of night when I’m itching for something like that, when a cup of tea and biccy is just dull.

I miss our old fruitcage, it would be dripping raspberries and huge golden gooseberries by now, black/red/white currants and Japanese Wineberries on the way.
 

Woody girl

Full Member
Mar 31, 2018
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Exmoor
Gooseberry crumble! Mmmm mmmmm
I'm waiting for mine. A week or so more and they'll be ready. I always stick a muslin bag of elderflowers in withe the gooseberrys when cooking them for a crumble. Lipsmackingly scrumptious. !
 
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Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
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McBride, BC
I used to hunt birds with big Chesapeake Bay Retrievers.
The gooseberries in autumn were always a treat that I left for the dogs to eat.
The dogs are gone but the gooseberries remain. I don't really care for them.
Prune heavy in the late autumn and transplant?
 
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British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
Just spent two days down in the woods with a bunch of total beginners; they'd never seen wild gooseberry before! Mind you, they are the size of large peas :) (the gooseberries that is).

Is it coincidence that gooseberries and elderflower are ready at the same time? My favourite Pie :)
It's a great combination, but so is gooseberry & chilli
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
I used to hunt birds with big Chesapeake Bay Retrievers.
The gooseberries in autumn were always a treat that I left for the dogs to eat.
The dogs are gone but the gooseberries remain. I don't really care for them.
Prune heavy in the late autumn and transplant?

I transplant once the leaves have fallen. They are fairly heavily rooted so a good prune & a sharp flat spade.
 
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nitrambur

Settler
Jan 14, 2010
759
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Nottingham
My missus bought me a Jostaberry plant, cross between a gooseberry and a blackcurrant, obviously no fruit this year, but looking forward to next to see what we can make with them
 
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Woody girl

Full Member
Mar 31, 2018
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The sharp wild ones make a good addition to the sweeter cultivated variety when jam making. I also like them in an apple and gooseberry and elderflower fruit leather.
Today I'm making pear apple and star anise fruit leather.
 
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British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
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Mercia
For my fellow gooseberry lovers, here is our recipe for what we think of as (queue Carlsberg gravely voice);

"Probably the best gooseberry jam....in the world"!

I've thrown in our jar secrets, a spice secret or two and even how we get free pectin. Hope its enjoyable



 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
I will watch this later. Always nice to learn something new on the food front!

Do you have Black currants? Any pro ideas there?
We grow all the currants (black, white & red). I may well layer off another hundred square feet of blackcurrants, they are so versatile! Try sloe & blackcurrant jelly on venison, its incredible!
 
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Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
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Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Blackcurrants are the only domestic fruit I have and can pick, so grateful for ideas.

Could Rowanberry be used? Maybe crushing/boiling out the juice first?

I still remember finding feral gooseberry bushes around old abandoned farms in Sweden on my treks. Fantastic fruit!
 

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