Gooseberries

No kidding it's a real berry!  A gooseberry is also a term referring to a "fool."  Put them together and you have an English dessert call Gooseberry Fool which is stewed gooseberries folded into a cream.    It may be fool hardy to not try this backyard small fruit in your garden.  It is a slightly tart grape size berry used to make desserts like pies, tarts,  jellies, and jams.  This small bush is more common in European gardens than in American gardens, but is gaining in popularity.

"In Europe in the 1800s, as many as 722 gooseberry varieties were in existence, and "gooseberry clubs" were established by enthusiasts. Most of the European varieties were large fruited and sweet as a result of centuries of selection and breeding, while American types had less desirable flavor and more disease resistance." (Penn State)

The gooseberries available to the home gardener today are usually a hybrid of both the European and American varieties.
It is in the ribes family along with currants. Unlike the currant, gooseberries have thorns which means careful picking but also means you can use these woody shrubs in the landscape because the deer will steer clear.

This 3 to 5 foot bush with arching branches produces slightly tart green fruits the size of a marble.  Some cultivars ripen to a pink or burgundy.  The skins are translucent and the fruit has a tail. They ripen in throughout July and hold on the bush nicely.

Planting and Care

Gooseberries are an easy to grow shrub.  Purchase 1-2 year old plants in early spring.  Plant bushes 3-4 feet apart.  You can propagate from your existing plants using stem cuttings and the arching branches will layer if left on the ground.  In the planting hole I add a handful of a dry organic fertilizer mixed with some compost.

Once established, I fertilize with an organic dry fertilizer in early spring.  During the growing season I also fertilize with fish emulsion and sea kelp.

  

Pruning

Fruit is produced on  small spurs of 2 and 3 year old wood.  Older wood will become less productive so the these are the pruning goals:  

1. Remove branches lying low to the ground 
2. Remove older wood leaving new shoots to replace the old
3.  Remove crowed branches and open up the center.  You want to be able to pick without too much danger of the thorns.  Overcrowded branches means more "ouches" when picking

Harvesting

Gooseberries ripen late June and through July.  Underripe berries can be used in jellies and jams.  The underripe berries are high in pectin and can be mixed with ripe berries in recipes that do not need pectin.  Ripe and overripe berries are perfect for pie fillings, tarts, and stewed gooseberries to use in Gooseberry Fool.  These can also be canned or frozen for use later. One of my favorite desserts is this Gooseberry Coconut Cake.  So delicious!

Gooseberry Coconut Cake