Topic: Ripe Goosegogs?

[Digitalis]

I've no idea if my gooseberries are ready to be picked......:



They are quite firm to the touch.

Are they ripe enough?

Can I freeze them?

[taurus]

Mine are still like bullets at the moment.  We've had lots of rain in Swindon (Wilts) today and looks as though we might get more this evening.  So given a bit of sunshine as promised by the met office next week and hopefully they'll start ripening.  Mine have like a translucence about them when they ripen.
Pick and taste is the most effective way I find to see if there ready.  They freeze well, also make great jam and gooseberry fool.

[realfood]

This is the para taken from my web site:-
 They will be ripe when they give a little when squeezed gently between finger and thumb. They will also have slightly changed colour :- mid green to yellow green, and light red to dark red, depending on the variety. To pick the fruits, lift up the tip of a branch with one hand and pick off the hanging ripe fruits with the other hand. You will probably have to pick over the bush several times as the fruit does not all ripen at once and you want the fruit to be really ripe.
Checked mine today and almost ripe, but a few days to go. They will be 2 or 3 weeks earlier than usual this year.
Gooseberries freeze very well.

[betula]

Hope you do not mind me asking on this thread but I have one bush that is still very much green.Supposed to be red.Should they have changed colour yet??

[jennym]

Betula, my red gooseberries (Whinhams) are only just starting to turn red. They are still very firm to the touch. The green ones (Invicta) have almost all ripened and been picked.

[shirlton]

Ours have been eaten. Guess who? thats right ower Tone ;D

[Plot69]

I find the best way to tell if gooseberries are ripe is to pick one and feed it to a child approximately 3 to 5 years of age.

If their face turns inside out and they shudder uncontrollably the berries are not yet ready. Repeat the process every week until you get a favorable response from the child.

[PurpleHeather]

We have had a gooseberry theif for the last four years on our site.

Who ever it is gets on plot a few days before before we would harvest them.

We kept a note of the dates and this last week end we told every one to pick their crop.

Just a few little things which are not much good for anything have been left. Can't wait to see if they go during the week.

I do not have any problems with some one taking a small bit in fact I admit to grazing on the odd ripe berry that is hanging over a fence myself as I walk along but clearing the lot is plain selfish.

There are some sprays which are very toxic. In fact there was a case some years ago about fatalities in Spain where they had used a bug spray on tomatoes which had to be left for six weeks before harvesting. It had been mis-read as six days.

Tempting innit?

[Kea]

Yes i hope the person who picked mine while still unripe gets very ill. Also for the fourth year in a row.