Topic: goosegogs

[ACE]

I inherited some gooseberry bushes on this new plot. I have not grown them for years as I am not a lover of the sour little buggers. But somebody gave me a pot of homemade goosegog jam and I really liked it. So advice needed on time of pruning, feeding and general care needed to save me climbing up in to the attic to drag out Percy Thrower's old gardening bible.

[Tee Gee]

Will this do?

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Content/G/Gooseberry/Gooseberry.htm 

[Vinlander]

I am not a lover of the sour little buggers.

Sour unripe nearly tasteless gooseberries can still make a good jam, but the main reason that's all you can find in the shops is that they are easier to pick without damage and transport without care - and you get a bigger crop by not letting them mature (like beans and courgettes but without the improved flavour).

A true dessert gooseberry (Pax has a lot of advantages) can produce extremely sweet fruit with a unique taste - not to mention a very slight hint of tartness - just enough to balance it.

Cheers.

[woodypecks]

Ace - I agree with you ....they can be very sour...but with lots of sugar and hot custard make a really delicious crumble ! :)
Vinlander-  I recently bought a small Gooseberry "Pax" . It's still in it's pot...is this a good time to plant it out or should I wait until the Spring again now ? Also does anyone know ...do you need to grow both male and female bushes to get fruit ?

[woodypecks]

TeeGee-  Thanks for that link which answered my questions and  so much more ! Everything I need to know about Goosegogs ! Lol !  Brilliant ! 
 
Ace - Thanks for starting this thread !   

[Vinlander]

Ace - I agree with you ....they can be very sour...but with lots of sugar and hot custard make a really delicious crumble ! :)
Vinlander-  I recently bought a small Gooseberry "Pax" . It's still in it's pot...is this a good time to plant it out or should I wait until the Spring again now ? Also does anyone know ...do you need to grow both male and female bushes to get fruit ?

No problem with sex for most plants - the exceptions are well known: "Some well-known Dioecious Plants include holly, asparagus, dates, mulberry, ginkgo, persmimmons, currant bushes, juniper bushes, sago, and spinach", though I didn't know about currants. Some fruit tree varieties are self-INfertile but that's not the same - and they are well known, but it never does any harm to grow another different but equally good variety nearby - you might get some volunteer seedlings that are even better. Remember that even Pax seedlings start off thorny.

The soil should still be warm enough to plant properly hardy stuff at the moment - I'm assuming low cloud and drizzle has been the dominant weather everywhere in the UK -  it would take a significant frost to change that before December - presumably most likely in the far north (but remember 2010). Or you could wait for March.

Cheers.

PS. The "lots of sugar" thing made me wince - but that's one of the reasons I hardly ever enjoy cooked fruit - not helped by custard, especially thick custard... Partly because I love a good egg custard and even then 90% of the ones in the shops have been adulterated with gum - and even those abominations still cost 10 times what it costs to make them.

[Beersmith]

I recently bought a small Gooseberry "Pax" .

Good choice. Superb dessert variety, and almost thornless. 

In my humble opinion the gooseberry is not appreciated as much as it should be. They make great jam, a few added to strawberry jam provides all the pectin needed to ensure a perfect set. They make great cooked desserts and puddings. And varieties like Pax are absolutely delicious just as they are.

Bushes are rather slow to reach full production, but once well established they are long lived and reasonably easy to maintain and care for. An all round winner. I am a big fan.

[davholla]

I recently bought a small Gooseberry "Pax" .

Good choice. Superb dessert variety, and almost thornless. 

In my humble opinion the gooseberry is not appreciated as much as it should be. They make great jam, a few added to strawberry jam provides all the pectin needed to ensure a perfect set. They make great cooked desserts and puddings. And varieties like Pax are absolutely delicious just as they are.

  I agree 100% I just wish the pigeons liked them less.

[BarriedaleNick]

A gooseberry and elder flower fool is a thing of great beauty and even great calories.
Cheers for the above link Tee Gee

[saddad]

makes a great sorbet too..