Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Marlborough on May 23, 2015, 18:35:53
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This might seem like a daft question, but how do you know when gooseberries are ready to pick? :blob7:
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Well, not sure about anyone else but the criteria I use are: 1. Size (are they almost the size of a grape?); 2. Taste (can I eat one without winceing and still want another?) and 3. squidginess (if they're hard as bullets, they're not ripe).
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Looking over the notes I've made over the years, I find, I usually pick mine around the last week in June.
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I agree with ThomsonAS but would add one more point.
4. Has some other two legged B*****d decided they are ripe as well?
Bill
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they do go softer, and change colour a bit
or try tasting one
possibly not ready
(http://www.eckraus.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/sour_face.jpg)
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You can pick them at any stage. Green, astringent and as hard as bullets is preferred by some for jam making.
Personally I prefer them harvested when there is a little 'give' in the fruits, when they get a little more yellow and sweeter. You can leave them for a few weeks longer and they get sweeter all the time, but the birds might harvest before you do. As soon as I see bird interest, I know they are starting to sweeten up.
A fully ripe, sweet goosegog is a delight to eat. Too good to use in cooking, but not many people let them get to that stage. :wave:
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But gooseberries make amazing sauces!
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But gooseberries make amazing sauces!
Sweet /pudding sauces? or savoury?
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I like my green 'bullet' gooseberries cooked into desserts, that is stage when I find their flavour best for that particular use....and then fully ripe for eating straight from the bush...MMMMMMM :icon_cheers:
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But gooseberries make amazing sauces!
Sweet /pudding sauces? or savoury?
Both! I once had a fantastic chicken dish with gooseberry sauce.
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green gooseberry jam yum
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But gooseberries make amazing sauces!
Sweet /pudding sauces? or savoury?
a classic is gooseberry and mackerel
Delia had one somewhere
isn't the French for gooseberry mackerel berry?
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Its that time of the season when the "Marmite" of the fruit world is in abundance,a proper luv it or hate it fruit and yes you guessed it,im all for it.
I like to use this sauce over Mackeral as it breaks up the oily after taste.
But on this Occasion its Pud Pud and more Pud that I enjoy with the sauce.
INGREDIENTS
1lb = 450 grms of Red Gooseberries(topped and tailed)...Soft Ripe Green ones are good as an alternative.
1 tbsp. of caster sugar per 100g of fruit
200ml water
1 tbsp Brandy
Juice of 1/2 Fresh Lemon
3 tbsps Elderflower Cordial
1 tbsp runny honey
500ml Double Cream
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/GazzersGooseberryGlory001_zpsa05f0ae4.jpg) (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/skatenchips/media/GazzersGooseberryGlory001_zpsa05f0ae4.jpg.html)
Top and tail then wash carefully all the Red Goosies !!!!!
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/GazzersGooseberryGlory002_zpsb4fb6a56.jpg) (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/skatenchips/media/GazzersGooseberryGlory002_zpsb4fb6a56.jpg.html)
Place Gooseberries ,caster Sugar,water,and bring to a steady boil then reduce heat to a low simmer for 10 mins or until the fruits have broken down.
Remove from Heat and set aside to cool
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/GazzersGooseberryGlory005_zpsb2e502c6.jpg) (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/skatenchips/media/GazzersGooseberryGlory005_zpsb2e502c6.jpg.html)
Place Cooked gooseberries over a muslim cloth into a large bowl and squeeze the fruit juice out.
I throw the skins and seeds away, but you may wish to liquidise them and
add to ice cream should you so wish.
At this stage the fluid may be runny so we need to reduce this 400ml by half !!!!!!!!!!
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/GazzersGooseberryGlory006_zpsa1e5f391.jpg) (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/skatenchips/media/GazzersGooseberryGlory006_zpsa1e5f391.jpg.html)
bring the fruit juice to a boil and reduce heat to medium,now add the Brandy,Honey,Lemon Juice and Elderflower Cordial,you may wish to add more caster sugar according to how sweet you like the final Puree.
Let this bubble away for a further 10 mins as we want a Gluey Puree that runs slowy off of a spoon.
set aside to cool completely..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/GazzersGooseberryGlory007_zpsf84aa000.jpg) (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/skatenchips/media/GazzersGooseberryGlory007_zpsf84aa000.jpg.html)
Whip the double cream to stiff peaks and add 50ml of the Gooseberry Puree,now beat together ....taste ,.....if you want a richer cream mixture just add some more puree to taste.
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/skatenchips/GazzersGooseberryGlory009_zps76bbfcab.jpg) (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/skatenchips/media/GazzersGooseberryGlory009_zps76bbfcab.jpg.html)
A tall dessert glass makes for a fun eating experience as you can layer the Cream with the Puree and repeat till the glass is full.
Chill in the fridge and garnish with a few Red Gooseberries(or soft ripe Green ones) and some mint leaves.
Enjoy
Gazza
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What happened to the Slimming World recipes Gazza??? I was looking forward to pinching some of them!
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They are sweetest just before the birds strip them. So I tend to pick them under ripe.
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I wanted to stagger picking and also take half the gooseberries off so that the bushes could concentrate on what was left. I bottled them and they were fantastic for several weeks in the winter. The freezer was going to be overfull with everything else. I will do the same this year and will start in a few weeks
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What happened to the Slimming World recipes Gazza??? I was looking forward to pinching some of them!
Not the same for sure, but how about this, Yorkshire Lass? - cook the goosies in little water, with sweetener, blizz up for puree until smooth (more fibre, less cooking down needed to make the sauce thicker or even none), layer with Greek yoghurt (there are zero fat Greek yoghurts available), decorate and serve.
Just a suggestion - I haven't tried it yet, but it is the sort of thing I might play with after being inspired by Gazza's lovely post. Should be slimming and diabetic friendly :wave:
And as an afterthought - if entertaining with non slimming or non diabetic friends, theirs could be decorated with meringue pieces or served on a meringue nest perhaps.
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I wanted to stagger picking and also take half the gooseberries off so that the bushes could concentrate on what was left. I bottled them and they were fantastic for several weeks in the winter. The freezer was going to be overfull with everything else. I will do the same this year and will start in a few weeks
An interesting idea, how did you bottle them? Did you get more that way?
I had a very poor yield last year but this year looks better thanks to a) feeding b) killing all the gooseberry sawfly.
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Life isn't all about sticking to a "Regime" Yorkshire Lass sometimes I let the sugary juices flow,I just have a small portion
and Mum and Jude enjoy the rest......but hey.......I do like to read friendly alternatives and Galinas is well worth trying
when the Goosies appear in my garden.
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Ooooohh....I LOOOOOOVE green gooseberries cooked, sweetened and the 'sauce' thickened with potato flour to quite gloopy thick mixture...cooled and then LOADS loaded on dollop of FULL FAT= proper greek yogurt.... :icon_cheers:
I call my green ones 'thinnings' too as rest can then ripen on bush. For some reason birds don't seem to gobble that many of them down...maybe it is because we have 'rich pickings' here loads to go for as I rarely net any of my berries. Yes, they have some but never take that many that I could not have my share... :drunken_smilie: :icon_cheers:
But give a birds a chance with my peas and there won't be a single leaf left on the plants..... :BangHead:
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I started picking today because the bushes are groaning with fruit, I must have taken 7 lb today and have topped and tailed, ready for bottling. They were all a decent size already. Two bushes and at least 20+ lb left at the smaller size so a huge crop. I can see the blackcurrants also gearing up for a very big crop, so staggering picking for gooseberries is the way forward for me. Not moaning though as these berries will be tremendous all through until next year
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I started picking today because the bushes are groaning with fruit, I must have taken 7 lb today and have topped and tailed, ready for bottling. They were all a decent size already. Two bushes and at least 20+ lb left at the smaller size so a huge crop. I can see the blackcurrants also gearing up for a very big crop, so staggering picking for gooseberries is the way forward for me. Not moaning though as these berries will be tremendous all through until next year
How do you bottle them? Do you get more fruit like this do you think?
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Davholla, bottling is pretty easy, I use kilner jars and just get new lids every time. There are several ways, I use the slow water bath method and a syrup made from 8 oz sugar to 1/2 pint of water. Although easy, it does involve pretty accurate temperature control and big enough pan so that the jars can be fully immersed. It is probably best to google different methods as another way might suit you better.
I went up and staked my two mature bushes as they are so top heavy and on legs and we are expecting fierce winds on an already windy exposed plot. There are stakes up and some string and a net windbreak. I picked more this afternoon and that has taken more weight off again. There is a huge amount left and I need some more to make up 4 1 litre jars so I have to go again tomorrow morning. I have made the syrup as it has to be used cold and I have washed and topped and tailed the ones I have picked
It is a really good way for me to get the max crop from these two invicta bushes, it means I definitely get a lot picked before they are ripe and then the ones that are left just get bigger and bigger. One of my 1/2 litre jars didn`t get a seal, ie it didn`t pop and form the vacuum, so I have started eating them with some clotted cream and wow, it so reinforces why i love gooseberries. I have 5 more baby bushes, I didn`t mean to have so many but the grower put 3 plants in one pot and 2 in another, so I split them up. These are hinnonmaki red and I have actually put them into cages as I want them more mature and red, so they would definitely be attractive to birds. They might be baby bushes but they are already carrying a good amount of fruit
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That sounds a more diabetic friendly recipe Galina. I'll give it a go when my gooseberries are ready for picking - they're still very green and hard.
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another load picked today and tbh when they are topped and tailed, washed and laid out to dry, then they really are not that small. Not the very big squishy ones obviously but ideal for bottling. I tried using my nails for topping and tailing, whilst sitting down and it was one heck of a lot easier and far quicker. 2nd lot of jars are just sterilising in the oven now, ready for filling and by tonight I will have done 10 more kilners today. I am having a much easier time using my jam maslin and a trivet from my pressure cooker on the bottom, I get 5 jars in the water bath at one go. The jars are stable and so the lids and the contents are not shifting about, I got 100% pops from the lot this morning. Start to finish once in the water takes 1 hour 45 minutes and probably 1 1/2 - 2 hours for preparing them
I am just working through very steadily and getting them done. The start of picking can be daunting as there is so much. Pruning is going to be a challenge this winter
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got to do the dreaded goosberry thinnig this week on my standard stab stab ouch :angel11: :angel11:
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Johnny do you have a stake on your standard? Is it windy over there? Mine aren`t on very high legs, like yours but one is lopsided, I am thinking that I need to prune the other side and take out some full branches from the centre. so it gets more balanced
My arms are covered in bright red scratches today, serves me right for picking in short sleeves yesterday. I have got a heavy canvas smock that I am going to wear for my session later this afternoon. They berries certainly seem to grow a fair bit overnight so I am expecting there to be a lot more to pick today.
My jars are now nestled in rows on a shelf under the stairs where it is dark and cool. Satisifying to see
Syrup is leftover from yesterday and waiting in the fridge and I also left the maslin out, still filled with water, no point emptying it. I do like the fact that I can stagger my fruit picking like this. It would be far too daunting otherwise and it isn`t too uncomfortable, apart from the scratches, I just sit on a low padded kneeler seat
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Johnny do you have a stake on your standard? Is it windy over there? Mine aren`t on very high legs, like yours but one is lopsided, I am thinking that I need to prune the other side and take out some full branches from the centre. so it gets more balanced
My arms are covered in bright red scratches today, serves me right for picking in short sleeves yesterday. I have got a heavy canvas smock that I am going to wear for my session later this afternoon. They berries certainly seem to grow a fair bit overnight so I am expecting there to be a lot more to pick today.
My jars are now nestled in rows on a shelf under the stairs where it is dark and cool. Satisifying to see
Syrup is leftover from yesterday and waiting in the fridge and I also left the maslin out, still filled with water, no point emptying it. I do like the fact that I can stagger my fruit picking like this. It would be far too daunting otherwise and it isn`t too uncomfortable, apart from the scratches, I just sit on a low padded kneeler seat
yes they have angled stakes there are around 5 ft high chest hieght and its very windy here and today well gale force i get around 15lb/20lb in berrys per plant they are around 4 ft in dia so quite a hefty bush picking isnt very hard really lift the limb and pick a little carefully i always get caught looks like ive be wrestling a cat lol
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Well I'm impressed that you can grow standards at all outside a walled garden. My only attempt at standards [staked] broke in half one winter quite long ago... :BangHead:
[And I thought the pear tree was going over last night... :tongue3:]
Now I stick to bushes and net well as mine are red and a magnet to blackbirds.
I only have one bush but I pick in stages-- not yet, though I get a goodly crop, but they are vicious beasts so nets and respect are the order of the day....
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yes it was hairy overnight re the wind. I put some wind net up and pushed a couple of stakes in through the bushes. Was hard though, using the mallet. I doubt I will be able to get the stakes out to re-do properly as soil is pretty solid clay. I think I am going to reduce the number of branches, which will help. I lost a good bush in the wind last year and it is pretty soul destroying. I like having a leg on them but don`t know if it is worth it re stability
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I have just been down to my plot and tried to tidy up after the ales yesterday. My gooseberry bushes are starting to bend over with the weight of fruit so I will have to thin the berries soon, we use these various ways and leave the rest to swell and ripen. My black berries needed to be retied to the wires as the wind had broken the ties.
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I have just been down to my plot and tried to tidy up after the ales yesterday.
how much did you drink?
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Am getting jealous: the damned pigeons are attacking already but my berries are still rock-hard and under-sized.
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10 more 1/2 litre kilners done yesterday, so 25 jars are now stashed away. I poached the remaining ones that I picked and yum, they were lovely today. I am leaving all the rest to get big now, plenty there but much better spacing and the branches are looking a lot lighter. My arms are full of red scratches but was very worth while. Now to sit back for a week or three but no longer as the blackcurrants will be good to go in a month to 6 weeks and I want a break
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10 more 1/2 litre kilners done yesterday, so 25 jars are now stashed away. I poached the remaining ones that I picked and yum, they were lovely today. I am leaving all the rest to get big now, plenty there but much better spacing and the branches are looking a lot lighter. My arms are full of red scratches but was very worth while. Now to sit back for a week or three but no longer as the blackcurrants will be good to go in a month to 6 weeks and I want a break
Blimey....that is lot of 'jars'! :drunken_smilie:
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10 more 1/2 litre kilners done yesterday, so 25 jars are now stashed away. I poached the remaining ones that I picked and yum, they were lovely today. I am leaving all the rest to get big now, plenty there but much better spacing and the branches are looking a lot lighter. My arms are full of red scratches but was very worth while. Now to sit back for a week or three but no longer as the blackcurrants will be good to go in a month to 6 weeks and I want a break
strawberry will you marry me i have 15 black current bushes 1 huge red current 2 josta berrys 2 white currents and 7 gooseberry bushes all need picking in the near future it could be a match made in heaven lol :sunny:
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lol johhny, get a kneeler seat and a hat and sit in a bush like me. 15 blackcurrants omg. :sunny: I have 4x 4year old and groaning with fruit and planted 2 more last autumn. They are so nice and get sweet when frozen, I love them in my breakfast. I am going to do the old fashioned way and cut some older branches off, fruit and all, take them home and pick at leisure
I finished goosegog bottling when I had 25 jars and have left the rest to get bigger. That was 2 bushes and I went and planted 5 more bushes last autumn :wave: . I am going to get real and do some harder pruning this year
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It does seem a good year for most folks with gooseberries. I have just had to thin as the branches are now touching the ground.
(http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo189/laurieuk/100_4016.jpg) (http://s374.photobucket.com/user/laurieuk/media/100_4016.jpg.html)
(http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo189/laurieuk/100_4018.jpg) (http://s374.photobucket.com/user/laurieuk/media/100_4018.jpg.html)
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It does seem a good year for most folks with gooseberries. I have just had to thin as the branches are now touching the ground.
Well done ,sadly mine are nowhere near that good and some of them are 7 year old bushes now. Perhaps I should have fed them more. Any advice anyone?
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It does seem a good year for most folks with gooseberries. I have just had to thin as the branches are now touching the ground.
Well done ,sadly mine are nowhere near that good and some of them are 7 year old bushes now. Perhaps I should have fed them more. Any advice anyone?
give them a feed of growmore late winter early spring then mulch them and prune the middle out like a wine glass then make your fingers bleed as you pick bucket loads of them lol hope this helps
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Gooseberries fruit on old wood that has formed spurs. I leave the pruning until quite late in case the birds take any buds. I prune all the new growth way apart from extending the main branches a few inches. They do make excellent cordons provided the variety is not a lax variety. They can be grown as arrow of cordon apples in which case they are easy to pick. I prefer a high potash feed like Vitax Q4 rather than a completely balanced fertilizer but we all have our own thoughts.
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Gooseberries fruit on old wood that has formed spurs. I leave the pruning until quite late in case the birds take any buds. I prune all the new growth way apart from extending the main branches a few inches. They do make excellent cordons provided the variety is not a lax variety. They can be grown as arrow of cordon apples in which case they are easy to pick. I prefer a high potash feed like Vitax Q4 rather than a completely balanced fertilizer but we all have our own thoughts.
When is late March time?
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Some will prune gooseberries during the dormant season but I like to leave it until the buds are just breaking early Marcy rather than late march but this does pend on where you live. I tend to go by the plant rather than the calendar.
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finally got the thinning done one down 3 bushes to go
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I have taken another load off my two bushes and also got out my secateurs and small saw. I have 7 bushes, 5 are small and just starting. I learnt a lesson this year ie I am drowning in gooseberries and have decided to make the legs a lot longer, so yes (not the right time I know) I took a large 4 year old bush apart and cut off every branch apart from one that I will train to carry the leg upwards, it will be a wonky leg but a longer leg it will be. I will get the stakes in when the ground softens this winter and they will be taller than I need for the leg as gooseberry branches are so brittle and the site is very windy. I have pruned gooseberries in the wrong season several times and they are such tough plants, always surviving the pruning. I will tackle the second large bush in a couple of weeks, just seeing first how the first bush copes
I love the idea of standard, easy picking, gooseberry plants
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I have taken another load off my two bushes and also got out my secateurs and small saw. I have 7 bushes, 5 are small and just starting. I learnt a lesson this year ie I am drowning in gooseberries and have decided to make the legs a lot longer, so yes (not the right time I know) I took a large 4 year old bush apart and cut off every branch apart from one that I will train to carry the leg upwards, it will be a wonky leg but a longer leg it will be. I will get the stakes in when the ground softens this winter and they will be taller than I need for the leg as gooseberry branches are so brittle and the site is very windy. I have pruned gooseberries in the wrong season several times and they are such tough plants, always surviving the pruning. I will tackle the second large bush in a couple of weeks, just seeing first how the first bush copes
I love the idea of standard, easy picking, gooseberry plants
well done you hope it all works out well it is very easy picking from standards ive got a blackcurrant standard when they ripen ill post a pic of that its not as good as the gooseberry as a big fat wood pigeon sat in the middle of it last year breaking most of the stems a lot of hard work undone by a hungry bird but still by next year it will be back to former glory
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Mine have had sawfly very badly this year - I've picked off some caterpillars but have evidently missed most. Has anyone got a remedy, preferably not chemical?
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re sawfly. Gooseberries need space around them and an open goblet shape. I haven`t had any sawfly this year or last. The ground below is clear of litter and weeds and I have the leg which is at least 15 inches high off the ground. It gives the birds a chance of getting in to eat the blighters
Another 5 jars bottling as I speak, there is a reason ie I have to have the freezer empty by sept for a new kitchen. I googled the price of gooseberries and saw £3 for 125 g, unbelievable, that must be london organic prices but even say £4 a kilo pyo makes a home grown organic crop massively valuable
4 more but small hinakari red to pick and then almost straight onto a huge blackcurrant crop, I am shattered what with harvesting garlic and shallots as well as weeding and watering
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Mine have had sawfly very badly this year - I've picked off some caterpillars but have evidently missed most. Has anyone got a remedy, preferably not chemical?
Very little sawfly here, but one year I had it quite badly. However the leaves were eaten more or less at the time or just after harvest, so it didn't really matter. :wave:
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no sawfly here just sore fingers
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Does no-one use gloves when picking? I picked another 11 lb the other day and am barely scratched. Four bushes to go. I prune drastically as I pick, hoping that the bushes grow enough new shoots to fruit next year (less fruit, I hope).
£3 for 125 g!!! I sell my excess gooseberries to a local shop for £1 per pound (453 g) and they sell them on for £2. Not a great deal, but we have each made £14.50 so far (total of £29) so it buys a few packets of seeds.
I did have very bad sawfly about 10 years ago but for some reason they have never come back.
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re sawfly. Gooseberries need space around them and an open goblet shape. I haven`t had any sawfly this year or last. The ground below is clear of litter and weeds and I have the leg which is at least 15 inches high off the ground. It gives the birds a chance of getting in to eat the blighters
Another 5 jars bottling as I speak, there is a reason ie I have to have the freezer empty by sept for a new kitchen. I googled the price of gooseberries and saw £3 for 125 g, unbelievable, that must be london organic prices but even say £4 a kilo pyo makes a home grown organic crop massively valuable
4 more but small hinakari red to pick and then almost straight onto a huge blackcurrant crop, I am shattered what with harvesting garlic and shallots as well as weeding and watering
Thanks for that advice. The only thing to add is to start looking early and you will get them before they have a second generation. I have had 2 bad years but this year it is a lot better