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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Broad Beam on June 16, 2009, 11:01:42

Title: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: Broad Beam on June 16, 2009, 11:01:42: Have been reading the site for a while now and have taken the plunge and joined.
Yesterday I picked seven pounds of gooseberries from one smallish plant that I have had for three years. Last year I had about half a dozen berries on it. What I would like to know is do they freeze very well? They are a good size and a cooking variety called Careless.

Now going to dress my wounds
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: Broad Beam on June 16, 2009, 11:08:40: Just realised I have posted in the wrong forum. Just seen the recipe section. Will get the hang of it after a while.
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: 1066 on June 16, 2009, 11:24:27: Hi Broad Bean and welcome to A4A, well done for taking the plunge ;D

Not sure on the answer to your question but I'm sure someone will be along shortly

1066
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: robototitico on June 16, 2009, 12:12:41: I have had a bumper crop of gooseberries as well this year!
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: saddad on June 16, 2009, 12:22:16: They will freeze, as they are or processed for "fool"...
Welcome to A4A Broad Beam... ;D
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: kt. on June 16, 2009, 13:29:28: Welcome to the forum BB
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: Plot69 on June 16, 2009, 15:45:53: Broad Beam? Does that relate to the width of a boat?
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: Digeroo on June 16, 2009, 15:57:29: I picked a handful the other day and zapped them in the microwave with some apple juice When it was cool I added some strawberries. Delicious.

Do not know what variety came cheap from Lidl but the ripe ones are turning pink. Like you third year and finally a great crop.
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: Kea on June 16, 2009, 16:10:15: I would have a a very good crop as i now have 6 bushes and 3 were heavily laden but the annual gooseberry thief got them first ...again! And other people on the site as well lost theirs.
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: 1066 on June 16, 2009, 16:23:31: what a bummer kea!
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: Digeroo on June 16, 2009, 16:24:51: What is eating them. Can you net them?
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: chriscross1966 on June 16, 2009, 18:06:43: It was a good year for mine too until the mildew got them a month ago :(
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: Kea on June 16, 2009, 18:22:05: Quote from: Digeroo on June 16, 2009, 16:24:51
What is eating them. Can you net them?

My husband suggested a pit with spikes in the bottom......Humans are eating them...famous two legged nocturnal pest!
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: stevew451 on June 16, 2009, 19:48:04: hi im wanting to put a couple of gooseberry plants in this year anyone got sugestions for what type and when and any good suppliers
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: gillcat on June 16, 2009, 20:05:01: top and tail the gooseberries and either bag them or flash freeze them they are very good for freezing. Or you can boil them with sugar ready for crumble etc before freezing. :)

Just in case you don't know : flash freezing is putting them on baking trays until frozen and then you can either bag or box them.
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: Broad Beam on June 17, 2009, 09:51:03: Broad Beam? Does that relate to the width of a boat?

No just my ever increasing waistline :-\

Many thanks for the replies. My OH took to work today a lunch containing our own lettuce-radish-beetroot and gooseberries and strawberries. And it is not even summer yet.
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: Plot69 on June 17, 2009, 10:06:01: Quote from: Broad Beam on June 17, 2009, 09:51:03
No just my ever increasing waistline :-\

Ah, my apologies. It's just that I have a narrow beam so the phrase is familiar to me which is why I asked.
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: davholla on June 17, 2009, 12:18:48: Quote from: stevew451 on June 16, 2009, 19:48:04
hi im wanting to put a couple of gooseberry plants in this year anyone got sugestions for what type and when and any good suppliers
Leveller taste nicest but need spraying with washing soda (easy) every 2 or 3 weeks to keep off mildew. But well worth the effort. Hinomamki red/green etc are mildew resistant and tasy but Leveller are nicer.
Cool temperate is good or Chris Bowers.
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: beckydore on June 19, 2009, 22:50:59: My bushes have been stripped in the last week but to be honest I should have expected it as the pigeons were flocking to the bush on the neighbouring plot last weekend.
I don't know if I've ever tasted a gooseberry!!!
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: Eristic on June 19, 2009, 23:33:44: Quote
3 were heavily laden but the annual gooseberry thief got them first ...again!

Pigeons.
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: littlebabybird on June 20, 2009, 10:30:53: Quote from: Eristic on June 19, 2009, 23:33:44
Quote
3 were heavily laden but the annual gooseberry thief got them first ...again!

Pigeons.

my pigeons removed the netting first :(
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: saddad on June 20, 2009, 11:08:38: They are getting very sneaky... :-X
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: macmac on June 20, 2009, 11:12:12: We've just picked all ours for wine.A few years ago all our berries were taken but the thief was the non feathered variety,and given other thefts it was another plotholder >:(
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: Borlotti on June 20, 2009, 13:05:29: That is so sad that people steal gooseberries. I have been lucky so far and nothing has been taken, perhaps the quality of my produce is not good enough. The only thing I found last night was that one red onion had been dug up and moved, perhaps pigeons like onions or were just playing about. I agree pigeons are getting too clever and too fat, when they land on redcurrant, blackcurrant, gooseberry bushes they are so heavy that they break some of the branches off. Not too keen on gooseberries but will have to cook them and eat them because I have grown them.
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: saddad on June 20, 2009, 13:38:25: If you leave them on until they soften most gooseberries are OK as a fresh "dessert" without cooking.. :)
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: Cool Cucumber on July 02, 2009, 17:13:15: I am actually just drinking a delicious smoothie made from frozen gooseberries I picked last week. I just mixed the frozen berries, natural yogurt and some honey in a blender, and it is really lovely! Cold and refreshing. Give it a try.
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: Borlotti on July 05, 2009, 20:44:20: I have found a good way to stop people from stealing your produce as it happened to me today on MY ALLOTMENT trying to pick MY sweet peas. I had forgotten that I had tied some of the plants up with twine, and tripped over it, arse about face and it hurt. Put a few trip wires down, but say that they are for tieing up the plants. Had a few gooseberries this year and made jam.
Title: Re: A Good Year for Gooseberries
Post by: manicscousers on July 05, 2009, 20:56:24: got 3 1/2 lb off our garden gooseberry, about 7 berries off the 2 at the plot..gooseberry sawfly :(