Jostaberries.

[selwyn-smith]

Hi
what do folks know on the subject of Jostaberries? 
They are a cross between a gooseberry and a blackcurrant.
Has anyone grown them? are they tasty? What are their problems?
I would be interested in peoples views on the topic.
Many thanks
Katy

[selwyn-smith]

[supersprout]

There's been some discussion at http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,57/topic,10447.0 s-s, hope this might be helpful?

[selwyn-smith]

Thankyou Supersrout,
That was very helpful, they sound pretty good don't they.

[Curryandchips]

On a slightly more recent timescale, I planted two roots about a month ago. They appear to be happy (I did say 'appear') and some evidence of growing is visible, ie buds. Other than that, I am working on trust, for I have not tasted them before. Exciting though ...  :D

[grawrc]

What do you do with them? Eat them off the bush, jam? wine? Mmm wine might be very yummy...

Who sells them? ;D ;D

[real food]

They have an intermediate taste between Blackcurrants and Gooseberries, but are very strong flavoured. Good for jam, jelly, icecream. Not many problems, but keep an eye out for gooseberry caterpillars, and net against the birds.

[Curryandchips]

I gather they taste like a cross between a blackcurrant and a gooseberry, since that is what they are ... I am not sure if they are sweet enough to eat raw, but they sound gorgeous when cooked. I have never seen them for sale, but they must be available at some speciality outlets (with prices to match). I doubt I will get enough to try wine ...

[selwyn-smith]

I see Ken Muir sells them.

[Curryandchips]

My apologies, I can see misinterpretations creeping in here. I was referring to the actual fruit, not the bushes ...

[grawrc]

My fault Curry! When I asked "Who sells them?" I meant the bushes.

[KMARKSnr]

Hi all,
      If the Jostaberry was any value as a fruit,surely you would expect to see it at the local supermarket ?  ::)

                       Regards,
                            Mark.

[Curryandchips]

Hmmm, I am not so sure. There are too many commercial factors involved there. You do not see certain varieties of tomato ... I have never seen quinces or medlars for sale ... or tayberries. I think the food industries do not see any profit from this fruit, but that doesnt mean it isnt a gardeners secret?

[supersprout]

If the Jostaberry was any value as a fruit,surely you would expect to see it at the local supermarket ?  ::)

Interesting question kmarksnr! I think it hinges on the word 'value' - which in the supermarkets' case, might be:

Fruit that ripens off, rather than on, the plant (home grown melons will ripen on the vine, but this makes them too soft for transport, hence the development of modern off vine ripening ones)
Thick 'handleable' skins and 'perfect' standard sized fruit (to be achieved through a costly breeding programme)
Long storage capacity (decreasing moisture loss has been a big breeding effort for the stout broccoli heads you see everywhere now)
A reason to charge price premium for labour-intensive picking - food writers might take them up and force a popularity surge = price premium, as with blueberries and broccoli
Reliable year-round (or extended-season) supply (consumers allegedly not interested in seasonal food) from elsewhere in the world (e.g. Spanish asparagus at tail-ends of the UK asparagus season) or from polytunnels (more plastic!)

My values would be:

Food our family enjoys, that hasn't been subject to chemical washes and anti-fungal agents in packing
Picked at the peak of perfection and eaten fresh
Variety at different times of year - for the joy of that first asparagus, rubub, cauli etc. and the poignant sorrow of the last few leeks!  :'( ;)
Micro-variety - are the later ones sweeter than the early ones? ::) ;D
And, as curry says, the Secret Delights of the passionate gardener. Jostaberry pie, anyone? :D

[jennym]

How many of you grow blackcurrant - loads, I bet! and how often do you see them for sale in the shops - not often.
So one would think that not many blackcurrants are grown commercially in the UK, and its an allotmenteers delight. In fact over 5000 acres are used to grow blackcurrants for a popular drink, Ribena. Perhaps the growers get more money for their crop, and a more reliable customer by providing it to Glaxo than to the supermarkets as a fresh fruit.
I hear that the Ribena brand is going to launch a blueberry drink - maybe jostaberry will be the next fashion?

[grawrc]

I think for me blackcurrant is for jam, pies and maybe wine-making?  I grow some but buy more from "pick your own" farm nearby. Given what we are told about people's eating habits - so few relatively speaking still bother to cook meals, never mind jam etc, that blackcurrants would not be  worth stocking in supermarkets?

Don't know really but this might be part of the answer.

There must have been a reason for crossing gooseberry and blackcurrant too. I wonder who did it and why? Anyone know?

[Curryandchips]

I can think of two attributes of the jostaberry - a large 'blackcurrant flavoured' fruit, and thorn free. There could well be others, but it must be remembered, it is neither a blackcurrant or a gooseberry, but a hybrid.

[Ceratonia]

There must have been a reason for crossing gooseberry and blackcurrant too. I wonder who did it and why? Anyone know?

Gooseberry and blackcurrant are the same genus (Ribes), but different species. Even some gooseberry cultivars are actually hybrids from different gooseberry species, so attemping the cross isn't as unlikely as you might think.

Victorianplant breeders attempted to hybridize the two fruits, as did German breeders before WW II.  A Dr Rudolph Bauer in Germany took up the task in the 1950s and nearly thirty years later, finally had some plants he was happy with. He was trying to produce something with resistance to mildew & sawfly, no thorns, high yield, nice taste etc.

The name Jostaberry comes from the german names for the two fruits
Johannisbeere (blackcurrant) + Stachelbeere (gooseberry).

[cliff_the_gardener]

They are grown a lot in America where they have a disease issue that results in restriction on growing gooseberries.  Jostaberries and Worcesterberries are their alternative.

[Ceratonia]

That's right. It was actually illegal to grow blackcurrants in some states for a long period (may still be, for all I know). They act as a host for a serious pest of white pine - a commercially important timber crop.

[selwyn-smith]

Goodness!

I asked for peoples views, and I certainly got some very helpful ones. Thankyou everyone for your replies All. All I can say is I'm really looking forward to my first crop

Thankyou
Katy