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
Just realised I have posted in the wrong forum. Just seen the recipe section. Will get the hang of it after a while.
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
I have had a bumper crop of gooseberries as well this year!
They will freeze, as they are or processed for "fool"...
Welcome to A4A Broad Beam... ;D
Welcome to the forum BB
Broad Beam? Does that relate to the width of a boat?
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.
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.
what a bummer kea!
What is eating them. Can you net them?
It was a good year for mine too until the mildew got them a month ago :(
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!!!
Quote3 were heavily laden but the annual gooseberry thief got them first ...again!
Pigeons.
Quote from: Eristic on June 19, 2009, 23:33:44
Quote3 were heavily laden but the annual gooseberry thief got them first ...again!
Pigeons.
my pigeons removed the netting first :(
They are getting very sneaky... :-X
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 >:(
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.
If you leave them on until they soften most gooseberries are OK as a fresh "dessert" without cooking.. :)
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.
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.
got 3 1/2 lb off our garden gooseberry, about 7 berries off the 2 at the plot..gooseberry sawfly :(