Jul 24, 2009

Gooseberry goodness

Gracious!! Gooseberries are difficult to pick since the bushes are loaded with thorns. But it's well worth toiling for their tangy sweetness. I was fortunate enough to be invited to harvest gorgeous gooseberries of three different varieties!

BELOW: The darkest variety is actually a cross between currant and gooseberry, they are in the front box. Their flavor is mature and slightly smoky, reminding me of Merlot wine. I plan to juice these berries and create a jelly with some Merlot added to accentuate that flavor.

In the farthest-away box shown above is the middle color that I picked, a sunny-tasting tangy red gooseberry. Really delicious. I hope to preserve them separately from the darker variety, to enjoy their midrange sweetness by itself.

BELOW: The classic green gooseberry. These are perfect for eating fresh. They have a tangy but sweet and slightly grassy flavor, capturing the essence of the hot summer sun perfectly. We ate a lot of these fresh right away. Then I froze the rest in a light syrup to use later, probably mixed with rhubarb in a pie!! So delicious.

BELOW: Another shot of the dark current-gooseberry hybrid variety. Can't wait to report back later on the Merlot jelly project!!

4 comments:

Sandy said...

I don't like thorns, but those berries do look yummy. I don't kow if I've ever tasted a gooseberry before. I'm pretty sure I've not purchased them at the store, but wonder if I've had them out, or at someone's house?

Sandy
Have a great wkend, and swing by for a visit, it's been awhile.

CyberCelt said...

Oh, what a bounty of food! I am visiting from kittencaboodle for Click and Comment Monday. All the best.

chuck b. said...

A berry I have never tasted! Looks and sounds like yum.

Have you had black currant, Ribes nigrum? Supposed to be amazing w/ chocolate. Banned in some states because it spreads white pine blister rust or something like that.

greenwalks said...

Never tasted any of the gooseberries you show, sadly. I need to remedy that! I seem to love all berries equally, so they must be added to the list. Just had a black currant at the SAGBUTT meeting, it was delicious right off the bush. Don't think it's banned here but I guess you could find out or ask Daniel Mount since he has one. Good luck with your preserves, they sound delicious! - Karen