Freezing gooseberries

[womble]

We have loads of green gooseberries and I'd like to freeze them so not to waste any.

Fool, we're not really into, as we don't like rich food that much and the cream puts us off.

Can I just cook them with sugar (how much?) strain and then freeze in batches to use with plain yoghurt?

And it looks like we will have our first load of red pax berries coming as well soon, can we just eat those fresh, or any other ideas?
Thanks

[Flummery]

I freeze them whole, just toped, tailed, washed and bagged. Then I make pies or wine (depending on whether I'm feeling hungry or thirsty!)

I make fool with custard instead of cream. Much lighter. Sometimes I make up the custard with less milk - then it's gooseberries idiot. Like fool but thicker!

[Alison]

Like Flum I usually just freeze mine raw and whole but you can freeze cooked too. I tend to stew them with a very small amount of water and sugar to taste. As I only add a table spoon or so of water I don't then strain. Re the amount of sugar, this depends on your taste, I don't have a sweet tooth so don't put much in but my mum would put half a bag in

PS - I didn't realised until recently that you could make fools with cream as I'd only ever had them done with custard!

[Farmer_Gyles]

i freeze mine whole, straight from the bush - when i want to use them, i defrost, top, tail, wash then use - made some lovely jam last week (or was it the week before??)

[The Large One]

we freeze direct from picking
quick wash and then layout on a tray in the freezer to freeze individualy(saves all getting stuck together) then bag and label

absolute masses this year
9 plants and over 70lbs in weight picked, gawd knows what to do with them all

[Farmer_Gyles]

if you put them in a freezer bag and freeze without washing, they won't stick together as they'll be dry anyway

70lbs should make about 105 jars of gooseberry jam ....
i have 5 bushes, 2 large, 3 small - expecting about 20 - 25lbs this year

[WrexTheDragon]

Mine are frozen whole with no sugar. I never put sugar on frozen fruit, only when it's cooked if it needs it.

[Hilary B]

If you freeze gooseberries or currants straight from the bush, when you take them out for use, shake them about in a metal collander (while still frozen) and they will top-and-tail themselves!
Saves a lot of work....

[The Large One]

If you freeze gooseberries or currants straight from the bush, when you take them out for use, shake them about in a metal collander (while still frozen) and they will top-and-tail themselves!
Saves a lot of work....

Ohhh, my missus will love that idea, thanks