Harvesting goosegogs

[lainey lou]

I have 2 varieties of gooseberry, one is red so I'm presuming I can harvest them once they have turned red?!
The second variety is a geen cooking variety, can anyone advice how I'll know when they are ready to harvest?
Thanks

[lainey lou]

just bumping this one up again......

[roitelet]

When they are big enough. Take out some to eat and let the others get bigger. Red ones when they turn colour and let the others ripen further. When ripe lovely to eat raw.

[lainey lou]

Thank you roitelet, that was the reply I was hoping for!
Yippee, goosegogs tonight!!!

[Shadylane]

Last year we waited until they had a slight give when you squeezed them, although if your cooking with them I think you can harvest before then. They were just starting to get sweet at that point and edible without cooking.

[mrscorpio]

Am I missing out?
My childhood memories of gooseberries are small green grape sized hairy fruits that taste like acid from satans arm pits. I have never eaten one since.(and im now 40)

In this thread I see comments such as 'sweet' and 'lovely to eat raw'

Is this true and if so which type of bush would you recommend.

[roitelet]

Am I missing out?
My childhood memories of gooseberries are small green grape sized hairy fruits that taste like acid from satans arm pits. I have never eaten one since.(and im now 40)

In this thread I see comments such as 'sweet' and 'lovely to eat raw'

Is this true and if so which type of bush would you recommend.

Some are described as dessert but most will become sweet if allowed to ripen properly. Green ones will develop a yellowish tinge and the red ones will become darker. The will both feel slightly soft. The hard green ones are just unripe.

Patience is the answer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[WrexTheDragon]

I like to wait for the first one to have signs of splitting.

I freeze a lot and I am still having them with my porage in the morning.

Last year I was eating Invicta in mid July and Hinnomaki Red in mid August. Gowing more Hinnomaki Red and Hinnomaki yellow this year as they are nice and sweet. The Invicta is a bit tart.

[mrscorpio]

I like to wait for the first one to have signs of splitting.

I freeze a lot and I am still having them with my porage in the morning.

Last year I was eating Invicta in mid July and Hinnomaki Red in mid August. Gowing more Hinnomaki Red and Hinnomaki yellow this year as they are nice and sweet. The Invicta is a bit tart.

The Hinnomaki red sounds good. Is it best to grow from seed or are bushes readily available in the garden centers.

[weekendwellies]

Am I missing out?
My childhood memories of gooseberries are small green grape sized hairy fruits that taste like acid from satans arm pits. I have never eaten one since.(and im now 40)

In this thread I see comments such as 'sweet' and 'lovely to eat raw'

Is this true and if so which type of bush would you recommend.

lol mrscorpio,

you are missing out.
i have got 3 bushes (2 red and 1 green) in my back garden and had the first harvest last year.
they are lovely, just like i remember from childhood. my nan had a neighbour with an allotment so i think she got them from him

i suspect you have had some that were picked before they were ripe, as happens when they need to be transported and kept in shop for a few days.
get fresh ones from someone local, picked when ripe, and they are delicious and sweet.

[WrexTheDragon]

I would always buy a good plant from a garden center, as you will get fruit this year. Small bushes and cuttings can tale 2 to 3 years before they crop, but these can be picked up from the likes of Morrisons, Lidl, Aldi for just over a pound. A good bush from a local garden center will be about £6.

£6 may sound alot, but you will get at least that amount back in the first year if you could buy gooseberries in a supermarket.

Also you can pick a nice plant already in a pot that has a good crop already on the plant.

[Scottishnewbie]

I've several gooseberry bushes all with fruits on. However, one of them doesnt have a single berry - they havent been eaten - they just never arrived! and i cant remember if there were any flowers either - i suspect not. now in our teeny village of 15 houses, there are 4 beehives, so even if there were flowers, pollination shouldnt have been an issue

any ideas?

[OllieMartin]

Patience is the answer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...and if anyone works out how to do this, please let me know!

[mrscorpio]

lol mrscorpio,

you are missing out.
i have got 3 bushes (2 red and 1 green) in my back garden and had the first harvest last year.
they are lovely, just like i remember from childhood. my nan had a neighbour with an allotment so i think she got them from him

i suspect you have had some that were picked before they were ripe, as happens when they need to be transported and kept in shop for a few days.
get fresh ones from someone local, picked when ripe, and they are delicious and sweet.

The gooseberrys I was forced to eat as a child were from a bush in the garden. Mum never puts enough sugar in any fruit pies so they tasted awful. I can only assume that my parents picked them before they were ripe. The bush has long gone, so I cant even tell them to leave the gooseberrys on longer.

[Flummery]

I like to feel them a bit soft too. You need to let them build up a bit of their own sugar or you'll just go adding loads of yours.
Make a good wine too - it's only the hairs on a gooseberry ....!