Gooseberries
Gooseberries are a spikey, hard and tart fruit which is transformed by sugar into delights such as gooseberry crumble, gooseberry pie, gooseberry jam and puree, which is delicious served as a sauce on ice cream.
Dessert gooseberries are a recent addition to the farm. The purple-red fruit is quite sweet – proving to be a popular newcomer.
The traditional method of growing gooseberries as a bush is used with some of the crop. We have also introduced a trellis system to train some gooseberry bushes on wires. This growing-method exposes the fruit making it easier to pick.
Varieties
- Invicta is grown on wires for easier picking
- Careless is traditional green variety, which tend to last longest
- Pax is the red dessert gooseberry; it has no thorns and fruits latest of all the gooseberries.
Top tips for gooseberry picking
- To ensure you can enjoy the best quality fruit, check out our advice on picking and storage.
- Gloves give protection from thorns, and a kneeling-pad helps picking from the lower branches.
- Unlike other berries, gooseberries are not spoilt by washing in cold water.
- Gooseberries freeze well. ‘Topping and tailing’ fruit is not necessary, but many people prefer to.