Gooseberries

Not being an authority on gooseberries, I would just go by the size and feel of them pinkannie. They are difficult to judge for ripeness. My aunt used to grow them in her garden when we were children. We used to pinch them off the bushes and eat them raw, boy, they were sour.

They should yield a bit if you pinch them between your fingers. Pick one and eat it. If it is rock hard and sets your teeth on edge, it is not ready. At the other end of the scale, if they are splitting and going squishy, they are becoming over-ripe - though they can be quite good to eat raw at that stage, unless they are stating to rot.

Different varieties are sweeter or sharper, so you will have to get used to your own plants. For jam, there is a wider acceptance level than for dessert fruit.

Watch out for the gooseberry sawfly larvae - small caterpillers coloured a very pretty light turquoise, which can strip the leaves in a week. They seem to be around in May and June.

My gooseberry bush was in the garden when I came here 42 years ago. Every year since then it has been loaded with berries. Not this year however. There has been the grand total of 2. In disgust at it letting me down I have given it a severe pruning and it is coming again from the bottom. It has also been given a good talking to and it knows what will happen if it does not get back to normal next year.
As for knowing when they are ready do as Elegran suggests but don't try and check every one ! If a few are ready just pick as many as you want and pick more another day. They don't go off very quickly.

If you want them for Jam pick them early as the pectin deteriorates as the fruit ripens.

Gooseberry and strawberry jam is good - the gooseberries set the strawberries, and the strawberries sweeten the gooseberries.

If you want them as dessert gooseberries then you leave them until they 'give' a little and the colour begins to turn sightly 'milky'. Otherwise, pick them when they're a decent size and just add enough sugar to offset the tartness. I agree with Elegran about gooseberry and strawberry jam - it was one of my favourites in the days when I allowed myself to consume sugar.

I can't improve on the advice already given about picking gooseberries but would add that an easy sauce made with puréed slightly sweetened stewed gooseberries beaten with a little butter is fabulous with rich meats, such as duck, or oily fish, such as mackerel.

Add some elderflowers when you cook gooseberries. They can be removed and discarded when they have added their flavour.

A friend made delicious gooseberry and elderflower ice cream - a marriage made in heaven. Unfortunately I seem to have lost the recipe.

I sometimes give my redcurrants a really hard prune to get them going again, which leaves me short of them - in that year I make gooseberry jelly instead of redcurrant, and stew the gooseberries (any colour, it still comes out red) with a large sprig of rosemary. It's just as red as redcurrant jelly and just as nice.

Many thanks everyone. I will certainly do the 'squeeze test' before I pick. Thanks also for suggesting adding elderflowers to the jam - will give this a go - but... should I actually add some flowers or just put sprigs into the gooseberries when cooking them and then remove the elderflower stalks before adding sugar and boiling up?
Annie

Ooo, gooseberies..how I love them...but sadly very seldom see them in the shops to buy now...maybe in the occasional farm shop. But they were such a favourite fruit when I was a kid...crumbles, pies, jam....and wine . annodomini .. your gooseberry and elderflower ice cream sounds devine.

PS gooseberries freeze very well so you don't have to use them all up in one go. We enjoy gooseberry crumble in the cold winter months.

The talk of gooseberry and strawberry jam reminded me of when the kids were at home. I had lots of gooseberries but had to buy strawberries and they loved strawberry jam but professed to hating gooseberries. I mixed the two at first with quite a high ratio of strawberries but over the years it became much more gooseberry than strawberry. They never knew and still thought it was strawberry jam.

As for adding elderflowers, I put them in a muslin bag which is removed and squeezed before adding the sugar.