The garden gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa, syn. Ribes grossularia) is thought not to be native to Britain, although it quickly became naturalised once it was introduced. The cultivation of the gooseberry is first recorded in William Turner's Herball in the mid-16th century when it was used for medicinal purposes. It was believed to reduce fever and was recommended to plague victims!
Gooseberry recipes 17th & 18th centuries
The gooseberry grew in popularity as a cooking ingredient in desserts, sauces, wines and jellies. A very early recipe for " Sauce for green geese " can be found in Gervase Markham's The English Housewife, printed in 1615. Traditionally, mature geese were killed at Christmas when gooseberries were not in season. However, young goslings, or green geese, were eaten in the early summer with a "feaberry" sauce as accompaniment. (Feaberry is the old English name for gooseberries and is still used in parts of northern England.)
Gooseberry fool is still one of the most popular gooseberry recipes in the UK and first appeared in print in an anonymous publication dated 1658: The Compleat Cook, Expertly Prescribing The Most Ready Wayes, Whether Italian, Spanish or French, For Dressing of Flesh And Fish, Ordering Of Sauces Or Making of Pastry.
Elizabeth Smith's The Compleat Housewife of 1739 contains a recipe for preserving gooseberries by cutting them in imitation of hops and lacing with syrup. This recipe was clearly time-consuming but very popular! While Smith used green gooseberries for this recipe, others used large red dessert gooseberries. Smith's book also contains a recipe for gooseberry jam, gooseberry cream, gooseberry wine and gooseberry tansy. Tansys were desserts made originally with the herb tansy, thought to be helpful for digestive problems.
19th century
In the 19th century gooseberries were grown widely in the UK and were an essential part of a healthy diet. During the mid-Victorian era (1850 to 1880), research (Clayton & Rowbotham, 2009) shows that inhabitants of the UK enjoyed a peak of physical health, including a diet rich in fresh, organically grown fruit, vegetables, fish, meat and nuts with a low intake of sugar, alchohol and tobacco. Gooseberries were a valuable contribution to the seasonal continuity of fresh fruit.
Competitive gooseberry growing became popular in the UK, particularly in the north-west of England. In 1829 Charles Knight extolled the virtues of the gooseberry in various parts of the UK. He observed that, while larger gooseberries could be grown further south, their flavour improved as you travelled to the cooler north. The best flavours he found in Aberdeen and Inverness in the north-east of Scotland.
Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, (1861) contains many popular gooseberry recipes, including jelly, jam, pudding, a sauce to accompany mackerel, tart, trifle, vinegar and fool. She also has a recipe for sparkling gooseberry wine that she suggests should be made from gooseberries that are fully grown but as yet unripe. Generally she recommends the use of white or green gooseberries in her recipes. Knight, on the other hand, prefers the yellow gooseberry for desserts and to make a sparkling wine that he likens to champagne.
20th century to the present day
After its heyday in the 19th century, the gooseberry became less fashionable during the 20th century, although it continued to be grown in British gardens and alloments.
The gooseberry's decline in popularity may have been in part due to the complete devastation of the UK's gooseberry population in the early 1900s by a mildew infestation from North America. It was gradually re-introduced, crossing European with American mildew-resistant strains.
The gooseberry has, in recent years, received the attention of celebrity chefs such as Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, and is starting to see something of a revival.
Growing gooseberries in your UK garden
Gooseberries are very easy to grow in the UK, either as bushes or cordons. In the warmer parts of England they need to have some shade, however in cooler parts of England and in Scotland they prefer to be in full sun. Gooseberries like to be sheltered from strong winds, although allowing some air to circulate helps to prevent mildew.
Gooseberries enjoy a rich, slightly acidic or neutral, soil that is both moisture-retentive and well-drained. They need plenty of potassium and a regular mulch of well-rotted manure. Protect from birds with netting or you could lose your entire crop!
Annual pruning of your gooseberry bush is very important to help maintain the health of the plant, to keep air and light around the fruit, to encourage fruit production and to make picking easier.
A mature gooseberry bush can produce a minimum of 4kgs of fruit.
Planting gooseberries
You can buy gooseberry plants from specialist nurseries and online. Plant bare-root gooseberries between late autumn and early spring or container-grown plants at any time, when the soil is not too frozen or wet.
If you have a friend with a decent gooseberry bush then it is even easier - although you will have to wait longer for your fruit. Take a hardwood cutting in early autumn by cutting a ripe shoot to 30 to 38cm in length. Leave all the buds on to assist rooting and stick the cutting in the ground to half its length. If it roots successfully, your new gooseberry should produce fruit in three to four years.
Varieties of gooseberry
There are numerous varieties of yellow, white, green and red gooseberry. Green gooseberries are most commonly used for cooking and can be picked early, before they fully ripen. Yellow, white and red varieties should be left to reach their full colour. Dessert quality gooseberries are delicious raw.
Some gooseberry varieties are mildew resistant and a few are thornless.
Health benefits of gooseberries
If you are still not persuaded of the virtues of the gooseberry, their health benefits may convince you! Gooseberries are particularly high in vitamin C and the group of antioxidants known as anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are the pigments that give colour to fruit and vegetables and are the most powerful of the antioxidants. Research suggests that they have anti-inflamatory properties that are beneficial to the heart, blood vessels, nervous system and brain, and may also help to fight cancer.
Printed Sources
- Brickell, C. (Ed) The Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Gardening, Dorling Kindersley, London, revised edition 2002 (1992).
- Philips, R. & Rix, M. The Botanical Garden Vol 1, Trees & Shrubs Macmillan, London, 2002.
Online Sources
- Gooseberry ">9th Edition of Encyclopedia Britannica
- www.historicfood.com
- The Compleat Cook, Expertly Prescribing The Most Ready Wayes, Whether Italian, Spanish or French, For Dressing of Flesh And Fish, Ordering Of Sauces Or Making of Pastry.
- (Project Gutenberg Ebook)
- Smith E., The Compleat Housewife, London 1739 (Google Books)
- Clayton, P. & Rowbotham, J. How the Mid-Victorians Worked, Ate and Died, International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health, 2009 March; 6 (3): 1235 - 1253
- Knight, Charles, A Description and History of Vegetable Substances used in the Arts and in Domestic Economy, London 1829 (Diversity Website)
- Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, 1861 (www.mrsbeeton.com)
- www.guardian.co.uk
- www.rhs.org.uk
- Jordheim M. et al, Anthocyanins in berries of ribes including gooseberry cultivars with a high content of acylated pigments, Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry, 2007, Jun 11; 55(14): 5529-35
- Sterling, M. Anthocyanins, Nutrition Science News, December 2001
- eattheseasons.co.uk
Celia Compton - A writer of integrity, with a background in music, therapy, teaching, public sector administration, gardening, intentional community ...
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