Green’s my favourite colour so I’m quite taken with my new gooseberry header. Not least because the gooseberry bush is a new addition to my plot this year thanks to dear old Henley. Now that Henley can’t manage his plot Dave has taken it over, but not before he was instructed to ‘make sure that nice young girl down the end gets my wheelbarrow’. I was grinning from ear to ear as I wheeled it and it’s bushy passenger to their new home on my patch and continued to smile as I pondered where but on an allotment site a 35 year old would be considered to be so youthful! I also wonder how I ever managed without a wheelbarrow all these years.
I hadn’t expected my knee-high gooseberry bush to fruit this year but it’s thriving in it’s new spot. I put this down to Dave’s sage advice to soak the ground hole first, water in the bush and never let it get too dry while it recovers from the shock of being moved. I let the birds have the handful of ripe ruby red goosegogs this year. I won’t be so generous next year when I hope to have enough to try these mouthwatering recipes for jam, cake and ice-cream – strawberry and gooseberry jam, gooseberry and almond streudel squares, gooseberry and elderflower ice cream, mackerel with gooseberry and thyme.
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those beautiful green photos make me very happy – never seen gooseberries on a bush before – they usually look a bit limp in a plastic container before I see them – but these look like food of the gods
You take such amazing pics. Will be very grateful for your blog once we’re gone 🙁
Congratulations on your newly acquired wheelbarrow, nice young girl!
::having major gooseberrie envy::
Love your new header. The green is so inviting. Those goosegogs are so plump!
And Yes how on earth did you manage without a wheelbarrow for so long.
Happy Wheeling Young lass!
The green is so lovely and fresh! I’m actually not sure I’ve ever tasted a gooseberry. I’m guessing they are tart?
Lucky you getting a wheelbarrow!
Johanna – green fans alike us two :o) nothing like home grown gooseberries. Henri gave me some to eat at the allotment today and while the skins retain their tartness the soft insides are so sweet. Could never eat a shop bought gooseberry like that
Ruth – thanks lovely. Your hubby’s good with the old snaps so maybe a family blog is on it’s way. We’ll miss you all and look forward to sharing Gloucester life with you online
Tom – {chuckle}
Miss M – roll on next year when you can envy some delicious puddingy concoction too ;o)
Mangocheeks – I really don’t know. It’s my new best friend
Christine – they can be but mainly because shop bought ones are picked too early. Properly ripened on the bush you can eat them raw and if you don’t like the skins the soft centre comes straight out with a single squeeze. Very satisfying!
Green is also the colour of envy and that is just what I feel looking at those wonderful bushes!
Never mind, in a year or two I will have my own {gg}
[…] – tangy but sweet and no hint of sugar needed to sweeten them. I was reminded of the gooseberry bush I inherited from Dave’s allotment neighbour when failing eyesight meant he was no longer able to manage his […]
[…] – tangy but sweet and no hint of sugar needed to sweeten them. I was reminded of the gooseberry bush I inherited from Dave’s allotment neighbour when failing eyesight meant he was no longer able to manage his […]
[…] fruits. The older redcurrant bushes moved at the same time seem very happy in their new spot. Henley’s gooseberry bush transplanted successfully to the bottom edge of my plot after I read about a nasty Sawfly pest on […]