Gooseberry Innovations

Mid-June is always gooseberry time. Gooseberries are native to Kansas, but they naturally occur in the woods or at the woods’ edge, where they receive little sunlight and consequently produce few berries. We never managed to find enough for even one pie until Dennis transplanted three wild bushes into our yard, where they get more sun and produce more berries.

Picking gooseberries is hazardous work because the branches are lined with vicious thorns that draw blood. My dad used to wear a leather glove to protect the hand he used to lift the branches, but he never manage to avoid being stabbed a time or two.

Traditionally in our family we picked all the berries, large and small, on a bush at one time. This year Dennis decided to pick only the largest berries, leaving the smaller ones to continue growing. He brings in a few berries every day or two and so far the little berries are getting larger.

Picking isn’t the only task involved in gooseberries. Every berry has both a stem and a brown “beard,” the dried remnant of the blossom, both of which have to be removed.

We used to sit at the table stemming gooseberries for hours, pinching the stems and beards off with our fingernails. Arthritis put an end to my participation in that task, leaving all the work to Dennis. Now, he, too, has arthritic thumbs, so we’ve changed with the times. We use tiny scissors to trim the stems and beards.

It will take more than arthritic hands to stop us from enjoying tart gooseberry pies and sauces. We probably will be harvesting and cooking gooseberries until we die.

For more gooseberry photos see “Gooseberry Time,” June 14, 2011: http://chickencreekjournal.blogspot.com/2011/06/gooseberry-time.html

Copyright 2014 by Shirley Domer