Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Gooseberries and Currants
Amid the world of raspberries and strawberries come a couple of tarts worth a go!
Gooseberries and Currants are closely related, they’re also prevalent in Minnesota. They’re tolerant of most types of soil, some shade tolerance but fruit best in sun. Don’t plant under the shade of a tree as they’ll compete too much for moisture.
The gooseberries you mostly see are green but the University of Minnesota came up with this cultivar in 1957. ‘Welcome’…
A tried and true abundant producer. Red, sweet-tart berries ripen on long curving branches in late spring or early summer. Eat fresh or use in pies and jams. Fruit freezes well. More shade tolerant than other varieties. Hardy to -40°F. Grows to 3 feet tall and about 5 feet wide.
Here is much more information on Growing Currants and Gooseberries from the University of Minnesota Extension. This includes the fact that these two fruits are planted DEEPER than usual:
- Plant currants and gooseberries at least an inch deeper than they were planted in the nursery, in holes deeper and wider than their root systems.
Currants are self-fertile, but research suggests that planting more than one variety results in better yields.
How to Cook with Gooseberries from Great British Chefs
What to Bake with Fresh Currants from bakeschool.com (red currants)
Practical Reliance offers a host of recipes for Black Currants, etc. from a variety of sites.
