[NAFEX] Gooseberry shows

mIEKAL aND QAZINGULAZA at gmail.com
Mon Jul 5 08:29:51 EDT 2010


This is absolutely fascinating.  Thanks for  this. I've never heard of  
a Gooseberry show in the US...

~mIEKAL


On Jul 5, 2010, at 3:00 AM, Clifford Cain - uk yahoo wrote:

> Following on from Earnest Plutko's enquiry regarding gooseberry  
> shows here in the UK.  Yes they still do take place.
> Their history goes back some 200 years when those working in the  
> Lancashire cotton mills grew and bred gooseberries for local  
> competitions.  They used to be local affairs, but with increased  
> transportation, they declined.  In 1845 there where 171 shows today  
> there are 11, 10 in Cheshire and 1 in Yorkshire. A history of the  
> shows can be found at http://www.gardeningmasterclass.co.uk/h02-01-99-05.html
> Two main shows; the main show is held at Egton Bridge near Whitby on  
> the east coast and takes place on the first Tuesday of August.   
> (They have a website http://www.egtongooseberryshow.org.uk/ 
> index.htm  where I leant that they have such competitions in  
> Sweden.)  In Cheshire (boundary changes, many of the towns where in  
> Lancashire) the Goostry show sticks in my mind from childhood.  Back  
> in the early 70's this 9 year old was watching the local news on tv  
> and there was a report on the show. Three things stuck in my head -  
> a gooseberry show, being held in a place called 'Goose tree' and  
> hairy gooseberries.  I wanted to grow red hairy ones, so next spring  
> went to Woolworths and bought a plant for two and a half pennies;  
> the variety was Careless - green and smooth!  May not have worked  
> out as I intended but got me interested.
> The main issue with the old varieties is that they are susceptible  
> to American gooseberry mildew and the modern resistant berries are  
> small.  I have to admit to having given up trying to grow the old  
> varieties organically; a number of  them are sulphur shy.
> Competitions vary, some weigh the fruit in dram weights, the largest  
> being 35 grams with is the equivalent of 62 grams / 2.19oz. Others  
> work as a knock out competition, two berries going on the beam  
> balance and the n challengers adding their heavies berries.
> Whilst they did have gooseberry shows in the North East of England,  
> their main obsession was with leeks, particularly pot leeks.  Again  
> they used to be numerous, but have declined.  Local pubs used to  
> host the competitions, prized being the likes of towels and sheets.   
> I am at Gateshead show at the end of the month and will take photo's  
> of the show and post them on Flickr.
>
> I know of your giant pumpkin competitions but did the tradition of  
> gooseberry shows transfer to the States?
>
> Regards
> Clifford
> Doncaster, UK
>
>




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