North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[John S <swim_at_svc@yahoo.com>]

My gooseberries ripen in July.  For table (raw), consider Hinnomaki Red or Poorman, both excellent quality if allowed to ripen.  I find that the red fruited ones have superior taste to the greens and whites.  Birds, especially robins around here, and Jap beetles will destroy your crop, if precautions are not taken.  This year I screened my gooseberries and blueberries with PVC hoops, clips, and fiberglass screen.  I enjoyed the best berries yet and did not have to fight the pests.  Even though we had a cloudy summer, fruit quality was excellent and prolific berries produced, despite the reduced light from the clouds and screen.

John



--- On Mon, 10/5/09, Kieran &/or Donna <holycow@frontiernet.net> wrote:

From: Kieran &/or Donna <holycow@frontiernet.net>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Gooseberries for TN?
To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Date: Monday, October 5, 2009, 12:08 AM

Bill,
    I'm not sure about eating gooseberries raw, the only ones I have ever
tasted are the few I've picked from my Pixwell plant, and they were sure not
impressive that way.  My husband has never mentioned raw gooseberries,
mostly he's talked about them in pies.   So though I definitely want
gooseberries to cook with, I'd also like to grow one or two that are
considered good for desert, just so I can find out what they taste like.
    I note Alan said that they ripen the same time as sweet cherries, which
means very early.  I like that idea, and though I too would prefer to eat
sweet cherries, they crop poorly for me and the birds eat them anyway.  They
are WAY to big to net, whereas it appears that most of the gooseberries are
small enough there is some possibility of keeping the birds off them.   I
suppose I'd have to have chicken wire or something to keep any netting from
getting hung on the bushes.  I have a friend who has made little hoops about
4' high and covered with netting to keep deer out of at least part of her
garden.  Hmmm... maybe I should figure out a way to do this with the
blueberries while awaiting my gooseberry harvest.
    I've gone back to an earlier gooseberry discussion as well, and feel
like I now know a lot more about what should or shouldn't do for me.  I
think I'll try too many (as usual) and see what does best.  I feel like they
are one plant at least that will appreciate the fact that our place runs
about 4 degrees cooler than the surrounding area, summer and winter.
    And no Richard, I don't enjoy enjoy documenting my frustrations, I do
that out of duty to help others.  I would much rather be boasting about my
successes!  The trouble with fruit successes though, is that by the time one
arrives, I am overwhelmed by the generosity of the tree.  I forget the
umpteen buckets of water I've brought it and the long grudging wait for it
to grow and get past adolescence.
    Thank you all for telling me so much about your experiences.   Donna TN
Z6

_______________________________________________
nafex mailing list
nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Reproduction of list messages or archives is not allowed.
This includes distribution on other email lists or reproduction on web sites.
Permission to reproduce is NEVER granted, so don't claim you have permission!

**YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO POST!**
Posts from email addresses that are not subscribed are discarded.
No exceptions. 
----
To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the bottom of this page (also can be used to change other email options):
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex

File attachments are NOT stripped by this list.
TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COMPUTER VIRUSES!
Please do not send binary files.
Use plain text ONLY in emails!

NAFEX web site:   http://www.nafex.org/