Gooseberry Easycrisp 'Mme Sansouci'

The Easycrisp 'Mme Sansouci' Gooseberry Bush is a recent selection that is appreciated for its "almost" thornless branches, making harvesting easier. It also benefits from very good powdery mildew tolerance. Productive, it produces medium-sized red fruits with a very slight fuzz. It forms a small upright bush of about 1m in all directions. In April, it is covered with greenish flowers, which, although insignificant, attract bees and other beneficial insects in the garden. The juicy berries are harvested in summer when they are fully ripe. They can be picked in the garden or consumed fresh in a fruit salad, but they can also be used in jams, jellies, pies, or as meat accompaniment. Provide this small fruit bush with a sunny to semi-shaded exposure (especially in warmer climates) in fresh and well-drained soil. It does not tolerate drought.

From the Grossulariaceae family, just like the Red Currant (Ribes rubrum) and the Black Currant (Ribes nigrum), the Gooseberry Bush, in Latin Ribes grossularia var. uva-crispa, is also called Prickly Gooseberry, Curly Grape, Louse-Clapper, Louse-Cruncher, Ball or Vinetier. The Ribes uva-crispa Easycrisp 'Mme Sansouci' is a recent Swiss creation from the Easycrisp range. This range includes varieties with high yields that are almost thornless, powdery, and mildew-resistant. The 'Mme Sansouci' variety forms a bushy bush with an upright habit that reaches 1m in all directions. It has few thorns or is mostly thornless. The lower juvenile part of the plant still has some thorns, while the upper part is thornless. The more the plant develops, the fewer thorns it has. This is a real advantage for harvesting. Its green, leathery and shiny foliage is deciduous. The greenish spring flowering goes unnoticed except for the insects that come to pollinate it. Harvesting takes place from early July to mid-August. The bush is then covered with medium to small-sized gooseberries, red to dark red, with a very slight fuzz. They can be consumed with the skin. It is important to harvest them fully ripe; otherwise, they will be quite acidic. Be careful, as their red colour does not make things easy.

The 'Mme Sansouci' Gooseberry Bush is self-fertile, but the presence of another variety nearby is always beneficial for production. Harvesting is done as the fruits ripen. Picked from the bush, its juicy and fragrant gooseberries are delicious to enjoy fresh or in a fruit salad. Feel free to plant green and white varieties for more colours on your plates. It is also possible to make jellies, jams, syrups, sorbets, pies, and cakes. These slightly acidic fruits are also great for sweet and savoury cooking, as a meat accompaniment or in composed salads.

The gooseberry bush will find its place in the vegetable garden and orchard alongside other small fruit bushes. Alternate species and varieties for better production and even more deliciousness: raspberry bushes, blackcurrant bushes, redcurrant bushes... It can be planted in a low edible hedge, alongside shrubs with original edible fruits such as 'Duet' Honeyberry or the 'Little Helpers' Aronia. If you enjoy gooseberries, vary the colours with 'Lady Sun' with yellow-green fruits and 'Solemio' with golden yellow fruits.