Organic Gooseberry Hinnonmaki Rod - Ribes uva-crispa

The Organic Hinnonmaki Rod Gooseberry Bush is a productive and vigorous variety, with good resistance to powdery mildew, making it well suited to humid climates. It produces large, translucent, red fruits with juicy and tangy flesh. The Gooseberry is a dense bush, easy to grow but sensitive to drought. The berries are delicious to eat and ideal for jams, jellies, pies, or as an accompaniment to meat and fish. Plant from October to March for harvesting around mid-July.

Cultivated in northern Europe since the 16th century, the Gooseberry Bush, in Latin Ribes uva-crispa, is a fertile hybrid resulting from the cross-breeding of two species native to Europe and North Africa, still found spontaneously in mountain forests in Scotland, France, and the Caucasus. The Gooseberry Bush belongs to the Grossulariaceae family, like the Red Currant (Ribes rubrum). This bush resembles classic currants but stands out particularly in terms of its fruits: larger and sweeter, they appear solitary along the branches, unlike clustered currants.

The Gooseberry Bush is a dense bush, branching from the base, reaching a height of 1m (3ft) and spreading to 75cm (30in). Its deciduous leaves fall in autumn. They are toothed and hairy, bright green to medium green. Apart from a few thornless varieties, the Gooseberry Bush has prickly stems. It is adorned in spring with tiny nectar-rich, greenish-white flowers. These will transform into translucent, round to oval berries, 1.5cm (1in) in diameter, distributed along the branches. Depending on the variety, these berries can be red, white, or yellow-green. The fruits are harvested when fully ripe, easily detaching from their support. The harvest yields about 3 to 4 kg per plant.

The gooseberry is a fruit that is not very sweet, low in calories, rich in vitamins C, A, and B, and well supplied with minerals (calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus). The fruit is purifying for the body thanks to its diuretic, digestive, liver decongestant, and laxative properties provided it is consumed when barely ripe. Gooseberries can be enjoyed freshly picked or consumed in sweet recipes (pies, jams, jellies...) or savoury (accompanying meats, fish...). Traditionally, in Nordic countries, the fruit juice was used in the preparation of a sweet and sour sauce that accompanied mackerel dishes.

In the garden, Gooseberry Bushes can be used in a small edible hedge, mixed with other currants and raspberries, but they can also form a dense defensive hedge, thanks to their numerous thorns, which you should be careful of during harvesting. It is a very hardy bush, easy to grow but sensitive to drought.