Northern Gooseberry

Ribes oxyacanthoides ssp oxyacanthhoides
My own yard, wild. photo taken July 2008.

formerly Saxifragaceae Saxifrage family
now Grossulariaceae, gooseberry family

oxyacanthoides - sharp/ sour
well the berries not so sour as most of its cousins here, but the thorns most sharp and abundant. hard to pick berry! But the taste very good.

black currant jam

Only part of the bounty today, Aug. 1 2009.
Mostly black currants. (see Ribes) a few strawberries (Fragaria) and some raspberries (Rubus) and very few gooseberries (Ribes)


Yesterday Pat and i picked, some 5 litres raspberries and say 4 litres blackcurrants.
He made raspberry vinegar. According to him only to be done with wild berries, (domestic berries not enough flavor)
He used 3 litres white vinegar
I think; 1 pound raspberries (i'll ask him)
boiled it, let i stand, and strained it.
Beautiful clear red liquid.

Angela(Pat's wife) i hope you will send me the recipe for the salad dressing, made with it.(Thanks:)

I cooked up my 2 litres of blackcurrants, as you see them, leaves and sticks picked out.

I dry the leaves for tea.

I boiled the berries with one bag of brown sugar, boiled till the desired consistency,
4 pints of jam.

As you see i am not much good for recipes. I fling it, it mostly works out deliciously so.