Gooseberry Darling - Ribes uva-crispa

The 'Darling' ® Gooseberry Bush is a recent creation, selected by its breeder for its regular and high yield of hairless fruits, with a sweet and fruity flavor, slightly acidic, and for its healthy growth, being tolerant to powdery mildew and leaf drop disease, including in wet soil. In summer, the fruits are pleasant to nibble on for delightful natural tastings and their delicious taste makes them an excellent ingredient to enhance salads, enhance the taste of savory dishes or elevate desserts. In April, it is covered with greenish flowers, quite insignificant, but a source of food for bees and other beneficial insects in the garden. A sunny or partially shaded exposure and well-drained, nutrient-rich soil are the optimal conditions for a high-yield harvest of gooseberries. Easy to maintain and resistant to diseases, this small fruit bush offers simple use in the garden, whether in open ground or in pots. Plant from October to March for a harvest in August.

The Gooseberry Bush, in Latin Ribes grossularia var. uva-crispa, also known as the Prickly Gooseberry, Curly Grape, Pouf Slapper, Louse Cruncher, Balloon or Vinetier, belongs to the Grossulariaceae family, like the Red Currants (Ribes rubrum) and Blackcurrants (Ribes nigrum). The name Gooseberry Bush comes from the English, who have been using this gooseberry for a long time to make a sweet and sour sauce to accompany mackerel. Cultivated in northern Europe since the 16th century, the Gooseberry Bush is a fertile hybrid resulting from the cross-breeding of two species native to Europe and North Africa, still found spontaneously in montane forests in Scotland, France, and the Caucasus.

The Ribes uva-crispa 'Darling' ® is a recent Swiss variety from the Crispa ® range. This range consists of gooseberry varieties selected for their high yields of juicy and fleshy fruits, with a high sugar content, on vigorous and disease-resistant plants. It forms a bushy, spiny shrub with a tufted habit of slightly stiff, ramified, and spreading branches. This very hardy bush reaches a height of 1m (3ft) with a spread of 80 cm (32in). The foliage is deciduous, composed of palmate, lobed, and aromatic leaves, medium green in color. This shrub resembles classic gooseberries, but is mainly differentiated by its fruits: larger, with a sweet flavor, they appear solitary along the branches, unlike clustered gooseberries. Apart from a few thornless varieties, the Gooseberry Bush has spiny stems. Flowering occurs in spring, in the form of clusters of small greenish flowers, intensely visited by bees. Fruiting occurs mainly on one- and two-year-old branches. The harvest takes place in July and August. The bush is then covered with smooth-skinned, round to oval berries, 1.2cm (1in) in diameter, distributed along the branches. At maturity, the gooseberries turn a wine-like colour and are filled with translucent, juicy, fruity, sweet, and slightly acidic pulp, containing tiny seeds.

The Darling Gooseberry Bush is self-fertile, so it does not require a companion to bear fruit, but the presence of another variety nearby will increase production. Harvesting is done as the fruits ripen. It is simplified due to the size of the berries. A gooseberry bush produces about 2 to 4 kg of fruit per plant depending on the age and growing conditions of the plant. The fruits are rich in vitamin C, antioxidants, minerals, trace elements, as well as potassium, calcium, and phosphorus. In addition, their low sugar content classifies them among the least energy-rich small fruits (50 kcal per 100g). The fruit is purifying for the body thanks to its diuretic, digestive, liver decongestant, and laxative properties, provided that it is consumed when barely ripe. When picked from the bush, they are delicious when eaten fresh, and for added indulgence, they can be sprinkled with a little granulated sugar. In cooking, to attenuate the acidity of the fruits, they can be blanched for one minute and then cooled under cold water. Excellent for jellies or jams, they can also be used to garnish pies and make cakes. They are also perfect for making syrups, sorbets, ice creams, or desserts. The subtle balance between the flavors and acidity of the fruits offers an interesting use to accompany meats (game, poultry, etc.), oily fish (sardines, mackerel, tuna, etc), or as a small touch in composed salads.

In the summer, the Gooseberry Bush provides the satisfaction of beautiful harvests and the pleasure of tasting delicious fruits, but be careful of the thorns. You can associate it with Blackcurrants, Raspberries, Blueberries, Hawthorn, or other varieties of small fruits to form a gourmet hedge, which it will enhance with its multiple culinary assets. As in any planting, it is important, in a gooseberry plantation, to alternate species and varieties wherever possible. This limits the risk of diseases and promotes pollination, even if the variety is self-fertile. It can be grown in a pot, but you should choose a container at least 40cm (16in) in height and regularly water with non-calcareous water.