Ribes uva-crispa 'Mucurines'

The 'Mucurines' Gooseberry Bush is a selection that stands out for its strong, regular, and consistent production. It is considered robust and resistant to fungal diseases, including powdery mildew, which is common in this small fruit bush. The flowering occurs in April with small, insignificant flowers that are very attractive to bees, bumblebees, and hoverflies, which contribute to pollinating and fertilising garden flowers. In mid-summer, the fruits are an excellent source of gustatory pleasure while providing numerous nutritional benefits. Indeed, they are delicious to eat as they are but also to integrate into salads or savoury dishes, adding a sweet and subtly tangy touch to each preparation. They are a healthy and straightforward alternative to enhance desserts. The 'Mucurines' gooseberry should be planted in moist, well-drained, fertile, and loose soil in a sunny or partially shaded location to obtain an abundant harvest. Easy to maintain, this fruit bush can be planted in the ground or in pots on a balcony or terrace.

The Gooseberry Bush, in Latin Ribes grossularia var. uva-crispa, also known as Spiny Gooseberry or Curly Grape, belongs to the Grossulariaceae family, like the Redcurrants (Ribes rubrum) and the Blackcurrants (Ribes nigrum). The name "Gooseberry Bush" comes from the English, who have used 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 cross-breeding two species native to Europe and North Africa, still spontaneous in montane forests in Scotland, France, and the Caucasus.

The Ribes uva-crispa 'Mucurines', originating from Russia, is a robust, hardy, and vigorous variety with very good adaptation to cold and harsh winters. It forms a bushy shrub with few thorns and a tufted habit of slightly stiff, branched, and spreading branches. This very hardy bush reaches a height of 1m (3ft) with a spread of 80cm (32in). The foliage is deciduous, composed of palmate, lobed, and aromatic green leaves. This bush resembles classic gooseberries but differs mainly in the fruits: larger, with a sweet flavour, they appear solitarily along the branches, unlike clustered gooseberries. The flowering occurs in spring in clusters of small greenish flowers, relatively insignificant but intensely visited by bees. Fruiting occurs more on one- and two-year-old branches. An early variety, the harvest begins in early July and extends throughout the month. The bush is then covered with berries, round to oval, with slightly hairy skin, 1.3 cm (1in) in diameter, distributed along the branches. At maturity, the gooseberries take on a yellow-green colour and are filled with translucent, juicy, fruity, sweet, and tangy pulp containing tiny seeds.

The 'Mucurines' Gooseberry Bush is self-fertile, so it does not need 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. The yield of a gooseberry bush is about 3 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, and potassium, calcium, and phosphorus.

Moreover, 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 it is consumed when barely ripe. Picked from the bush, they are exquisite to eat fresh and can be sprinkled with a bit of crystallised sugar for more indulgence. In cooking, to attenuate the acidity of the fruits, it is possible to scald them for a minute and then refresh them under cold water. Excellent in jellies or jams, they can also be used to garnish pies and make cakes. They will be perfect for making syrups, sorbets, ice creams, or desserts. The subtle balance between the flavours and acidity of the fruits offers an exciting use to accompany meats (game, poultry, etc.), oily fish (sardines, mackerel, tuna, etc.), or as a garnish for salads.

In summer, the 'Mucurines' Gooseberry Bush offers moments of gustatory pleasure with its succulent fruits. Harvesting is easy as the berries are large, and the plant has almost no thorns—a great pleasure for the taste buds and a satisfaction for the picker. You can pair it with Blackcurrants, Raspberries, Blueberries, Mayberries, or other varieties of small fruits to form a gourmet hedge, which it will reinforce with its multiple culinary assets. It is vital to alternate species and varieties where possible. This limits the risk of diseases and promotes pollination, even if the variety is self-fertile. It is possible to cultivate it in a pot. However, you must choose a container with a height of at least 40 cm (16in) and ensure regular watering with non-limestone water.