Gooseberry Picking in the American Midwest

 

Gooseberries: overrated thorn, underrated fruit!

These berries are more popular when they're under ripe (still green), I think they are at their best when they are beautifully reddened. Their texture is pretty close to grapes, and they are just a little tart, similar to raspberries. Plus, they sort of look like Chinese lanterns which is so fun!

 As you can see in the picture, yes the plants definitely have thorns. But for the most part they aren't too close to the gooseberries and it's pretty easy to avoid them if you're paying attention when you pick. I picked about 10 pounds and only got myself maybe a dozen times. And you know what? Worth it.

Beautiful row of gooseberries in the middle of red and black raspberries at a Midwestern fruit farm.

I also picked a few raspberries because who can resist fresh raspberries? I would have gotten more but they had just been picked over pretty well but another family picking, so I took what I could.

Do you eat gooseberries? I love them fresh by the handful or with pavlova. They are common in pies and preserves. I also froze some so I can enjoy them in fruit salad during the winter.

Just a few days later someone showed up at the farmers market with green (under ripe) gooseberries! Their season isn't very long so if you see fresh gooseberries, that's your chance!