Gooseberries or Goosegogs

As a little girl one of the memories I have is of my mum bottling lots of fruit from my Nan and Pop's garden during the summer months.  Mum used to bottle the goosegogs in Kilner jars for puddings during the winter months and to add something to the Pantry to help keep the cold of winter at bay and to help fight off any winter colds or infections. In those days we would eat a lot more than now, often starting with a soup, then a main meal and often a pudding,  All to help keep us warm and keep us well. I was always mesmerised when she began a bottling session and once all the fruit had been processed and stored mum placing the jars on the top shelf so that little hands could go no where near.  Such a long time ago now; but it is something that she and my Nan did year in year out marking the seasons by the different fruits that were available, eating seasonally in the summer months with a plethora of fruit and vegetables but always ensuring that there was food in hand and plenty of it.  Please remember that this was in the days before supermarkets and the main source of food supply used to be the markets and to compound that my Nan and Pop used to live in a tiny village where there were no shops; so if they had not been keen and adept at putting up food for the winter months food pickings would have been sparse.

Being in the right place at the right time the other day I ended up with a scuttle load of gooseberries for preserving in different ways.  Some for the freezer for use in pies, tarts and fools, some for Gooseberry jam and some for Elderflower and Gooseberry jam.  All courtesy of my local veg shop.  Apparently people have asked for them and so they have got some in at long last.

Gooseberries are OHs favourites along with Rhubarb so I always ensure that there are a few in the freezer or in the preserves store to rustle up a pie, crumble, fool etc.  It is me that is fond of the Gooseberry jam.  The beauty of Gooseberries for making jam is that it is just pure fruit and sugar as the Gooseberry is naturally very high in pectin the natural ingredient in the fruit that allows for a good set without adding anything else.

So I sat the other night on my Nan's stool with the radio on and carefully topped and tailed them all quite a fiddly job but one I ensure is always done and now they just need to be turned into jam (those left in the fridge that is) the others are already ensconced in the freezer.

I think Rhubarb and Gooseberries are something that we grew up with.  As children I do not think that we were overly fond of the cooked fruit preferring it raw, I certainly had the privilege of scrumping from my Nan's garden but at a certain age both OH and I started craving the occasional crumble, fool or pie so both the Gooseberry and the Rhubarb re-entered our day to day living.

They are well worth putting up for use out of season even if for only a little taste of summer on a cold damp English winter day.

Gooseberry Gin

https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/gooseberry-gin-recipe

I have made Gooseberry Gin before a couple of times.  I quite like it topped up with lemonade,  But this recipe also offers something to do with the left over berries i.e. Gooseberry and Gin Jam.  Now that is something worth thinking about.

Gooseberry and Elderflower jam

Here is a recipe that utilises Elderflower cordial as well.  However you can also use fresh elderflower heads.

https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/preserves/gooseberry-and-elderflower-preserve

I have jam to make and also Gooseberry curd hopefully later on when and if it gets a bit cooler.  Gooseberry jam is one of my favourites along with Strawberry and Rhubarb jam.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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