Gorgeous gooseberries

GORGEOUS GOOSEBERRIES

Nature, so often unforgiving, surprised and delighted us, with an unexpected crop of golden Cape Gooseberries on our North Auckland country property. The fruit share the name gooseberry, with the Chinese Gooseberry or Kiwifruit Actinida chinensis vine that produces the furry egg shaped and sized fruit we know so well and the small Ribes Grossularia Gooseberry, a small smooth-skinned fruit with green flesh and skin that grows on smallish spiky shrubs.

Two years earlier, during construction of our new farm home, we found a couple of tumbling Cape Gooseberry bushes tucked away behind an old shed. It was March then and the little round berries were ripe and ready for picking, having turned from green to shiny gold inside their paper-thin light brown lacy calyx cases. We collected the fruit and ate them fresh, relishing their unique tangy taste. Unfortunately, the bobcat moved in to tidy up after building was complete and the plants vanished.

Several months passed in a haze of activity as we toiled in our glasshouses filled with tomato vines as well as developing the property. We established shelterbelts, prepared garden beds, planted a small orchard of heirloom fruit trees and dealt with a dozen sheep and their lambs. As we all know, progress depends on our persistent hard work.

So it was a real delight one day to see Cape Gooseberries growing again with no help from us. Scattered seeds from the original plants must have settled at the base of an old plum tree and lain dormant until suitable conditions caused germination. It was a warm sheltered situation, an ideal location for the bushes to flourish with the lichen covered tree branches and trunk providing ideal natural support and protection.

Like the tomatoes, that provided our livelihood, the decorative Cape Gooseberry Physalis Peruviana is a member of the nightshade family Solancae. Physalis is a genus of 100 species of annuals and herbaceous perennials. Some are grown purely as ornamentals and others for their fruit. The name from the Greek Physa, a bladder, refers to the inflated calyxes surrounding the fruit. The cherry or berry is a native of the Americas and has been under cultivation for more than 200 years. There were widespread plantings around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, where it is now naturalized, so this is probably where the ‘Cape’ part of its common name comes from.

Similarly, the grape-like Gooseberry has been around for a very long time, with origins probably in Europe and North Africa, where it grows wild. There are over 400 varieties in existence, with a range from small black fruit to large red fruit plus yellow, white and all the sizes in-between. Gooseberries bushes have been grown in NZ for many years with the selection of suitable plants to choose from, increasing over time.

Then there are our Kiwifruit (Chinese gooseberries), belonging to a genus of around 40 species of climbing shrubs that in turn belong to the Actinidiaceae family. However, only three species produce edible fruit. As the name suggests this juicy berry it is a native of China and has been in cultivation in European gardens over the last 100 years or so, including N.Z.

The three fruits have their own individual set of requirements to do well. As far as Cape Gooseberries are concerned, they make an ideal cottage garden plant as they are decorative and productive.

The bush is a generally a perennial, producing up to 1 kg of fruit per plant, nevertheless it can be grown in the South Island as an annual, if planted and harvested within the frost-free period of the year.

Garden centres have plants available in early Spring. However, if growing your own from seed, follow the same procedure you would use for tomato plants.
Propagation can also be undertaken by root division in winter or by soft wood cuttings in Spring. Support staking is sometimes necessary, as the bushes although erect, do sprawl. They will grow in any soil, but thrive in a rich loam and as we discovered, seeds sprinkled in a suitable sheltered environment will go it alone.

The small whitish bell-shaped flowers with purple markings are followed by fruit, which begin to ripen ten to twelve weeks after planting and continue until the frost. The time to collect the fruit is when the outer lantern shaped husks change from green to light brown, an indication that the berry is ripening. Leaving the husk on provides protection and by keeping them dry at this stage, they can be stored intact for some weeks in the fridge.

Unripe husked fruit that fall to the ground, will continue to ripen. Cape Gooseberries are rich in vitamins and delicious fresh or prepared. They freeze free-flow, can be stewed, combined in cakes or tarts or made into jams and preserves.

The jam is one of the more tricky to make, with its reluctance to set, but it is worth persevering with and the juice of a couple of lemons will help.

There is a delectable dessert passed down through generations of my husbands’ family known as ‘Marie Antoinette Pudding’. A base of smooth vanilla custard is covered with a generous layer of the Cape Gooseberry jam, topped off with a thick layer of freshly whipped cream to finish.

Considering the fate of its namesake, I hesitate to imagine what the jam represents.

By comparison, Gooseberries grow best in moist soils in areas that experience cold winters, the climate of Levin being particularly suitable, plus the South Island generally and coldest parts of the North Island.

Some varieties have a drooping habit and some are upright. Different types of plant are available to suit a range of conditions. They will grow from seed or from cuttings of hardwood shoots, which should be taken in Autumn. It is important to remove flower buds to prevent suckers forming.

Using a slow release fertilizer is beneficial and will encourage fruit growth, plus an application of sulphate of potash in spring. These generally healthy plants belong to the Saxifrage family, to the same genus as currents.

In New Zealand, the usually thorny, deciduous bushes grow to about a metre, with fruit similar in looks to a large oval ribbed green grape. Fruit for freezing should be picked firm. The acid fruit are full of pectin, an attribute that ensures well-set jam.

The topped and tailed fruit are delicious in dessert recipes, ideal for tarts, steamed puddings or just stewed and it is from this variety that Gooseberry Fool is made. This is simply a mixture of equal parts pulp and milk or cream, sweetened to taste. Some varieties of fully bush-ripened fruit also are good eaten fresh.

Likewise, Kiwifruit (Chinese Gooseberry) vines, are also deciduous and because they are strong need a very good support system. They can be grown on a pergola, trellis, or archway or even trained to cover a wall. They have shallow fibrous roots and therefore require a moist well-drained soil with lots of humus.

Plant in a sunny sheltered position, protected from frosts after growth begins in spring. Leaves are large and hairy and clusters of cup-shaped white flowers appear in summer followed by fruit in late autumn/early winter.

Male and female grow on separate plants, so at least one of each is necessary to set fruit. Fruit should be picked firm but not hard and can be stored for a few weeks in a cool place provided they are not with other fruit. Ethylene gas from other fruit will ripen them promptly. Rich in vitamin C, the bright green fruit, or new yellow varieties, add culinary interest, taste delicious and refreshing, as well as being exceptional for tenderizing meat.

The three fruit are great to eat, all offer many health benefits and can be used in a variety of ways. However, for us Cape Gooseberries will always be our first choice. After all they produced in abundance with no help from us. A very rare occurrence on a farm.

Recipe
Cape Gooseberry Jam
Ingredients
2kgs cape gooseberries
1 1/3 cups water
2kgs sugar

Method
Boil fruit and water for 20 minutes, occasionally using a potato masher to break up most of the berries. Add sugar and boil, stirring often, until a dab on a cold saucer forms a light skin. This may occur in anything from 5 to 20 minutes’ boiling, so test often. If overdone, the jam can go dark and rather too sticky. Pour into sterilised jars and cover while hot.
Use cape gooseberry jam with your favourite custard recipe and whipped cream to make Marie Antoinette pudding. Delicious!


© Linda Donald
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Appeared in NZ Lifestyle Farmer
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