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Wild Gooseberries/Currants


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Still trying to I.D. the fruiting bush/canes that are prolific and wild in high country CO... and my property, specifically. This is the berry I spent a short time picking last nite. This site identified this as "tart purple gooseberry". This is definitely a thorny bush! Ow!

 

http://wildfoodgirl.com/2010/fall-foraging-in-colorado-high-country/

gooseberry-currant-co-260x350.jpg

 

 

Another site says this:

 

http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/Pink%20Enlarged%20Photo%20Pages/ribes%20coloradense.htm

 

 

A number of species of Ribes abound in the San Juans, Abajos, La Sals, and Chuskas. Many Ribes produce a nice crop of small but sweet berries ranging in color from orange to red to black.

The genus Ribes includes what are commonly called Gooseberries and Currants. Although some folks say that Gooseberries have thorns and Currants do not, this is not agreed on by other folks and, in fact, a species may have thorns at one point in its life-cycle but no thorns at another time or it may have minute thorns on some stems and no thorns on other stems. This web site calls all members of the Ribes genus, "Currants".

Common names sometimes split apart members of the same genus and they also sometimes lump different genera and species together. You are always safer and more accurate if you use the scientific names. (Read about plant names.)

The name "Ribes" is of disputed meaning: one version states that "Ribes" comes from the Danish "ribs" a name for red currants. Another version is that "Ribes" is from the Arabic name for similar plants. We do know that Linnaeus named this genus in 1753.

 

 

 

 

This article was quite informative:

 

http://wildfoodgirl.com/2011/the-current-currant-season-is-kicking/#more-1532

 

 

So was this article and it has RECIPES!

 

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/wild-gooseberries-and-currants-zmaz82sozgoe.aspx?PageId=1#axzz3BufIcb1A

 

 

I'm hoping to make tart purple gooseberry syrup for pancakes. Tart needs the sugar!

 

---Apparently the pectin levels are high in the Ribes family of berries....something to note if you need a natural thickener and don't have crabapples. :P

 

 

So there are two usable plants [Ribes genus of berries and yarrow] growing in some profusion in my section of the planet. And having discovered WildFoodGirl, I'm going to be learning more about high country Colorado Rockies edibles. :woohoo:

 

MtRider :lois: ....now if we could grow sugar cane/beet to offset the TART!

Edited by Mt_Rider
fixin'
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OH...GOSH! Waiting just a little longer for gooseberries to be peak ripeness..... My version of these wild [FREE] things taste like really yummy sour green apples. Put some in the pancakes this morning. Added usual butter and bit of maple syrup. Then added a sprinkle of cinnamon. :yum3: REALLLY good. EXPEDIENT APPLE PIE! DH and I both like tart flavor. He'd eat rhubarb with practically no sugar. These are not as tart and astringent as rhubarb! Hope this had inspired him to pick more of those berries! If my back will allow, I'll certainly try for more!

 

After spending quality time pinching off the dead-blossom-end of each berry, I sprinkled with sugar and stuck into freezer. They didn't freeze into a glob with the sugar. Still separate berries for dropping into batter.

 

MtRider :cook::lois:

Edited by Mt_Rider
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Oh you lucky duck! To find wild gooseberries! My grandmother grew them on the farm, I loved them, they made the BEST pie - she made it like lemon merringue pie - YUM!

Edited by kappydell
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Not sure how to pick that many of them to make pie. TIME consuming to avoid many thorns. Difficult to harvest [need to look on underside of branch] without straining my back [current problem]. But...I might give it another go today. Carefully. Tiny things...size of pearls.

 

MtRider ....yummy tho. Many grow wild here in Rockies.

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