A considerable number of berry crops are grown in central Russia. Among them, black gooseberries are especially common, which are called northern grapes for their tasty and fragrant fruits.
Popular varieties
From the Krasnodar Territory to the Far East, many varieties of this perennial berry bush grow.
Differing from each other in height, number of thorns, size and shape of berries, all of them are very resistant to weather conditions and calmly endure both extreme heat and prolonged frosts. The most popular among gardeners are "black negus", "harlequin", "cooperator", "chanon", "black drop", "defender". "Eaglet" is distinguished by early ripening of berries.
Gooseberry "Black Negus"
Is one of the most common in Russia. Developed by crossing European and North American gooseberries, this variety is resistant to powdery mildew.
This is a tall, rather powerful bush, reaching a height of up to two meters. Its strong thick shoots are covered with sharpspikes. They are very long, can be double and triple. Such a spike is probably the only drawback of the "black negus", because. this makes harvesting very difficult.
The berries are pear-shaped and covered with a glossy dark purple, almost black, waxy skin, making them especially attractive when fruiting. They are not very large - no more than 2.5 cm, they stay on the bush for a long time, maintaining their beautiful appearance in any weather. Their sweet and sour flavor is reminiscent of the Isabella grape variety.
Gooseberry "black negus" pleases with a consistently high yield from year to year, because has high frost resistance.
During the year it gives a very good growth of shoots, so it is recommended to regularly trim the bushes to prevent the formation of difficult and thorny thickets.
Sort "black drop"
This is a spreading bush with brown shoots, which have thorns only at the very bottom. The leaves are dark green in color, naked, shiny, have long blunt teeth along the edges.
The berries of this variety are large, dark red, sometimes completely black. Skin of medium thickness is smooth, without pubescence. "Black Drop" is able to tolerate frosts down to minus 40⁰С and is resistant to diseases such as septoria and powdery mildew.
Yoshta variety
For about three decades, many gardeners in Western Europe have been growing a hybrid created by breeders by crossing gooseberrieswith blackcurrant. He received the name "yoshta". In our country, this variety is just beginning to gain popularity.
The advantage of a perennial shrub is its excellent winter hardiness, high yield and resistance to many diseases, including powdery mildew. It is practically not affected by "yoshta" and insect pests, which excludes the treatment with chemicals. In addition, due to its composition, it has excellent medicinal properties. This gooseberry, whose black color and shape resembles currants, contains a fairly large amount of vitamin C (up to 1000 mg per 100 g of fruit). The rich biochemical composition, the high content of pectin substances makes the fruits of the gooseberry "Yoshta" indispensable for humans as a therapeutic and prophylactic agent. They are used to make delicious preserves, jams and juices, which also have medicinal properties.
Blackcurrant and gooseberries have created a hybrid that, while retaining all the beneficial properties of these berries, has virtually no drawbacks.
Features of growing gooseberries
This culture, in comparison with other berry bushes, can be called a long-liver, because. in one place, gooseberries can grow up to 20 years or more. Some of the features of caring for him are associated with this fact. Since branches that are from 2 to 7 years old differ in the greatest fruiting, it is necessary to prune in time in order to rejuvenate the shoots, removing the oldest ones fromthem. This will stimulate the growth of new ones.
Black gooseberry varieties are undemanding to soils, the main thing is that they are not acidic and waterlogged. Before planting the bushes, humus is introduced into the planting pits with the addition of a glass of wood ash and a complex mineral fertilizer in the amount of 150 g.
Despite the resistance of gooseberries to drought, bushes are periodically recommended to be watered - 1 time in 2 weeks. Each adult plant requires up to 30 liters of water.
In early June, the soil around the gooseberries must be mulched with humus, peat or straw. This will reduce weed growth and help retain moisture on hot days.
Cooking gooseberries
The berries of this plant have long been used to make various jams and drinks. There are no special differences in how to use black gooseberries for this. The berries of these varieties are perfect for preparing jam, jam, juice or fruit drink.
In order to make black gooseberry jam, you will need 1 kg of sugar and 1 kg of berries, which must first be freed from cuttings, sepals and pierced with a toothpick. Ready berries are covered with sugar and wait for its complete dissolution. If there is not enough juice, you can add some water. Then put the berries on a small fire, bring to a boil and cook for another 5 minutes. In the case when the jam is prepared for the winter,it is rolled up in sterilized jars.
