Gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa)

AKA: Feaberry, Grozet, Goosegogs

Where: Hedgerows, woodland edges, damp soil. Throughout UK; rare in north Scotland.

What: Berries

When: May – July (early/mid summer)

The Gooseberry is a fairly infrequently encountered hedgerow denizen, but one that is well worth harvesting when stumbled upon. It does not technically grow wild in the UK, despite being ideal conditions for it here, and any that are found in the wild are escapees from domesticated varieties, usually the result of bird theft.

As a shrub, the Gooseberry can grow to 1.5m high, and occasionally taller. It is fairly innocuous in the hedge back, lurking with everything else, but it turns green earlier in the spring than almost everything else around it, which aids in identification. It has smallish broad and lobed leaves, each measuring 4 – 8cm, and which are a dark shiny green above, and a paler green below, with many fine hairs and very prominent veining; the leaves curl inwards in maturity (summer), and vaguely resemble hands. There are numerous very sharp spikes where the leaf meets the stem, and the stem, measuring some 1cm in width, is itself spiny, so some caution is urged when harvesting.

Flowers arrive in mid-spring/early summer, and are tiny, measuring less than 1.0cm, and made up of white petals surrounding a dash of red stamens, and surrounded by 5 sepals of a red-ish colour folded back (often, these are more noticeable than the flower itself).

The fruit, the target of the exercise, is spherical and broadly resembles a grape with a crown of dead sepals. Measuring up to 3cm across, it is a mid to pale green in colour, with clear light green veining and a slightly hairy surface. They taste sweeter the longer you leave them on the ‘vine’, but then, of course you are fighting nature (and other foragers!) for this choice morsel.

They can taste rather tart, so when cooking, add sugar accordingly – I personally prefer them sharp, so I add very little. They taste sort of fruity, white grape-like, subtle, but also large in flavour, with a sour finish. I love them, particularly in tarts, but you can make great sorbet, the classic gooseberry fool, and they go well in crumbles. They really compliment the taste of Elderflower, so creating a cocktail of white rum, Elderflower wine and Gooseberry can be fun! Try them in unexpected places - stuff a fish, make a Gooseberry sauce, or what about a Gooseberry salsa with chilli and garlic?

Gooseberries.

What's Happening?

Spring has sprung, and summer is properly here. The absolutely amazing weather seems to have brought out the best in wild food, and this year looks set to be a bumper crop of all sorts of goodies.

After last year’s dismal effort, the huge quantity of flowers in the spring seems to indicate that this year will be a extraordinary one for Bilberries – the bushes were literally groaning under the weight of the purple flowers, and they are now showing the green immature fruits growing nicely. Here is a description of the Bilberry.

Raspberries are similarly available in a plentiful supply. My usual bushes are not yet ripe – a few more weeks should see them emerge in their delicate glory. Keep checking your hunting grounds as they may be ready now and you don’t want to miss that boat. Here is a description of the Raspberry

Gooseberries! Wow! My local bush was, as of 3 weeks ago, growing nicely and full of life. I checked yesterday, however, and the whole thing was overgrown and all the leaves had been eaten by caterpillars. I did manage to salvage 8 Goooseberries, so not all was lost, but still, I’m not impressed! Next year I will do some weeding… or does that count as gardening rather than foraging? See post below for the details on Gooseberries. 

And ladies and gentlemen, the whole house once again smells of cat pee which can mean only one thing, the Elderflowers are in season. Get them whilst the going’s good… or not! They really seem to be everywhere this year, and one can smell them in the most unlikely places. Kate is making champagne again, but also a cordial, and is attempting to make a wine. We have a freezer full of the flowers too, so that should keep us going for a while! Recipe and description are here and here.

In other interesting news, I discovered a Medlar tree on my travels yesterday. I had thought the tree looked familiar when I first came across it in the spring, but I couldn’t place it. So, during yesterday evening’s ramble, I explored further and lo, the large leaves and the small emerging apple-like fruit gave it away. Here is a description of the Medlar. 

Elderflowers in full bloom.  

What was left of my Goosberry bush after the caterpillars!

Jack By The Hedge (Alliaria petiolata)

AKA Garlic Mustard, Hedge Garlic, Jack In The Hedge, Sauce Alone, Poor Man’s Mustard

Where: Shaded hedgerows, field and especially woodland edges. Throughout UK except Scotland. 

What: Leaf, Seeds

When: Leaf: spring and occasionally autumn. Seeds: August/September

This is an excellent, and thankfully common, plant with bags of flavour. Growing on a single, thick (up to 2cm), and hairless dark green stem, the plant can reach up to 1m in height. It produces numerous bright or yellowish green leaves – pointed in the upper part of the plant, and more rounded or kidney-shaped with rounded lobes and growing in a rosette in the lower part. The leaves are 3-7cm long, with deep veins running over the surface and with a sharply rounded toothed edge. The whole looks not to dissimilar to the Nettle (Urtica dioica) but the surface is completely hairless, and crucially, the leaves smell subtly of garlic when crushed. Interestingly, the plant is a biennial, and so if the autumn is warm and good, then a second crop of leaves may appear in September or October.

The delicate white flowers, made up of 4 petals and measuring just 7mm across, arrive April to June in small clusters at the top of the plant.

The seeds occur in summer in thin, four-sided, upright pods, each measuring 5cm and maturing to a greyish brown colour, and containing two rows of little black seeds 2.5mm long. The seeds can be crushed with oil to make a very nice wild mustard, or can be used as a flavouring for cooking.

Taste: both sets of leaves are good to eat, but the upper, pointier, versions are the better, I think. Tasting of garlic and mild mustard, but not overpoweringly so, they are excellent in a salad, or as a green. Try them in an omelette or cook with them, perhaps laid over a fish. I have made a rather good soup with the leaves, lentils, tomato and stilton. 

                                  Jack By The Hedge in early June.

                                      The Flowers in early June

                                        The leaves in early June      

Ey Up! We're Back!

Spring is once more here! 

With renewed vigour, we at The Forager's Guide will be updating this blog often and with great ideas and foragable food descriptions! 

We went for a walk this afternoon, just up the hill from the house and along the trackway above Glossop. I have to say, after last years marked dearth of Bilberries, given the number of flowers we saw on bushes, this year will be a bumper crop... bring it on!

Right now though, Kate is cooking a chickpea and potato curry, and I'm drinking a Strawberry, Apple and Grape wine we made last autumn from some 'reduced' fruit from Tesco and the last of the Wild Apples we foraged and which had started to go soft. I think I have the best of this deal! Cheers folks.