A considerable number of berry crops are grown in central Russia. Among them, black gooseberries are especially common, which is called northern grapes for their delicious and fragrant fruits.
Popular varieties
From the Krasnodar Territory to the Far East, many varieties of this perennial berry shrub 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 intense heat and prolonged frosts. The most popular among gardeners are "black negus", "harlequin", "cooperator", "chanon", "black drop", "protector". Early ripening of berries is distinguished by the "eaglet".
Gooseberry "black negus"
It is one of the most common in Russia. Bred by crossing European and North American gooseberries, a cultivar resistant to powdery mildew was obtained.
This is a tall, quite powerful bush, reaching a height of up to two meters. Its sturdy thick shoots are covered with sharp spikes. They are very long, can be double and triple. Such a prickling is probably the only drawback of the "black negus", because this makes harvesting very difficult.
The berries are pear-shaped and covered with shiny dark purple, almost black skin with a waxy coating, which makes them especially attractive when the fruiting period begins. 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 taste resembles the isabella grape variety.
Gooseberry "black negus" pleases with a consistently high yield from year to year, because possesses 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 impenetrable and prickly thickets.
Variety "black drop"
This is a sprawling bush with brown shoots, spikes on which are only in the lower part. Leaves of dark green color, glabrous, shiny, have long blunt teeth on the edges.
The berries of this variety are large, dark red, sometimes completely black. The average thickness of the skin is smooth, without pubescence. The "black drop" is able to tolerate frosts down to minus 40 ° C and is resistant to diseases such as septoria and powdery mildew.
Grade "Yoshta"
About three decades, many gardeners in Western Europe grow a hybrid that was created by breeders, crossing gooseberries with black currants. He received the name "yoshta." With us, this variety is just beginning to gain popularity.
The advantage of a perennial shrub is its excellent winter hardiness, high productivity and resistance to many diseases, including powdery mildew. “Yoshta” and insect pests are practically not affected, which excludes chemical treatment. 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, high content of pectin substances makes the fruits of gooseberry "yoshta" indispensable for humans in the role of therapeutic and prophylactic agents. They make wonderful tastes of jam, jams and juices, which also have medicinal properties.
Blackcurrant and gooseberry made it possible to create a hybrid that, while retaining all the beneficial properties of these berries, has practically 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. With this fact, some features for caring for it are associated. Since the branches that are from 2 to 7 years old differ in the greatest fruiting, it is necessary to prune them in time to rejuvenate the shoots, removing the oldest of them. 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 swampy. Before planting bushes, humus is added to the planting pits with the addition of a glass of wood ash and complex mineral fertilizer in an amount of 150 g. Foliar top dressing is performed once a month throughout the entire growing season, the exception is the ripening time of the fruit.
Despite the resistance of gooseberries to drought, bushes are periodically recommended to be watered - once every 2 weeks. For each adult plant, up to 30 liters of water is required.
In early June, the soil around the gooseberries must be mulched with humus, peat or straw. This will reduce weed propagation and help retain moisture on hot days.
Gooseberries in cooking
The berries of this plant have long been used for the manufacture of various jams and drinks. There are no special differences in how to use black gooseberries for this , recipes do not. Berries of these varieties are perfect for making jam, jam, juice or fruit drink.
In order to make jam from black gooseberries, you will need 1 kg of sugar and 1 kg of berries, which must first be freed from cuttings, sepals and prick each of them with a toothpick. Ready berries are covered with sugar and wait for it to completely dissolve. If the juice is not enough, you can add a little 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.