Expand your palette of backyard food with gooseberries & rhubarb!
Gooseberries
Gooseberries are described as tangy, semi-sweet berries that taste like a mixture of pineapple, grape and strawberry. Great for pies, chutneys and relishes, these berries are also a great source of Vitamin C and dietary fiber.
We sell "pixwell gooseberries", which are practically thorn-free, have medium sized pinkish berries and make delicious pies and preserves. Fruits hang on slender stems an inch below the branches where they’re easy to pick, thus the name “Pixwell.”
Growing tips:
- Gooseberries like morning sun, afternoon part-shade and buoyant air circulation
- Plant the canes slightly deeper than they were growing previously (look for soil mark on stem)
- Plants should be spaced 3 feet apart in rows 6 feet apart. Prune back to 2 buds so as to encourage vigorous growth
- It is important to have 2-4 inches of mulch around the plants as they like cool, moist soil
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a cool season, perennial vegetable, grown for its leafstalks that have a unique tangy taste used for pies and sauces.
Growing tips:
- Dig the soil to a good depth and introduce a high level of well rotted organic matter such as manure or compost
- Space the roots 36 to 48 inches apart in rows 3 to 4 feet apart
- Cover the crowns with no more than an inch or two of soil
- If flowering seed stalks develop then cut them as soon as possible- the seed and flower production will reduce the leaf stalk yield as the plant diverts energy into flower and seed production
- Rhubarb is grown for its delicious pink-red stalks. Never eat rhubarb leaves, cooked or raw. Eating the leaves can be poisonous because they contain oxalate
Try making this kid friendly
rhubarb recipe by our friends at Caramelize Life.
or try this crumble recipe:
GOOSEBERRY & RHUBARB CRUMBLE RECIPE:
2¼ lb gooseberries, topped and tailed
10 rhubarb stalks
2 tbsp elderflower cordial
50 g (1¾ oz) caster sugar, or to taste
Crumble topping:
55 g (2 oz) plain white flour
30 g (1 oz) plain wholemeal flour
55 g (2 oz) cool unsalted butter, diced
55 g (2 oz) light soft brown sugar
30 g (1 oz) jumbo oats
30 g (1 oz) hazelnuts, chopped
2 tbsp wheatgerm
Fresh custard, to serve (optional
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Cut the rhubarb into chunks. Put the gooseberries and rhubarb in a saucepan with the elderflower cordial. Cover and cook over a very low heat for 8–10 minutes or until the gooseberries start to soften and release their juices.
Stir in the caster sugar until it has dissolved, then transfer to a deep 1.7 litre (3 pint) baking dish.
Sift the white and wholemeal flours into a mixing bowl, tipping in the bran left in the sieve. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, oats, hazelnuts and wheatgerm. Sprinkle over 1 tbsp cold water and mix in to make a rough crumbly mixture. Spoon the topping evenly over the fruit.
Bake for 20–25 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the fruit filling bubbling. Serve hot or warm, with custard, if liked.
