Gooseberries black: popular varieties and uses

A considerable number of berry crops are grown in the middle zone of Russia. Among them, gooseberry black is especially common, which for tasty and fragrant fruits is called northern grapes.

Popular varieties

From the Krasnodar Territory and to the Far East, there are many varieties of this perennial berry bushes. Different from each other in height, the number of thorns, the size and shape of the berries, they are all very resistant to weather conditions and calmly tolerate both extreme heat and prolonged frosts. The most popular among gardeners are "black negus", "harlequin", "cooperator", "shanon", "black drop", "protector". Early ripening of berries is distinguished by "Eaglet".

Gooseberries "black negus"

It is one of the most common in the territory of Russia. Derived by the crossing of European and North American gooseberries, it turned out a variety resistant to powdery mildew.

This is a tall, fairly powerful shrub that reaches a height of up to two meters. Its strong, thick shoots are covered with sharp spines. They are very long, they can be double and triple. This spiny is, probably, the only drawback of the "black negus", because This greatly complicates the harvesting.

The berries are pear-shaped and covered with a shiny dark purple, almost black skin with a wax coating, which makes them especially attractive when the fruiting period comes. They are not very large - no more than 2.5 cm, they stay on the bush for a long time, keeping their beautiful appearance in any weather. Their sweet and sour taste resembles the grape variety "Isabella".

Gooseberries "black negus" pleases a consistently high yield from year to year, because Has high frost resistance.

During the year, it gives a very good growth shoots, so it is recommended to regularly cut the bushes to prevent the formation of difficult and thorny thickets.

Grade "black drop"

This is a spreading bush with brown shoots, the thorns on which are only in the lowest part. Leaves are dark green in color, glabrous, shiny, with long blunt teeth at the edges.

The berries of this variety are large, dark red, sometimes completely black. The average thickness of the skin is smooth, without pubescence. "Black drop" is able to withstand frosts to minus 40 ° C and is resistant to such diseases as septoriosis and powdery mildew.

Variety "yoshta"

About three decades, many gardeners in Western Europe grow a hybrid, which was created by breeders, crossing gooseberries with black currants. It was called "yoshta". At us this grade still only starts to gain popularity.

The advantage of perennial bush is its excellent winter hardiness, high yield and resistance to many diseases, including powdery mildew. Almost unaffected by "joshta" and insect pests, which excludes the processing of chemicals. In addition, due to its composition, it has excellent medicinal properties. This gooseberry, the black color of its berries and form resembles the currant, contains a sufficiently 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 gooseberries "joshta" irreplaceable for man in the role of therapeutic and prophylactic means. Of these, jams, jams and juices are produced that are remarkable for taste, which also have medicinal properties.

Black currants and gooseberries made it possible to create a hybrid, which, while retaining all the beneficial properties of these berries, practically has no flaws.

Features of growing gooseberries

This culture, in comparison with other berry bushes, can be called a long-lived, since On one place gooseberries can grow up to 20 years or more. There are some peculiarities associated with this fact in caring for it. Since the branches with the greatest fruit bearing differ from 2 to 7 years, it is necessary to prune in time in order to rejuvenate the shoots, removing the oldest ones. This will stimulate the growth of new ones.

To the soil types of black gooseberries are undemanding, the main thing is that they are not sour and swampy. Before the bushes are planted in the planting pits, humus is added with the addition of a glass of wood ash and a complex mineral fertilizer in the amount of 150 g. Foliar top dressing is performed once a month throughout the growing season, except for the ripening time of the fruit.

Despite the resistance of gooseberries to drought, the bushes are periodically recommended to water - 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 the reproduction of weeds and help keep moisture on hot days.

Gooseberries in cooking

The berries of this plant have long been used for making various jams and drinks. Special differences in how to use black gooseberry, recipes do not. Berries of these varieties are perfect for harvesting jam, jam, juice or mors.

In order to prepare a jam from black gooseberries, you need 1 kg of sugar and 1 kg of berries, which must first be freed from cuttings, sepals and pierce each of them with a toothpick. The ready berries are covered with sugar and wait for its complete dissolution. 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 into sterilized cans.