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Gardeners begin harvesting gooseberries in mid- or late summer. It all depends on the variety and weather conditions of the region. The berries should not be overripe or soft at the time of collection. The collection process is complicated by the thorns that cover the shoots over their entire surface. But experienced amateur gardeners know how easy it is to solve this problem.
When do gooseberries ripen?
For timely harvesting, two stages of fruit ripeness should be taken into account - technical and consumer.
With technical maturity, harvesting begins 2 weeks before full ripening. The gooseberries at this stage are still green and elastic, but they have enough sweetness to make jam or jam. It is too early to eat it fresh. The fruits at this stage have a size characteristic of the variety and are suitable for transportation.
During the period of consumer ripeness, gooseberries are completely ready for fresh consumption.It turns pink, amber or purple, depending on the variety. It softens, and the sugar content in the pulp increases.
Ripening time depending on variety
All known and popular gooseberry varieties ripen at different periods. It all depends on the region where the crop is grown and its varietal characteristics.
Ripening period and variety:
- "Russian Yellow" – from June 6 to June 8;
- "Anniversary" – last week of July;
- "Malachite" – from the beginning of July;
- "Invicta" - from July 15;
- "English green" harvested in early July;
- "White Nights" ripens after July 20;
- "Candy" collected in August.
When do gooseberries ripen in the regions?
The peculiarities of the climatic zones of each region of Russia determine the ripening of gooseberries at different times, regardless of the variety.
In the Moscow region, culture begins to ripen in mid-July. The fruiting period lasts until mid-August. Early-ripening varieties can ripen a week earlier, late-ripening varieties later, but their fruiting will also last longer.
For the Urals and Siberia, winter-hardy varieties are chosen that can tolerate frosts down to -20 ᵒC without shelter. They are distinguished by late ripening and early gestation. On average, all varieties of this crop begin to ripen in the Urals at the end of July or early August, bearing fruit within 2 weeks.
In central Russia and the south, almost all varieties of gooseberries can be grown; they take root well and bear fruit abundantly, starting from the end of June.The earliest varieties can be harvested as early as mid-June.
Is it possible to pick unripe gooseberries?
Green fruits are collected for further processing. They should reach the size characteristic of the variety, the peel should be quite hard, the berries should be completely green or with a slight pink tint on one barrel. This collection allows you to preserve the shrub and reduce its depletion. Unripe fruits are used to make jams and preserves. Also, gooseberries at this stage of ripeness are suitable for harvesting and further transportation; they will not lose their presentation and taste.
Unripe fruits can only be stored frozen; if they are not placed in the freezer, they will begin to deteriorate and will not reach full ripeness at home.
When to collect gooseberries for jam
For jam, the berries are picked a few days before they are completely ripe. During this period, the sugar content in the pulp is already quite high, and the peel is still strong and elastic to retain its shape during heat treatment.
The berries must be touched - they should be elastic and not squeezed; such fruits are suitable for making jam. Also, after picking, when biting them, you can hear a characteristic crunch, which is not observed in overripe fruits after picking.
In almost all varieties of gooseberries, small dark spots appear on the barrels at the stage of full ripening. Such berries are suitable for fresh consumption and for winemaking - they are sweet and juicy, but they are not suitable for jam - they are overripe.To make jams, the fruits are collected until dark spots appear on their surface.
During periods of heavy rain, gooseberries are harvested earlier, since moisture softens the peel, it cracks, and the fruit becomes unsuitable for processing after harvesting. Also, harvesting should be done in dry, warm weather; berries collected in this way can be stored for several days without processing.
Gooseberry fruits are removed from the bush in stages. Small and unripe, left to ripen.
How to pick gooseberries correctly
Collecting fruits from thorny bushes is a troublesome task. To avoid getting pricked and damaging gooseberry shoots, gardeners use special devices or gadgets of their own making.
Manual collection
You can protect your hands from sharp gooseberry thorns with thick garden mittens for pruning roses. Cover your arms above the wrist with long sleeves. The shoot is taken by the top, carefully tilted so as not to damage it, and each berry is picked separately. After picking, fragile fruits are placed in prepared containers, being careful not to crush them.
How to pick gooseberries without getting pricked
The integrity of the berry cannot always be preserved if gloves are worn. Some gardeners find this method not entirely convenient. In this case, gardeners resort to using other means of protection.
Using a plastic bottle
It’s easy to make such a device at home. A teardrop-shaped hole is cut in a regular plastic bottle. Its wide part should be in the center of the bottle, and the narrow part should lie closer to the bottom.
To collect the fruits, take the bottle by the neck, place the berry in the narrow part of the hole at the level of the handle and pull the bottle towards you. The gooseberries fall into the wide part of the cutout and remain inside the bottle. As soon as the container is full after harvesting, the harvest is poured into another larger container.
Using a berry harvester
In large agricultural areas, it is not advisable to harvest gooseberries by hand. Special berry picking machines are used for collection.
Thus, the efficiency of the harvesting process increases and the likelihood of injury to pickers from thorny thorns is eliminated. The process is completely mechanized.
In small farms, special trays and combs are used; the work remains manual. The device is a capacious box with a handle, the edge of which is equipped with a comb in the form of a small rake. This comb is placed under the shoot and moved upward, the berries fall between the teeth, come off and fall into the body.
Other devices for collecting gooseberries
Hand comb in the form of a thimble. It is put on the finger and passed along the shoot. The berry cuttings get caught between the teeth and break off.
You must first place a container convenient for collection under the bush. It can be a square of slats, with a tarpaulin stretched loosely over them. Berries falling on sagging fabric will not break.
A fork or tongs for picking berries helps protect your hands from being pricked by thorns. You can find them on sale from wood or plastic, or make them yourself.These devices capture or fix the shoot, tilt it and collect the fruits with free hands.
Vibrator for collecting gooseberries. It is used in conjunction with thick fabric or tarpaulin, which is spread under the bush. The shoot is inserted into the plug of the device and turned on. Under the influence of a vibrator, the berries fall onto the spread cloth.
Cleaning gooseberries and processing the crop
The collected fruits are poured with water and allowed to brew for 15 minutes. This will cause foliage and all debris to rise to the surface of the water. If necessary, repeat the procedure. For berries with petioles or leaves, cut off all excess.
Gooseberries collected at the stage of technical maturity must be processed within 24 hours. Fruits at the stage of consumer ripeness are processed immediately, without delay. Maximum shelf life is 12 hours in a cool place.
For long-term storage, jams, jams and compotes are prepared from gooseberries. Wine and jelly are made from overripe berries. Also, the harvested crop can be frozen and enjoyed the fruits already in the cold season.
Conclusion
Picking gooseberries by hand is troublesome. But the ingenuity of modern gardeners and the agricultural industry will make this process easier, making it less traumatic. Using modern equipment, you can harvest high yields in a matter of hours.
