I planted a small gooseberry bush last year and this year it appears to have
some gooseberries on it. Not many, but a few. How do I know when I can pick
them? That is, when they are ripe? They are green and not hairy and don't
look like they will change colour or ánything.

Also, my sister gave me a rhubarb and it has quite a lot of leaves with long
stems on it, some of which now seem to have got old and died. Again, how do
I know when I should harvest the rhubarbs? When they have just grown and are
red, or leave them to go green, or what? Does it matter? I'm wondering if
the taste changes as the stalks age and there is some optimal moment for
harvesting, if you see what I mean.

TIA

Ian

In article ,
lid says...

I planted a small gooseberry bush last year and this year it appears to have
some gooseberries on it. Not many, but a few. How do I know when I can pick
them? That is, when they are ripe? They are green and not hairy and don't
look like they will change colour or ánything.

Also, my sister gave me a rhubarb and it has quite a lot of leaves with long
stems on it, some of which now seem to have got old and died. Again, how do
I know when I should harvest the rhubarbs? When they have just grown and are
red, or leave them to go green, or what? Does it matter? I'm wondering if
the taste changes as the stalks age and there is some optimal moment for
harvesting, if you see what I mean.

TIA

Ian

I usually start picking gooseberries at the end of May, but it depends
on variety. You can always try the taste test, pick one and bite it, if
you can eat it, its ready to be picked! Otherwise I would wait until you
can gently squeeze the fruit and feel it give a little.

You should not harvest rhubarb for the first year, to allow it to settle
and develop its root system. After that pick a few stems by pulling
outwards and upwards, when they are reasonable size. The earlier
rhuibarb is always much nicer than later in the season, so pick little
and often. Many people say not to pick after the end of July, because
toxins build up in the stems, I tend to stop by mid-August, depending on
how much I've got preserved!

--
Roger T

700 ft up in Mid-Wales

Roger Tonkin wrote:
In article ,
lid says...

I planted a small gooseberry bush last year and this year it appears
to have some gooseberries on it. Not many, but a few. How do I know
when I can pick them? That is, when they are ripe? They are green
and not hairy and don't look like they will change colour or
ánything.

Also, my sister gave me a rhubarb and it has quite a lot of leaves
with long stems on it, some of which now seem to have got old and
died. Again, how do I know when I should harvest the rhubarbs? When
they have just grown and are red, or leave them to go green, or
what? Does it matter? I'm wondering if the taste changes as the
stalks age and there is some optimal moment for harvesting, if you
see what I mean.

TIA

Ian

I usually start picking gooseberries at the end of May, but it depends
on variety. You can always try the taste test, pick one and bite it,
if you can eat it, its ready to be picked! Otherwise I would wait
until you can gently squeeze the fruit and feel it give a little.

Thanks! there are not many, so I don't want to waste any on experiments.
I'll try the squeeze test

You should not harvest rhubarb for the first year, to allow it to
settle and develop its root system. After that pick a few stems by
pulling outwards and upwards, when they are reasonable size. The
earlier rhuibarb is always much nicer than later in the season, so
pick little and often. Many people say not to pick after the end of
July, because toxins build up in the stems, I tend to stop by
mid-August, depending on how much I've got preserved!

Thanks again. I'll leave it alone to establish.


Ian

On Sun, 8 May 2011 19:38:58 +0100, Roger Tonkin
wrote:

In article ,
says...

I planted a small gooseberry bush last year and this year it appears to have
some gooseberries on it. Not many, but a few. How do I know when I can pick
them? That is, when they are ripe? They are green and not hairy and don't
look like they will change colour or ánything.

Also, my sister gave me a rhubarb and it has quite a lot of leaves with long
stems on it, some of which now seem to have got old and died. Again, how do
I know when I should harvest the rhubarbs? When they have just grown and are
red, or leave them to go green, or what? Does it matter? I'm wondering if
the taste changes as the stalks age and there is some optimal moment for
harvesting, if you see what I mean.

TIA

Ian

I usually start picking gooseberries at the end of May, but it depends
on variety. You can always try the taste test, pick one and bite it, if
you can eat it, its ready to be picked! Otherwise I would wait until you
can gently squeeze the fruit and feel it give a little.

You should not harvest rhubarb for the first year, to allow it to settle
and develop its root system. After that pick a few stems by pulling
outwards and upwards, when they are reasonable size. The earlier
rhuibarb is always much nicer than later in the season, so pick little
and often. Many people say not to pick after the end of July, because
toxins build up in the stems, I tend to stop by mid-August, depending on
how much I've got preserved!

The quality of young rhubarb stalks is certainly much better than that
of the older ones; but I understand that the harmful oxalic acid is
mostly in the leaves rather than the stalks, even when they're turning
green.

Don't worry about the older leaves dying off, Ian: that's normal.

--
Mike.

"Ian B" wrote

I planted a small gooseberry bush last year and this year it appears to
have some gooseberries on it. Not many, but a few. How do I know when I
can pick them? That is, when they are ripe? They are green and not hairy
and don't look like they will change colour or anything.

Usually the green variety take on a slight yellowy appearance when ripe,
certainly if you try one and they are bitter they are not ripe. BTW, there
may be more than you realise. The first time we grew goosegogs we picked all
we could see and a month later noticed as many again right underneath the
plants and they were so sweet, made lovely gooseberry ice cream.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

Mike Lyle wrote:
On Sun, 8 May 2011 19:38:58 +0100, Roger Tonkin
wrote:

In article ,
lid says...

I planted a small gooseberry bush last year and this year it
appears to have some gooseberries on it. Not many, but a few. How
do I know when I can pick them? That is, when they are ripe? They
are green and not hairy and don't look like they will change colour
or ánything.

Also, my sister gave me a rhubarb and it has quite a lot of leaves
with long stems on it, some of which now seem to have got old and
died. Again, how do I know when I should harvest the rhubarbs? When
they have just grown and are red, or leave them to go green, or
what? Does it matter? I'm wondering if the taste changes as the
stalks age and there is some optimal moment for harvesting, if you
see what I mean.

TIA

Ian

I usually start picking gooseberries at the end of May, but it
depends on variety. You can always try the taste test, pick one and
bite it, if you can eat it, its ready to be picked! Otherwise I
would wait until you can gently squeeze the fruit and feel it give a
little.

You should not harvest rhubarb for the first year, to allow it to
settle and develop its root system. After that pick a few stems by
pulling outwards and upwards, when they are reasonable size. The
earlier rhuibarb is always much nicer than later in the season, so
pick little and often. Many people say not to pick after the end of
July, because toxins build up in the stems, I tend to stop by
mid-August, depending on how much I've got preserved!

The quality of young rhubarb stalks is certainly much better than that
of the older ones; but I understand that the harmful oxalic acid is
mostly in the leaves rather than the stalks, even when they're turning
green.

Don't worry about the older leaves dying off, Ian: that's normal.

Thanks Mike!


Ian

Bob Hobden wrote:
"Ian B" wrote

I planted a small gooseberry bush last year and this year it appears
to have some gooseberries on it. Not many, but a few. How do I know
when I can pick them? That is, when they are ripe? They are green
and not hairy and don't look like they will change colour or
anything.
Usually the green variety take on a slight yellowy appearance when
ripe, certainly if you try one and they are bitter they are not ripe.
BTW, there may be more than you realise. The first time we grew
goosegogs we picked all we could see and a month later noticed as
many again right underneath the plants and they were so sweet, made
lovely gooseberry ice cream.

Well my bush is quite small at the moment so I'm not expecting much of a
gooseberry feast, but I live in hope



Ian

Bob Hobden wrote:
"Ian B" wrote

I planted a small gooseberry bush last year and this year it appears
to have some gooseberries on it. Not many, but a few. How do I know
when I can pick them? That is, when they are ripe? They are green
and not hairy and don't look like they will change colour or
anything.
Usually the green variety take on a slight yellowy appearance when
ripe, certainly if you try one and they are bitter they are not ripe.
BTW, there may be more than you realise. The first time we grew
goosegogs we picked all we could see and a month later noticed as
many again right underneath the plants and they were so sweet, made
lovely gooseberry ice cream.

Another question whcih has occurred to me: is anything likely to eat my
prize gooseberries? I mean, other than me. Birds, or insects?

Also there are some confusing instructions on the tab thing about pruning,
but no explanation of when it should be pruned. Any advice? It's a
"hinnonmaki green" and it would currently fit snugly into a 2 foot cube. Or
sphere.


Ian

In message , Mike Lyle
writes
On Sun, 8 May 2011 19:38:58 +0100, Roger Tonkin
wrote:

In article ,
says...


Also, my sister gave me a rhubarb and it has quite a lot of leaves
with long
stems on it, some of which now seem to have got old and died. Again, how do
I know when I should harvest the rhubarbs? When they have just grown
and are
red, or leave them to go green, or what?

You should not harvest rhubarb for the first year, to allow it to settle
and develop its root system. After that pick a few stems by pulling
outwards and upwards, when they are reasonable size. The earlier
rhuibarb is always much nicer than later in the season, so pick little
and often. Many people say not to pick after the end of July, because
toxins build up in the stems, I tend to stop by mid-August, depending on
how much I've got preserved!

The quality of young rhubarb stalks is certainly much better than that
of the older ones; but I understand that the harmful oxalic acid is
mostly in the leaves rather than the stalks, even when they're turning
green.


And in reality you probably need to eat quite a lot to get nough Oxalic
acid to be a problem.

As to waiting, we are much to impatient and always harvest sooner than
you are supposed to. Rhubarb is such a productive plant, taking afew
stems this year won't do much harm I reckon.
--
Chris French