Pixwell Gooseberry: The Best Variety on the Market Today
Gooseberries are highly prized in Europe as an important part of a well-rounded garden. They have been sadly neglected in America, perhaps because people who have tried them remember gooseberries (when picked small and green) as tart and mouth puckering. Easy to grow, gooseberries, when given attention and good pruning, produce large, succulent berries, in almost any color and with delicious flavor, which can range from a clean, acid-sweet taste to a deep vinous plumness.
Pixwell Gooseberry is a heavy producer of pale green fruit that turns pink when it is fully ripe in August. It has very few thorns, making the harvest of its abundant berries less of an adventure and more of a pleasure. The plant is mildew resistant and has a purple fall leaf color.
Gooseberries love rich, moist, loamy soil and do not like hot, dry sandy sites or stagnant air, doing better with a breeze. They should be pruned annually to maintain a large berry size. Cut out wood more than three years old, and leave six to eight canes. The plant can also be trained to an attractive fan shape, vertical cordon, or standard. Pruning can be left until late winter.
Few people are aware that gooseberries make a powerful wine, much like that of a grape. Gooseberries are used to make jam, jelly, pudding, vinegar and sauce for fish or meat dishes.
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