Uva-spina Crispa Darling

The Ribes uva-crispa Crispa ® 'Darling' ® has been selected for its regular and high yield of hairless fruits, with a sweet and fruity flavour, slightly acidic, and its improved resistance to powdery mildew and leaf drop disease, even in damp soil. In summer, the fruits are pleasant to pick for delightful natural tastings, to enhance salads, add flavour to savoury dishes or elevate desserts. In April, it is covered with insignificant greenish flowers, but a source of food for bees and other beneficial garden insects. Easy to maintain and disease-resistant, this small fruit bush offers a simple use in the garden, in open ground or in pots. Plant from October to March for harvesting in August.

The Ribes uva-crispa, in Latin Ribes grossularia var. uva-crispa, also known as Spiny Gooseberry, Curly Grape, Gooseberry, Thwacker, Cruncher, or Wineberry, belongs to the Grossulariaceae family, like the Redcurrants (Ribes rubrum) and the Blackcurrants (Ribes nigrum). The name Gooseberry comes from the English who have long used this gooseberry to make a sweet and sour sauce to accompany mackerel. Cultivated in northern Europe since the 16th century, the Gooseberry is a fertile hybrid resulting from the crossbreeding of two species native to Europe and North Africa, still spontaneously found in mountain forests in Scotland, France, and the Caucasus.

The Ribes uva-crispa Crispa ® ‘Darling’ ® is a recent Swiss creation, part of the Crispa ® range. A range composed of gooseberry varieties selected for their high yields of juicy and fleshy fruits, with a high sugar content, on vigorous and disease-resistant plants. It forms a bushy, thorny shrub, with a tufted growth of slightly stiff, branched, and spreading twigs. This very hardy bush will reach 1 m in height with a spread of 80 cm. The foliage is deciduous, composed of palmate, lobed, and aromatic, medium green leaves. This shrub resembles classic gooseberries but mainly differs in the fruits: larger, sweet in flavour, they appear singularly along the branches unlike redcurrants. Apart from a few thornless varieties, the Gooseberry typically has prickly stems. Flowering occurs in spring, in the form of clusters of insignificant small greenish flowers, intensely visited by bees. Fruiting mainly occurs on one- and two-year-old branches. Harvesting takes place in July and August. The bush is covered with berries, round to oval, with smooth skin, 1.2 cm in diameter, distributed along the branches. When ripe, the gooseberries turn a wine-like colour, filled with translucent, juicy, fruity, sweet, and slightly acidic pulp, containing tiny seeds.

The 'Darling' Gooseberry is self-fertile, therefore does not require a companion for fruiting, but having another variety nearby will increase production. Harvesting is done as the fruits ripen. It is simplified due to the size of the berries. A gooseberry bush can produce around 2 to 4 kg of fruits per plant depending on the age and growing conditions of the plant. The fruits are rich in vitamin C, antioxidants, minerals, trace elements as well as potassium, calcium, and phosphorus. Moreover, their low sugar content classifies them among the least energy-dense small fruits (50 kcal per 100 g).

The fruit is purifying for the body if consumed barely ripe. Picked from the bush, its gooseberries are exquisite, and for added indulgence, they can be sprinkled with a little crystallised sugar. In cooking, to reduce the acidity of the fruits, they can be blanched for a minute then refreshed in cold water. Excellent in jellies or jams, they can also be used to top tarts and make cakes. They are perfect for making syrups, sorbets, ice creams, or desserts. The delicate balance between the fruit aromas and acidity offers an interesting use to accompany meats (game, poultry…), fatty fish (sardines, mackerel, tuna…) or as a finishing touch in mixed salads.

In the summer, the Gooseberry provides the satisfaction of beautiful harvests and the pleasure of tasting delicious fruits, but be careful of the thorns on the branches. You can associate it with Blackcurrants, Raspberries, Blueberries, Mayberry or other small fruit varieties to create a gourmet hedge, reinforcing it with its multiple culinary benefits. As with any planting, it is important in a gooseberry plantation to alternate species and varieties, where possible. This reduces the risk of diseases and promotes pollination, even if the variety is self-fertile. It can be grown in a pot; however, you must choose a container at least 40 cm in height and ensure regular watering with non-calcareous water.