Featured Plant: The Purple Gooseberry (Riber oxyacanthoides L.) Zone 3-7

This weeks featured Plant is the Purple Gooseberry (Riber oxyacanthoides L.) zone 3-7. This gooseberry is the shape and size of grape that has a delightful sweetness. Their native cousins are small- more the size of large blueberry. The gooseberry I have (Jahns Prairie Gooseberry) has thorns. You can buy a thornless gooseberry; however, it is the green variety and is not as sweet. The bush can grow up to 5 feet tall and is knowing to be very cold hardy. At one time round the 1900s, the planting of gooseberry (and currants) became federally outlawed because of a fungal disease called white pine blister rust which is a deadly disease for all species of white pines. Thankfully the modern gooseberry has been bread to avoid this disease. Gooseberries can be made into jams, jelly, juice, dried or make into pie. Gooseberries need sun to partial shade; however, they will grow more fruit in full sun. They very hardy plant, easy to keep alive and need little maintenance.