Updated 05-May-2020.
Mondo shtuff from around the internet, all about GOOSEBERRY!
My botty best at summarizing from Wikipedia: the gooseberry is a species of Ribes (which also includes the currants) it is native to Europe, the Caucasus and northern Africa . the species is sparingly naturalized in scattered locations in north America a few taxonomists treat Grossularia as a separate genus . hybrids between gooseberry and blackcurrant (e.g., the jostaberry) are possible . it is one the french for gooseberry is groseille à maquereau, translated as “mackerel berries” in Britain, gooseberries may informally be called goosegogs . the specific epithet uva the colour of the berries is usually green, but there are red (to purple), yellow, and white variants . in Britain, it is often found in copses and hedgerows and about old ruins . the gooseberry is now common in the Alps of Piedmont and Savoy . it does not appear to have been much grown there in the Middle Ages . the old english name, Fea-berry, still the gooseberry in the south of England will grow well in cool situations . in the north it needs full exposure to the sun to bring the fruit to perfection . the flavour of the fruit is said to improve with increasing latitude . Pruning should be carried out to allow light in and give new growth opportunity to grow . fruit is produced on lateral spurs and on the previous year’s shoots . a subsidiary purpose is to allow picking without excessive heavy nitrogen composting must be avoided as too much nitrogen will produce extensive growth and weaken the bush . this will make the bush susceptible to mildew . the fruit should best be picked off when large to reach maximum sweetness . in cultivation, the best method for removing them is to remove the larvae by hand soon after they hatch; its eggs are laid on fallen gooseberry leaves . Other potential threats include V-moth (Macaria wauaria) a solution of magnesium sulfate applied to a bush’s leaves has a good residual action on the eggs and larvae of gooseberry sawfly . like most Ribes, the gooseberry is an Maine law prohibits the planting and cultivation of currants and gooseberries in most of southern Maine . in a 100-gram reference amount, gooseberries provide 44 calories and are a rich source of vitamin C . early picking