First of all, I live in Spain so cropping seasons a little different. I planted gooseberry bushes two years ago, a few last year but this year WOW absolutely smothered. At what stage do I pick them, how will I know they are ready.
I start picking when they look like gooseberries, not too tiny but smallish. Thin along the branches so that the rest have room to swell. The small ones taste quite sharp, which is good for pies (I think) - tasty. Eventually, depending on variety, they get ripe and sweet to eat raw. Keep thinning more and more as you want them. They also are easy to freeze - no preparation needed, just bag them or put them in a tub. Unless they are wet they won't stick together. If I'm freezing blackcurrants etc I do then on a flat tray, them bag them frozen.Mine are good now.
It depends on the variety - if red gooseberries, they are ready (and delicious!) when they turn red - not just as they are turning but when they have gone a deeper red. That is when they are at their swetest. I'm going to be harvesting mine this weekend probably. For green gooseberries, if you want them sweeter they start to turn a more yellowy green.
If you've still got any left ;)
Karen Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
Mine are going yellow and sweet now, and every time I walk past them there are more under the bush (that's the trouble with waiting for them to go sweet).