# Current or gooseberry?



## My2butterflies (Jan 17, 2015)

I'm leaning more towards current only because at my childhood home we had gooseberry bushes and they had long thorns. And I've seen some around here with thorns, but lots of these(pictured) don't have any of those long thorns. 

And if they are currents, anyone have any jam recipes for them? Would they be good mixed with strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries? 

















If needed I can get a picture of what the berries look like as they are just forming. I saw a few on one of the bushes this morning. I don't remember seeing any berries on them last year when we moved in here early in June. Then again, I wasn't looking either. I'd love if they are something I can harvest


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## My2butterflies (Jan 17, 2015)

Ok I took a leaf off what I believe to be a gooseberry bush(left leaf pictured) and a leaf off the current bush(right). The gooseberry has 1/4-1/2in thorns and the current none. 
This is correct right?


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## Use Less (Nov 8, 2007)

Those don't look like currants to me. Currants grow in bunches. The fruits don't exactly look like early gooseberries, too elongated, though the fruiting habit is very close.


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## My2butterflies (Jan 17, 2015)

@Use Less what else do you suppose it could be if they aren't currents? I know for sure they aren't all gooseberries. Both are growing side by side in some places and they are different.


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## Fennick (Apr 16, 2013)

My2butterflies said:


> Ok I took a leaf off what I believe to be a gooseberry bush(left leaf pictured) and a leaf off the current bush(right). The gooseberry has 1/4-1/2in thorns and the current none.
> This is correct right?


 
That_ looks_ like what you have. Here's the thing though, you may not be able to tell for sure exactly what each plant is until the fruits are ripened into their full color and ready for harvest. With the _ribes_ species, of which the gooseberries and currants are only a few of the many ribes varieties, ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribes ) it's not always possible to ID by their leaves and flowers because there are variations in them in their shapes and colours, especially if any of them might be hybrid cross breeds. And some of the cross breeds may or may not have prickles or thorns. 

You might have green gooseberry, or red gooseberry. You might have red currant, black currant or white currant. And it's possible you might have jostaberry which is a hybrid cross between a currant and a gooseberry. So the ripe fruits and their size, colours and flavours will be your final determinator. Perhaps when you have ripened fruits on each of the bushes you should take pictures of them from each plant and post those pictures.

Regarding jams and such, I like currant or gooseberry jams by themselves or mixed with any other kind of fruit preserves - or in pies and other baked goods - and find them all delicious. I've never had jostaberry preserves so can't vouch for that but I'm sure it's just as good as the others.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

http://fruit.cfans.umn.edu/home-fruit/currantsgooseberries/

I have gooseberries behind the house. I also had white pine blister rust take out two 25' tall white pines next to my driveway.

The fruit of the gooseberries was about the size of grapes and were like light green basketballs with the stripes. They were delicious and tasted exactly like dates to me.

I see gooseberry canes all over in the woods but I never remember to go looking for them in the summer.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I just checked and there was a single thorn at the junction just like it said in the article.

Maybe this will be the summer I remember to go looking for berries to pick. Since I eat 30-40 lbs of raisins a year I may try drying the gooseberries I find. They would make an excellent locally grown alternative on my breakfast millet.


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## Use Less (Nov 8, 2007)

I gave it some thought, and tried a little search without coming up with other ideas. My gooseberries hang from pendants all along the fruiting branches, and they are round even when tiny. The red currants hang on "streamers" in bundles. The leaves are right for one or the other, or a relative. Once the fruits fill out, if they do, maybe they will look like something someone will recognize for sure? Cooperative Extension guys sometimes are quite knowledgeable, especially if you can take in a few leaves, a bit of branch and some fruits.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Use Less said:


> I gave it some thought, and tried a little search without coming up with other ideas. My gooseberries hang from pendants all along the fruiting branches, and they are round even when tiny. The red currants hang on "streamers" in bundles. The leaves are right for one or the other, or a relative. Once the fruits fill out, if they do, maybe they will look like something someone will recognize for sure? Cooperative Extension guys sometimes are quite knowledgeable, especially if you can take in a few leaves, a bit of branch and some fruits.


She said she found the identifying thorn meaning it's a gooseberry. At least I think that is what she said.


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