The History of Gooseberries

The first mention of gooseberries being cultivated in England dates back to 1276, however, they were not widely grown until the early 1500s, when trade with Europe began increasing. By 1831, the Horticultural Society’s London garden included a collection of 360 different gooseberry cultivars. In fact, gooseberries became so popular in the 1800s that “gooseberry clubs” formed across the UK and members competed to grow the heaviest fruit. While gooseberries are often used in jams and desserts today, they were more often paired with savory dishes in the past — especially with fatty cuts of meat or oily fish. In France, gooseberries are even called le groseillier à maquereau, which means “the mackerel currant,” because they were so frequently eaten with the fish. In the early 20th century, the gooseberry industry in the UK and across Europe declined sharply due to the spread of American gooseberry mildew fungus. At the same time, gooseberries were federally banned in the United States because they were found to carry a disease called white pine blister rust, which was deadly to pine trees. In an effort to protect the trees and because their wood was key to the lumber industry, it became illegal to cultivate gooseberries in the United States. The federal ban was repealed in 1966, but some states, such as Maine, still ban the crop. Today, gooseberries are used to make jam, pies, and other sweets.