Goosegogs

There's an intriguing little conversation going on at Allotment2Kitchen about the word 'goosegog'. I'd idly used the word in Mango's post about elderflower - thinking that everyone would be familiar with my mum's word for gooseberries. But no - seems it's not as well known as I thought. A quick Google turns up the info that it dates from around 1815-25, and it's a British colloquialism (so not an import). And I found a couple of other gardeners using the word and being met with puzzlement. I think it's a lovely word and will continue to use it at every opportunity. And Mango's blog is always worth visiting.

I inherited a goosgog bush on my allotment plot last year - it didn't fruit too well last year as it's been neglected for quite a while. This spring it got a dose of farmyard manure and so far, there's a mass of fruit. I presume that the variety is Invicta, as it's the most common.

One of my winter purchases was a Hinnonmaki Yellow from Thomson and Morgan. It's much more spreading than the Invicta, and T&M promise that it has a hint of apricot. I shall report back at harvest time.

Here's a lovely print of goosegogs by Janie Pirie.