Showing posts with label Janie Pirie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Janie Pirie. Show all posts

Thursday, 28 May 2009

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.