Every year breeders develop new varieties of berry crops. Thanks to modern technologies, scientific institutes create varieties of plants that are resistant to diseases, pests or frost, and also improve the taste of their fruits.
But there are varieties that are not afraid of time and the competition of newfangled hybrids. The generations of gardeners change, and they still retain their popularity. One of these varieties is the Black Negus gooseberry, which has been widespread in our country for about 100 years.
Breeding history of the Black Negus variety
Gooseberry Black Negus bred by the All-Russian Research Institute of Horticulture named. Michurina I.V. in the 20s of the last century. But, before talking about its creation, let us turn to the history of the home gooseberry.
In the Middle Ages, gooseberries were extremely popular among British gardeners. More than a thousand varieties of the plant have been bred by English breeders. They differed in taste and color of berries, some of which were comparable in size to a chicken's egg. But this expanse came to an end when, in the middle of the 19th century, gooseberry varieties from America came to Europe.
Because together with them, a disease destructive to the plant - powdery mildew - penetrated into European gardens. As a result, literally a few years later, almost all gooseberry plantations were destroyed in England. Many European varieties were lost, and American varieties were significantly inferior to them in taste. The only way out of this situation was the decision to start experiments on crossing powdery mildew-resistant American varieties with European ones that have excellent taste.
The innovator of hybridization of plants growing in areas remote from each other was I.V. Michurin. At his institute, he bred many such hybrids, and the Black Negus variety is considered one of the most successful. To create it, the Krasilny gooseberry, which is a wild American plant variety, and the European cultivar "Anibut" were crossed.
Michurin planned to use this interspecific hybrid only as a breeding semi-finished product in order to develop other varieties resistant to powdery mildew on its basis. But, unexpectedly for everyone, Black Negus gained popularity and began to be considered as a full-fledged plant. Almost a century has passed since then, and this variety is still grown in amateur gardens.
Characteristics of the variety
Gooseberry Black Negus is a powerful shrub with a height of 1.5 to 2 m. It has thick, strong shoots covered with thorns and long branches of an arched shape, growing to the sides and up. The foliage of the plant is large, bright green, with an edge. The thorns are long, sharp, located in twos, threes and singles.
The berries are pear-shaped, elongated stalk and paired or single arrangement. A distinctive feature of this variety is the color of the fruit - they are bluish-black, with gloss and smooth surface, without pubescence. The pulp of the berries is of a contrasting bright red color.
The fruits are small in size, their length does not exceed 2-2.5 cm. The skin is thin, but does not crack even in dry weather. They stick to the bushes well, do not crumble. They have a sweet and sour taste, in which sourness prevails, and a bright aroma specific to the plant.
Black negus has an average ripening period, which begins from the third decade of July.
He gained popularity among gardeners for the following advantages:
- Dessert taste (4.7 points) and a rich vitamin composition of berries. And because of their bright color, Black Negus berries are widely used in cooking. They make compotes, wines, preserves and jams excellent in taste and color saturation. A small amount of gooseberries can also be added to compotes from other berries, so that they acquire a beautiful ruby hue.
- Winter hardiness. The variety perfectly tolerates both winter cold and unexpected spring frosts, therefore it is suitable for breeding in all regions of Russia.
- Regular fruiting. From 2-4 years of age, Black Negus bears fruit steadily every year.
- High productivity. Up to 7 kg of berries can be harvested from an adult bush.
- Sufficiently good transportability, which is 20-25 days.
- Disease resistance. Virtually not affected by powdery mildew, rust and other fungal infections.
Its only drawbacks are its large and sharp thorns., which makes harvesting extremely difficult.
The presence of long thorns can be turned to your advantage by using gooseberry thickets as a hedge. Once it has grown enough, it will be an insurmountable barbed wall.
Thus, the Black Negus variety has a lot of advantages, and is practically devoid of disadvantages. Like any garden culture, it is valued primarily for its tasty and healthy fruits. Therefore, let us consider in more detail their nutritional value, the therapeutic effect that they can have on the body, as well as possible contraindications.
The benefits of black gooseberry and contraindications to its use
Gooseberries are rich in vitamins and minerals. It is believed that the darker the color of the fruit, the more health value it has. Therefore, there are 3-4 times more nutrients in black gooseberries than in its green and white relatives.
Black Negus berries have the following healing properties:
- They help in the fight against viral infections, due to the high content of vitamin C. Most of the ascorbic acid is concentrated in the acidic shell of the berries.
- They improve the normal functioning of the nervous system, which is facilitated by the presence of B vitamins and trace elements such as calcium, manganese, potassium, iodine, iron, zinc and copper.
- Heal blood vessels with vitamins P and C, and potassium and magnesium will take care of heart health.
- They have a positive effect on the condition of the skin and visual function, thanks to vitamin A.
- Recommended during pregnancy due to its high folate content, without which full-fledged intrauterine development is impossible.
- A large amount of pectin substances normalizes the functioning of the digestive system and helps to eliminate toxins from the body.
- The anthocyanins present in the fruit help clear blood vessels of cholesterol, normalize blood pressure and prevent the appearance of atherosclerotic plaques.
- The high iron content (800 mg per 100 g) makes the fruit an effective treatment for anemia.
- Black gooseberry berries can be safely included in the diet of patients with diabetes mellitus, because they contain a minimum amount of carbohydrates, but at the same time are able to provide the body with vitamins and fiber.
Despite all the benefits of black gooseberry, there are a number of contraindications to its use:
- Due to the large amount of vitamin C, people with a tendency to allergic reactions need to be careful with gooseberries. For the same reason, the berry is not recommended for nursing mothers.
- High acid content can provoke an exacerbation of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. For people with this problem, it is better to subject the berries to heat treatment.
- Do not mix gooseberries with dairy products, together they have a strong laxative effect and provoke diarrhea.
We figured out the therapeutic effect and contraindications, then we will consider how gooseberry berries can be used in cooking.
Most popular black gooseberry recipes
When preparing blanks from black gooseberries, it is important to preserve as much of the beneficial properties of the berry as possible. And, as you know, all vitamins are destroyed during heat treatment. Therefore, the most valuable for health option of a dessert made from berries will be making cold jam.
Black gooseberry and orange cold jam.
Such jam is prepared without heat treatment, which allows you to preserve the usefulness of the berries. In the season of colds, such a delicacy will help to quickly cope with the infection, and with regular use, it will increase immunity. To prepare it, take 1 kg of Black Negus fruits, 500 g of sugar and 1 orange.
The pulp of black gooseberries is sweet enough on its own, so when making jam, you do not need to take berries and sugar in equal proportions, as with most other berries.
The jam making procedure includes the following steps:
- rinse the gooseberry fruits, peeling off the stalks and leaves;
- dry the berries on a towel;
- wash the orange without peeling it off;
- mince the gooseberry and orange with zest;
- mix the resulting mass with sugar.
Arrange the finished cold jam in sterilized jars and refrigerate.
Gooseberry wine is no less popular, and it is in no way inferior in taste and aroma to a drink made from grapes.
Homemade gooseberry wine.
To prepare it, you need 1 kg of gooseberries, 2 glasses of sugar, 1 liter of water.
Berries are not washed for wine, so they must be collected from the bush as carefully as possible so that they do not get dirty in the ground.
Making homemade wine consists of the following steps:
- Sort out the berries by removing the stalks.
- Mash the gooseberries thoroughly.
- Boil sugar and water syrup and refrigerate.
- Put the pulp and juice of the gooseberry, which were formed when crushing it, into a glass container. Pour in the sugar syrup.
- Stir with a wooden spatula, cover the container with gauze and put in a warm place for a week. It is better to install the container in a basin, because the gooseberries ferment intensively, and some of the contents may come out.
- A week later, a pulp forms on the surface, which must be removed with a wooden spatula.
- Pour the liquid into a clean water-sealed container and store in a warm place for the next 2 months.
- After the end of the fermentation process, which you will learn about with the help of a water seal, filter the young wine and pour it into convenient vessels.
- Place the bottles in a cool place to fully mature for another 6 weeks.
This aromatic gooseberry wine will be a worthy decoration for your festive table.
If many have heard about jam, wine and gooseberry compote, and they are prepared using the same technologies as similar products from other berries, then few people know about the spicy sauce made from Black Negus berries. This sauce can add zest to both meat dishes and dishes from cereals and vegetables.
Black gooseberry sauce
For its preparation, for 1 kg of gooseberry fruits you will need:
- 400 g red onions;
- 1 clove of garlic;
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil;
- 60 ml of water;
- 170 g sugar, preferably brown;
- ½ tsp ground ginger;
- 2 tsp curry;
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar;
- 70 g raisins;
- 4 tsp salt.
Cooking includes the following steps:
- Rinse and remove any debris from the gooseberries.
- Finely chop the onion and garlic and simmer for 20 minutes in a mixture of vegetable oil and water.
- Add berries, sugar and salt to them. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add raisins, spices and vinegar. Simmer for about 10 more minutes, until the gooseberries are cooked and the mixture thickens.
The finished sauce is poured into sterilized jars. For a more delicate consistency, you can grind it with a blender, only after that you need to warm it up a little again before filling it in jars.
Black gooseberries can not only nourish your body with useful substances and help fight diseases, but also diversify your menu with delicious and unusual recipes. It is no coincidence that Black Negus has not lost its leading positions to new varieties of gooseberries for such a long time.
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