Worcesterberry

Looks like a gooseberry, but is in fact, a species of currant, Ribes divaricatum, from the western United States. Worcesterberries are big, vigorous, upright and very thorny – makes a good stock-proof hedge, but not one for the smaller garden, where it’s more manageable grown as a cordon. Reliable, heavy cropper, with small, smooth-skinned, purplish-red berries, almost black when fully ripe, looking like large blackcurrants but tasting more like a gooseberry. The berries are tart, slightly sweeter than gooseberries, and make a very good jam – pick when completely ripe. Immune to American gooseberry mildew and blackcurrant big bud mite, so useful where these have been a problem.

Site: Tolerates some exposure
Soil: Any well-drained
Position: Full sun
Pick: Early July
Keep: Freezes well
Hardiness: Hardy
Pollination: Self-fertile
Uses: Cooking and preserving
Height: 6’+ (2m) Spread 6’+ (2m)