Gooseberry season
When I picked up these Stachelbeeren in the market the other day, I had no idea what they were called in English. I also had no idea how to eat them, so I asked the woman behind the counter. She kind of laughed at me for asking the question, and explained that they could be eaten whole.
The gooseberries were very reminiscent of grapes in color, shape, and texture. There are a few edible seeds inside (that are much more pleasant than grape seeds), and it is indeed easy to just eat them whole. They can also be made into desserts such as gooseberry fool, if you’re ambitious that way. You must admit the name sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?
That happened to me a while ago. I moved to Mexico and saw figs in a market. I had never seen figs whole and therefore didn’t know what they were nor how to eat them. I had to ask.
Luckily in Mexico, in most markets you can taste anything. Often, as you walk through the market, people are handing you fruit in order to convince you to buy it from them. So, the woman that I asked showed me how to eat and and gave me one to try.
It also happened with the fruit of a cactus that is popular here. The people at the market now know me and are not so surprised when I ask how to eat something.
I like them in rote Gruetze, even when they’re green. If you haven’t made it before, it’s not much more than various reddish fruits simmered with a little sugar and white wine or fruit juice, and usually a bit of potato starch unless your fruits are all high-pectin. Once chilled and thickened, that’s great on pancakes, crepes, or served chilled as a fruit soup, especially with gently sweetened Quark (or Topfen).
I suppose you could make a grüne Grütze or gelbe Grütze as well, with mostly greenish or mostly yellowish fruits.
My favourite form of gooseberrys is gooseberry jam!
Christina – Figs are one of my favorites! How cool that you can try things in the markets before buying them. Here we can do that with some things (like cherries), but not everything.
Jason – I first got to know ‘rote gruetze’ in eastern Germany as a pink vaguely-fruit-flavored puree. I was then shocked the first time I had it with real berries (which is how it’s supposed to be, and delicious!).