By 1870, the was listed in a Herefordshire nursery catalogue. The description read: "A dessert gooseberry of the highest quality. Skin thin, translucent, of a honey-amber blush. Flesh melting, with a high sugar content and a distinct note of apricot. Unsurpassed for eating raw. Requires a sheltered wall." Why the Gooseberry Disappeared If the Anna Ralphs was so delicious, why don't we have it today?
Anna propagated the mutation via cuttings. She named the variety simply "Ralphs' Pink Smooth" locally, but the traders at the Shrewsbury market began calling it "Anna’s Gooseberry" to distinguish it from other Ralphs family varieties.
It has become the "Holy Grail" of heirloom Ribes hunters. Blogs like The Gooseberry Gazette and forums on the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale frequently discuss "The Anna."
The answer is a one-two punch of plant disease and agricultural economics.
"Picked the first of the smooth pink berries today. Gave one to Thomas. He said it tasted like a plum and a rose had a child. No boiling needed. We ate them raw with cream."
Botanic gardens are increasingly turning to "resurrection horticulture"—using old seeds from herbarium specimens or digging up dormant root systems at abandoned Victorian estates.
The seeds are on their way to the Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst, UK. While seeds that old rarely germinate (gooseberry seeds have a notoriously short viability), there is a non-zero chance.
Ralphs Gooseberry — Anna
By 1870, the was listed in a Herefordshire nursery catalogue. The description read: "A dessert gooseberry of the highest quality. Skin thin, translucent, of a honey-amber blush. Flesh melting, with a high sugar content and a distinct note of apricot. Unsurpassed for eating raw. Requires a sheltered wall." Why the Gooseberry Disappeared If the Anna Ralphs was so delicious, why don't we have it today?
Anna propagated the mutation via cuttings. She named the variety simply "Ralphs' Pink Smooth" locally, but the traders at the Shrewsbury market began calling it "Anna’s Gooseberry" to distinguish it from other Ralphs family varieties. anna ralphs gooseberry
It has become the "Holy Grail" of heirloom Ribes hunters. Blogs like The Gooseberry Gazette and forums on the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale frequently discuss "The Anna." By 1870, the was listed in a Herefordshire nursery catalogue
The answer is a one-two punch of plant disease and agricultural economics. Flesh melting, with a high sugar content and
"Picked the first of the smooth pink berries today. Gave one to Thomas. He said it tasted like a plum and a rose had a child. No boiling needed. We ate them raw with cream."
Botanic gardens are increasingly turning to "resurrection horticulture"—using old seeds from herbarium specimens or digging up dormant root systems at abandoned Victorian estates.
The seeds are on their way to the Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst, UK. While seeds that old rarely germinate (gooseberry seeds have a notoriously short viability), there is a non-zero chance.