gooseberries

Gooseberries look so beautiful, hanging on the bush like little jewels

However, the bushes are covered with large, hard thorns, making the berries so hard to pick!

The results of an hours worth of picking

Today, a customer called and wanted fifteen pounds of gooseberries. I told her I could get them, no problem. What I didn't realize is that gooseberry bushes are covered with very sharp, large thorns. My arms and hands are covered with little scratches, and my poor fingers are sore from being pricked. I should have put on gloves and a long sleeve shirt, but was in a hurry to just get the job done! After picking for an hour, I had seven pounds worth of gooseberries. My customers were satisfied with that amount, and I was happy to be done picking! When the couple came to get their berries, the man told me that he grew thornless gooseberries once, but because there were no thorns, the deer ate his entire crop! So, the thorns may have made picking brutal, but they do serve a purpose, and I am grateful the deer left our bushes alone!