Dear Diary,
Adam: It's now early summer and time to harvest the gooseberries.
We planted 3 gooseberry bushes a couple of years ago but had to move them last year for better drainage. The plants seem to have appreciated the new place in the garden as they have produced lots of berries. Angelo and I went out to pick them.
Angelo: We have the old variety which has long, very sharp thorns which make picking the berries perilous.
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| "Ouch! Bloody thorn!" |
Adam: We love gooseberry jam and pie so we wouldn't let the thorns get the better of us. We picked and picked until we had almost 2 full baskets of berries.
Say, Angelo, Do you remember in the movie Krull when Ergo says "I'd wish for a gooseberry pie as big as a house"?
Angelo: Yes, I do remember that part.
Adam: Well, I think we've now picked enough gooseberries to make his pie!
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| Lots of good eats here. |
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| "Oops - I missed one!" |
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"Get out of the basket, Angelo! There is no way I can carry these heavy berries and you at the same time. In fact, you can carry that half-full basked."
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Angelo: Where's that big boy, Armand, when I need him?
Armand: Now, it's my turn to do kitchen duty. First, I made a pie filling using the gooseberries + thickener + sugar. Then, I bottled 14 quarts. I do this with apples each year. This way, during the upcoming year, we can have freshly baked gooseberry (or apple) pies, simply by opening a jar.
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| "Bottling under control!" |
Then, I used the leftover berries and turned them into a freshly-baked pie.
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| "Not as big as a house but enough for all of us here." |
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| The heart and bunnies have a special significance. |
Now, just add a cup of tea!
