A detailed description of the gooseberry variety Black Negus

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Each year, breeders bring new varieties of berry crops. Thanks to modern technologies, research institutes create plant varieties that are resistant to diseases, pests or frosts, and also improve the taste of their fruits.

But there are varieties that are not afraid of time and competition of new-fangled hybrids. Generations of gardeners are replaced, and they still retain their popularity. One of such varieties is Black Negus gooseberry, which has been spread over the territory of our country for about 100 years.

The history of breeding varieties Black Negus

Gooseberry Black Negus bred All-Russian Research Institute of Horticulture them. Michurina I.V. in the 20s of the last century. But, before telling about its creation, let us turn to the history of home gooseberry.

In the Middle Ages, gooseberries were extremely popular among gardeners in the UK. English breeders were bred over a thousand plant varieties. They differed in taste and color of the berries, some of which were comparable in size to a chicken egg. But this expanse came to an end when, in the middle of the 19th century, gooseberry varieties from America came to Europe.

Because along with them, the disease destroying the plant has penetrated into European gardens - powdery mildew. As a result, in just a few years, almost all the plantations of the gooseberry were destroyed in England. Many European varieties were lost, and the American were significantly inferior to them in taste. The only way out of this situation was the decision to begin experiments on the crossing of powdery mildew-resistant American varieties with European ones that have excellent taste.

An innovator of the hybridization of plants growing in areas remote from each other was I.V. Michurin. At his institute, he developed many such hybrids, and the Black Negus variety is considered one of the most successful. For its creation, the gooseberry Krasilny, which is a wild American variety of the plant, and the European cultivar Anibut were crossed.

Michurin planned to use this interspecific hybrid only as a breeding semi-finished product, on its basis to bring out other varieties that are resistant to powdery mildew. But, unexpectedly for everyone, the Black Negus gained popularity and it began to be considered as a full-fledged plant. Since then, almost a century has passed, and this variety is still grown in amateur gardens.

Characteristic variety

Gooseberry Black Negus is a powerful shrub in height from 1.5 to 2 m. It has thick sturdy shoots, covered with thorns, and long arcuate branches growing to the sides and upwards. The foliage of the plant is large, bright green, edged. Thorns are long, sharp, located as on two and three, and unary.

The size of the fruit is small, their length does not exceed 2-2.5 cm. The skin is thin, but does not crack even in dry weather. Keep on the bushes well, do not crumble. They are characterized by a sweet-sour taste, which is dominated by sourness, and a bright aroma specific to the plant.

Black Negus has an average ripening period, which begins in the third decade of July.

Popularity among gardeners received for the following advantages:

1. Dessert taste (4.7 points) and rich vitamin composition of berries. And because of the bright color, the berries of Black Negus are widely used in cooking. They make excellent compotes, wines, jams and jams to taste and color. A small amount of gooseberry can be added and compotes from other berries, so that they acquire a beautiful ruby ​​shade.
2. Winter hardiness The variety perfectly tolerates both winter cold and unexpected spring frosts, therefore it is suitable for breeding in all regions of Russia.
3. Regular fruiting.Starting from 2-4 years of life, Black Negus stably bears fruit every year.
4. High yield. With an adult bush can collect up to 7 kg of berries.
5. Enough good transportability, which is 20-25 days.
6. Resistance to diseases. Practically not affected by powdery mildew, rust and other fungal infections.

The only disadvantages of a variety are its large and sharp thorns., which makes harvesting extremely difficult.

Thus, the Black Negus variety has a lot of advantages, and is almost devoid of drawbacks. Like any garden culture, it is valued primarily for its tasty and healthy fruits. Therefore, let us consider in more detail their nutritional value, the therapeutic effect that they can have on the body, as well as possible contraindications.

The benefits of black gooseberry and contraindications to its use

Gooseberry berries have a rich vitamin and mineral composition.It is believed that the darker the color of the fruit, the more value it carries for health. Therefore, there are 3-4 times more nutrients in black gooseberry than in its green and white relatives.

Black Negus berries have the following healing properties:

1. They help in the fight against viral infections, due to the high content of vitamin C. Most of the ascorbic acid is concentrated in the acidic shell of the berries.
2. Normal functioning of the nervous system is established, which is facilitated by the presence in the composition of vitamins of group B, and trace elements such as calcium, manganese, potassium, iodine, iron, zinc and copper.
3. The vessels are healed with vitamins P and C, and potassium and magnesium take care of heart health.
4. Have a positive effect on the condition of the skin and visual function, thanks to vitamin A.
5. Recommended for use during pregnancy because of the high content of folic acidwithout which full intrauterine development is impossible.
6. A large number of pectic substances normalizes the work of the digestive organs and helps to eliminate toxins from the body.
7. Anthocyanins present in the composition of the fruit, help to clear blood vessels from cholesterol, lead to normal blood pressure and prevent the appearance of atherosclerotic plaques.
8. The high iron content (800 mg per 100 g) makes the fruit an effective treatment for anemia.
9. Black gooseberry berries can be safely included in the diet of patients with diabetes, because they contain the minimum amount of carbohydrates, but they are able to provide the body with vitamins and fiber.

Despite all the benefits of black gooseberry, there are a number of contraindications to its use:

1. Due to the large amount of vitamin C, with gooseberries need to be careful people suffering from a tendency to allergic reactions. For the same reason, the berry is not recommended for nursing mothers.
2. High acid content may provoke aggravation of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. People with such a problem is better to heat the berries.
3. Do not mix gooseberries with dairy products, together they give a strong laxative effect and provoke diarrhea.

With the therapeutic effect and contraindications, we figured out, then we will consider how the gooseberry berries can be used in cooking.

Most Popular Black Gooseberry Recipes

When preparing blanks of black gooseberry, it is important to preserve as much of the beneficial properties of the berries. And, as you know, all the vitamins are destroyed during heat treatment. Therefore, the production of cold jam will be the most valuable option for health from the berries.

Cold jam from black gooseberry and orange.

Prepare this jam without heat treatment, which allows to preserve the usefulness of the berries. In the season of catarrhal diseases, such a delicacy will help to cope with the infection more quickly, and with regular use will increase immunity. To prepare it, take 1 kg of Black Negus, 500 g of sugar and 1 orange.

The procedure for making jam includes the following steps:

• wash the gooseberry fruit, peeling the stalks and leaves;
• dry the berries on a towel;
• Wash the orange without peeling;
• mince gooseberry and orange with zest;
• mix the resulting mass with sugar.

Spread ready cold jam on sterilized jars and put in the refrigerator.

Gooseberry wine is no less popular, and it is not at all inferior in taste and aroma to a grape drink.

Homemade gooseberry wine.

To prepare it, you need 1 kg of gooseberry berries, 2 cups of sugar, 1 liter of water.

Making homemade wine consists of the following steps:

1. Go through the berries by removing the stem.
2. Carefully mash the gooseberries.
3. Boil sugar and water syrup and cool it.
4. In the glass container, put the pulp and juice of gooseberries, which were formed during its crushing. Pour in sugar syrup.
5. Stir with a wooden spatula, cover the container with gauze and remove for a week in a warm place. Capacity is better to install in the pelvis, because gooseberry wanders intensively, and some of the contents can go out.
6. A week later, pulp is formed on the surface, which must be removed with a wooden spatula.
7. Pour the liquid into a clean dish with a water stopper and store in a warm place for the next 2 months.
8. After the end of the fermentation process, which you will learn about using a hydraulic lock, filter the young wine and pour it into convenient vessels.
9. Place the bottles in a cool place so that it finally matured there for another 6 weeks.

Fragrant gooseberry wine will be a worthy decoration of your holiday table.

If many have heard about jam, wine and gooseberry compote, and they are prepared using the same technologies as similar products from other berries, then few people know about the spicy sauce made from Black Negus berries. Such a sauce can add zest to meat dishes as well as to cereals and vegetables.

Black Gooseberry Sauce

For its preparation, for 1 kg of gooseberry fruit you will need:

• 400 g red onions;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil;
• 60 ml of water;
• 170 g sugar, preferably brown;
• ½ tsp ground ginger;
• 2 tsp. curry;
• 2 tbsp.white wine vinegar;
• 70 g raisins;
• 4 tsp. salt.

Preparation includes the following steps:

1. Rinse and clean the gooseberries from the debris.
2. Finely chop the onion and garlic and simmer for 20 minutes in a mixture of vegetable oil and water.
3. Add berries, sugar and salt to them. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add raisins, spices and vinegar. Simmer for about 10 more minutes until the gooseberries are ready and the mixture thickens.

Ready sauce is poured into sterilized jars. For a more delicate consistency, it can be crushed with a blender, only after that it needs to be reheated a little again before being packed into jars.

Black gooseberry berries can not only nourish your body with useful substances and help in the fight against diseases, but also diversify your menu with delicious and unusual recipes. It is no coincidence that the Negus Black for such a long time does not lose its leading position to new varieties of gooseberry.

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