Has anyone of your readers any experience in growing Jostaberry?
I have a three year old Jostaberry bush. It flowered this year and last, fruit set but none survived to maturity last year – fruit-fall or birds?
It is a big bush, at least twice as big as a gooseberry or blackcurrant bush, but, with no fruit to assess, I am reluctant to use so much space for it. Can anyone tell me how good (or bad) the fruit is to aid my decision on whether or not to keep it?
Valerie Clapham
Jostaberries from RHS Gardens Wisley
Jostaberry trained as a fan: see comment below from Adrian Baggaley
Jostaberry friut are almost indistinguishable from blackcurrants. However the bushes are much more vigorous and take longer to come into fruit.
I suggest you plant blackcurrants instead.
I agree with Julian Brandram I used to grow a Jostaberry, but it was very vigorous, birds devoured the fruit and what we rescued was poorly tasting beside the blackcurrant.
There is always the question of choice of a variety. I personally prefer the best of the oldies, Boskoop Giant, Wellington XXX, which are extremely tasty raw but nowadays the trend is for the new ‘Ben’ varieties, bred in Scotland. There is a warning that some of these, having Northern genes bred into them, find winters in the South too warm and they fruit poorly. If you live in the North, try one of the many ‘Bens’ available, they are not, in my view so well flavoured raw, but they make good jam.
The Jostaberry is of complex parentage, a cross between the blackcurrant and the gooseberry and of German origin. It is a classic example of hybrid vigour.
Extremely vigorous and thornless, it bears a moderate crop of dull brownish red berries in small clusters; berries about the size of large blackcurrants. As you might expect trhe taste is intermediate between the currant and the gooseberry and it makes a pleasant jam.
The Jostaberry is resistant to gooseberry mildew, leaf spot and gall mite, but the flowers are frost prone. It crops on both the old wood and the young. It can be grown and pruned as
a stooled bush like a black currant or as a half standard like a gooseberry.
Frankly because of its excessive vigour, unless you have plenty of room and like curiosities, it is not worth growing. Cold and frost in the spring can result in poor cropping.
My wife and I grow Jostaberries in Mullingar, Ireland. This year we have an abundance of fruit on the bushes.
We planted several bushes about 10 years ago and from the start have had reasonable crops. Now the plants are older and larger (about 6 feet) they seem to produce more.
The fruit has the advantage of being larger than blackcurrants and a very similar taste. They freeze well and as Harry Baker says, they make a good jam.
I train them as a standard as I use a ‘sit-on’ mower and need to get round them easily. They prefer a wind-protected area and plenty of sunshine (which we DO get in Ireland!).
There was a splendid plate of Jostaberries from the Royal Horticultural Society’s Wisley gardens at the Hampton Court Flower Show last weekend – 7-8 July. As you can see the RHS put the Jostaberry firmly in the blackcurrant camp. I have uploaded a picture onto the main post.
On my allotment I have had a Jostaberry bush for about 10 years – now almost a small tree over 2 metres high. Cropping has consistently been poor and I think this is because of the birds. A friend nearby has an excellent crop this year. His bush (also vigorous) is completely caged and I would estimate his crop at more than 7 kg (15 lb). I have made jelly with a mixture of 2 parts of (his) berries and one part of (my) red currants.
i also have a Jostaberry plant. I have owned mine for two springs now and have not had any success with fruit either. Although I do own both red and black currant bushes and they seem to fruit just fine. i was wondering if it had something to do with the age of the plant or maybe something to do with the variety. I was also wondering about pruning or should I just let it grow freely, as I have lots of room. Will it tolerate snow – I live in the snowy mountains in Australia.?
I have some growing in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia (500m above sea level) that I’ve had for three years and they are doing well. The big test will be this weekend when the fruit ripens, but so far they have outperformed other berries in our patch. I don’t think snow is an issue at all as long as it’s not after they flower.
I brought a stick of my Dad’s Jostaberry bush back to England about 10 years ago. The early results were poor in volume but fantastic in taste. No comparison to blackcurrant, which I don’t find delicious to eat straight from the bush!
A couple of years ago, I practically cut my large bush down, and the next year my yield was great. I used the cuttings to strike more bushes. Because of the vigorous growth, it is easy to turn them into standard bushes. I now have two of them, yield even better than on the original bush, and does not take up so much space. I am also growing a row of cordons, and again, much better yield than from the bush.
I garden on London clay, well enriched with years of home made compost, and they are doing great.
I live on an island near Seattle, USA and am very happy with my jostaberries. They have been effortless to grow, and yield lots of fruit. Mine are three years old, started from canes from a neighbour’s plant. They are now about 8 feet tall and could best be described as a hedge. I use the berries to make a rich, intensely flavored jam, which is heavenly on a buttery scone.
I find that the Jostaberry is well worth growing on my Glasgow allotment. Mine is now about 10 years old, covered in fruit and is much better tasting than blackcurrants. So useful in pies, jams, ice creams, puddings.
I have to net all my soft fruits against the birds. It took about 3 years to fruit well. Disease free as well!
My husband and I were given a jostaberry plant for our wedding in March (our friends likened the combination of blackcurrant and gooseberry to myself and my husband, I hope I’m not the gooseberry!), we only have a small yard and currently have it planted in a pot. We have a small raised bed – full of rhubarb- but apart from that, only more space for pots. Is it possible for us to grow it in a suitably large pot or should we seek out a ‘foster home’ for it? We are loathe to get rid of it, regardless of whether it yields a large crop – but are happy to hang on to it and wait for it to crop two/three years hence as some contributors have suggested is likely for a healthy plant. It is about a foot tall at the moment.
There is an excellent account of the history of the Jostaberry on The Fruit Blog:
http://thefruitblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/fruit-genetics-friday-5-jostaberry.html
I was offered a jostaberry by a fellow allotment owner who said… ‘if you are willing to move it you can have it’ so I planted out three twigs that have grown very successfully, one is abundant the other two have a few fruit. I’m looking forward to a ‘hedge like bush’ to separate my fruit and herb section from the artichokes and asparagus that get as tall but not as attractive!
I’m looking for a good mix for jam and wondering if it would mix well with rhubarb and perhaps ginger too.
Spent most of today picking at the jostaberries, the big dark ones are very much like black currants and the smaller dark berries have a definite ‘gooseberry taste’.
I have to say it is very reassuring to have world wide advice that my Jostaberry will or should crop in my lifetime.
My Josta started life as one of three cuttings given to me by the late Jeremy Slane along with a Portuguese grape and an Algarve fig. The tree cuttings were placed in a pot as other jobs were more pressing at the time.
By autumn the Josta had won the race for dominance and was a four feet high bush; the grape and the fig were still little more than cuttings. This was the first indication of a Josta’s vigour – a brute in a pot, like a cuckoo!
The beast was planted against a chicken wire fence surrounding my soft fruit cage and trained as a fan.
Several years on I am still waiting for my first crop. Meanwhile the grubbing pick axe looms.
I have just picked three pounds from the big jostaberry bush on my allotment – there are at least five pounds more to come: I net it, after the disappointment of the first year.
Could someone tell me about the much-praised jam, please. What fruit/sugar/water quantities should I use? And is it a pectin-rich fruit, or do I need to use the sugar with pectin?
I make jostaberry jelly using this recipe: 3lb jostaberries with 2lb redcurrants and one or two slices of unripe cooking apple with about 1.5 pints of water, which should give 3.5 pints of liquor when strained (possibly a second extraction is needed). This is then given 3.5 lb sugar (50% jam sugar and 50% granulated) plus a tablespoon of lemon juice. Setting after about 12 or 15 minutes.
For 2007 and 2008 the above has worked quite well although setting times seem to vary with the amount of water applied.
For 2008, I made jam when I had no redcurrants and to 1 lb of berries I added 0.5 pint of juice from unripe cooking apples. With 11 oz jam sugar and 11 oz of granulated I have had about 2 lb of jam following a setting time of 3 (three) minutes! Not tasted yet but the spoon was delicious. On reflection, I think I should have taken the tops and tails off the berries – I only took the stalks off.
I live in County Sligo, Ireland, and had never heard of Jostaberries until four weeks ago. When I saw the birds attacking them I asked if I could come along and pick some, and was told yes, as they hadn’t time. I made 4 lb into jam and 5 lb into jelly which both taste wonderful. I will really have to get some of these bushes and find a supplier here in Ireland.
Several years ago I purchased one Jostaberry plant. The first year I took five cuttings from it, stuck them in the ground where I wanted them to grow and they all took. They fruited in the second year and they have been very prolific. No trouble with birds or disease.
I live in Tasmania and we have hard frosts during winter and early spring but it does not seem to worry the Jostaberry. In fact I think they like this cooler climate.
We use them for jam and sometimes use combine them with other berries to make a three or four berry jam.
Raspberries do well here as well.
I planted a friend’s seedling one and a half years ago. Just had my first crop – in Gloucestershire. Must be netted very securely or birds will strip the bush. Fruit bigger than blackcurrant, therefore less time needed for picking. Seems very similar – bit less tart than a blackcurrant, and made some very nice jam using blackcurrant recipe – bit less water. Lost my blackcurrant to ‘big bud’. Jostaberry is very vigorous seems very healthy and cropped brilliantly.
I have a jostaberry bush and it has a lot of berries on it. I put the bush in a 1gall pot, it is about 5ft. tall. My grandson and I picked a big bowl of berries. I am looking for a jam recipe for them?
This berry does not need much care but it does like water the more the better. It is a nice bush, I have a trumpet vine that is planted with it and both are doing well together.
I have three jostaberry bushes in my garden, along with blueberries and red currants. I have had very good luck with my bushes. I prune them back every other year in the late fall. I have made pies and several jars of jam. I have considered planting more bushes.
I think you should keep the bush, if you have enough room. I have been growing jostaberries for two years, and they’ve only just produced some berries, so they do take a long time to flower. However, it sounds like you can do a lot with them, such as pies, jams, jellies, ice-cream etc. So definitely worth keeping, if you have the space.
I have one large Jostaberry, it is 16 years old and is 6 feet high and produces many berries nearly as large as gooseberries but very dark like black currants.
It outproduces my black currants 10 to 1, more like gooseberries. It has no thorns and tastes better than black currants but more bitter than gooseberries. I have it in a sheltered location in Massachusetts, western side of a white house which reflects plenty of light. it took several years for it to produce but shoots propagated by staking a branch into the ground produced right away.
I took some cuttings from my mother-in-law’s enormous Jostaberry bush and stuck them in the ground. They all rooted. I planted them out and I’m growing them as oblique cordons about a foot apart. They quickly reached 6 feet high and I summer pruned them. No fruit the first year, but in this, their second year, we’ve had a small but worthwhile crop. I’ve continued to summer prune them, cutting back the main shoot to keep the plants at about 6 foot and cutting back side shoots to about 6 inches in July and August. Anything I have missed and any regrowth I intend dealing with in the winter. So far so good!
It sounds like climate and possibly pruning are the key to this, interesting that layerings seem to have fruited earlier than cuttings? I shall watch with interest since I purchased a container grown plant this spring (09) and planted it in the allotment. Perhaps ill prune half of it and leave a branch unpruned, to see what does best! If anything significant results I’ll report on it.
I’m encouraged enough to purchase a Jostaberry bush to plant in my fruit orchard in central British Columbia, Canada (Zone 5b). It’s my understanding that it may take up to three years to produce fruit. Perhaps a little patience will pay off. I was fortunate to taste some jam made by a local producer in B.C. recently, and I was very impressed with the taste.
This fruit is not easy to find locally, but after some research I did find someone in Alberta who sells them. My fingers are crossed but I think it’s worth a try.
I’d also be appreciative if anyone has a Jostaberry jam or jelly recipe they would like to share.
Jostaberry grows well here in Purley, Surrey. If you have wood pigeons you must net early as they strip all fruit even when green!
We have four very large bushes on the allotment that I believe to be around 7-10 years old. They are vigorous to say the least and the amount of fruit we have is insane! So far this year I have over 7kg and the bushes don’t actually look like I have even touched them. By comparison the blackcurrants are pathetic!
For jam I make it exactly as I would blackcurrant jam: cover with water and boil until mushy; add equal weight, or less, of sugar (no need for pectin).
I find mine sets fairly quickly and I do not ‘test’ for setting I just know it is ready when I stir and the spoon leaves a clear pan behind it. If I don’t get it off the heat then I end up with a jam I can’t even get a knife in!
I have made a sorbet this year and it was lovely – see Blackcurrant Foundation for recipe.
If in doubt I usually just follow a blackcurrant recipe.
We have had three jostaberry bushes in our garden in Nova Scotia for four years, but this is the first year we have had an abundant crop. I used to call them my ‘funnyberry’ bushes because I had forgotten what they were. After doing some research, however, I came across “‘ostaberry’ and that rang a bell!
Does anyone have any recipes other than for wine or jam/jelly? I’d like to use them for pies but am wondering whether I should mix them with, say, apples or rhubarb or if they’d be fine on their own.
Jostaberry Jam
8 Cups Jostaberries
1/2 Cup Water
6 Cups Sugar
1 Tablespoon Butter
1. Place jostaberries and water in a large, heavy pan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Add the sugar to the pan and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add butter if desired to prevent foaming.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for about 8 minutes, or until the jam reaches the setting point (220 degrees F).
4. Remove the pan from the heat. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.
5. Pour the jam into warmed clean jars and seal. Heat treat sealed jars in a water bath at 200 degrees F for 10 minutes. Cool completely, then label and store the jam in a dark, cool place.
I live in the Fraser Valley in SW British Columbia, and planted two bushes 2 yrs ago. They came in 1 gall pots and fruited the first year, giving a small amount of jam. Last summer the bushes were twice the size – 3 feet high and same diameter. Got lots of berries, I pick when they are black. I planted them on a very sunny slope, which is well drained, and it must suit them. No problem with birds, maybe because we have so many wild berries here, or perhaps because the bushes are not too big yet? I mulched the bushes with bark mulch for a good area around them, which holds moisture in the summer and keeps weeds down. Very pleased with them, way more so than gooseberries which we had before, and got rid of. Jostas are supposed to be very high in vitamin C. Our cousin in BC’s Okanagan is also very pleased with her bushes, and it is very dry there in summer with freezing winters. Ours stood up to -15 C last winter and lots of heavy snow. We are in Zone 6/7.
I love red currants, and like gooseberries. Four years ago, the nursery had run out of these, but their hybrid jostaberry sounded worthwhile. I’m in Zone 6, north central Idaho, USA. The jostaberry looked thirsty with the amount of watering that my raspberries thrive on, so I poured it on this year, the jostaberry’s sixth. It finally bore fruit. I tasted the berries when they had colored and were beginning to soften. Bitter and musky! Gag! –so I let them ripen more. When I tried them again, they were soft enough to drop into my hand, and were sweetish but still bitter and musky in flavor. None of the delicious tartness I expected. I enjoy many fruit oddities, such as quince, kumquats, and even the wild service berries–but I can’t stand my jostaberry’s fruit! I wonder if people who like them tend to be those who don’t have many taste receptors for bitterness. Anyway, thanks to all of you for describing how BIG this plant grows! But maybe before I try to dig it up, I’ll cook a few berries with sugar to see if cooking magically transforms the flavor.
I am growing jostaberries in Washington State. I do not know the variety of my berries as I got the canes from a neighbor’s bush. I would describe the flavor of my fresh (ripe) berries as tart or sour rather than bitter. Perhaps a difference in personal taste or a difference in variety of berry. I LOVE the flavor cooked, though. Before you give up on them and pull out your bushes I suggest making some jam. Serve it on warm, buttery scones and then decide. My jam recipe is posted above.
Don’t dig it up just yet!
Like you, I was not at all impressed with the taste of the raw jostaberry. However, when stewed or cooked in a pie, they add a delicious flavour to other fruits. I use mine with raspberries and rhubarb or apples. Mind you, I haven’t tried them on their own so can’t comment on that.
I suggest you experiment a little before giving up on them.
Has anybody out there planted jostaberry in Quebec? I have some old blackcurrant bushes on the Ile d’Orleans which are not doing brilliantly, and was going to replace them. I had several blackcurrant bushes in England when we lived there, and they were very productive and made wonderful jam.
We have lots of snow cover, but fairly cold temperatures; tonight -20.
I am tickled to see that this thread has been going for almost three years. Jostaberries are vigorous in more ways than one it seems! I have two plants in southern Ontario that are doing very well. They produced some fruit in their second year and, judging by the flowers, should produce large quantities this year. They are wonderful to eat straight from the bush. I planted them in a perennial bed with roses, Korean lilac, and other flowering plants, where they make a nice leafy statement. My bushes are only about 4 ft tall and have never been pruned – which I probably should do this year. Here in Canada, where winters can be unpredictably cold, wet, or windy, it is nice to have a hardy fruiting trouper in the garden that doesn’t seem to mind.
I live in southern Finland and work at a garden center. This spring when cleaning out the storage area we found several pots of jostaberry bushes that had survived the winter without any protection whatsoever. And this was no warm winter, we had -27 degrees Celsius. The plants had all survived and are now flowering beautifully! So with any luck I will be able to taste my first jostaberries this fall from the bush I took home with me!
So I don´t think you need to be too concerned about their hardiness.
I live on Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, British Columbia and purchased a Jostaberry plant at the local nursery this year.
I planted it in a gallon pot so I can move it around the garden till I find a spot that it is happy. I am curious however. The plant is growing vigorously and only has four very healthy branches but no sign of flowers. It is now May and I have no idea whether it will flower this year or not. Should I cut it back to make it into a bush. I don’t want to cut off potential flower heads.
Also I have read that they do better with more than one plant, is that true? The nursery didn’t help much there.
Experienced help would be appreciated with this plant.
My bushes are fully in berry now so I think you missed the flowering time window this year. My fruit is now almost full size, but green. I expect them to ripen in late July or August in Washington State.
They root very easily so if you want more bushes you could make a few starts from your existing one now. You just need to push cuttings into soil and they will root.
Thank you Mary, I appreciate that. I thought so as my currants are all swelling. I will clip and root the cuttings as advised.
Thanks very much for the recipe, Mary. This is coming a little late but I finally planted one and as soon as I get enough fruit I’ll try your recipe.
Thank you all!
I just went and picked my jostaberry bush and my gooseberry bush. Two cups – second year – and I topped and tailed while listening to a podcast of climate change in the Canadian arctic.
2 cups of berries,
1 cup water
Cook till mushy about 10 min
Add juice of 1 lemon
2 cups sugar
Cook another 10-15 min till it starts to thicken.
Take off heat and bottle up.
Now, I am eating the jam on bread and butter.
Delicious.!
When do I prune the branches?
We always prune ours in the Fall, and this seems to work well at least here in Nova Scotia. Our bushes were slow to fruit – nothing the first couple of years, but now in the seventh year we have a bumper crop.
And yes, birds love them. In order to deter them, we have put strings with little strips of aluminium foil on them, and this seems to keep them off.
I have not made jam yet but usually add the jostaberries to other fruits in pies and find they pair well with rhubarb, raspberries, and apples.
A friend gave me some jostaberries from her allotment – I made a delicious summer pudding combining them with red currants and also jostaberry jelly. The taste is absolutely wonderful.
Thanks for all the jostaberry advice and tips! I had not heard of these until my mother in law picked me a large tub full 2 weeks ago in Holme, West Yorkshire, UK. These are now out of the freezer and I am getting ready to make jam. I am going to try Mary Margaret Brigg’s recipe
Jostaberry grows very well in the Okanagan, British Columbia. Sweet when ripe.
Makes delicious fruit wine.
I don’t think that jostaberry jelly has been mentioned. We were in Wales near Knighton and, on a stall selling local produce, there was a jar amongst all the yellow tomatoes and courgettes.
The flavour is wonderfully delicate and it is perfect with sweet or savoury dishes.
I would plant one if only I could work out from three years of discussion if you prune it like a gooseberry or a black currant!
Some people seem to grow cordons, some grow standards, some grow large bushes.
This sounds like gooseberry, not blackcurrant.
I shall get a bush in the next few weeks and prune it like a gooseberry. I prefer cordons.
I have had jostaberries for 3 years here in north west Ireland and this is the first year I have had a good crop. The secret, no pruning. I was talking to a guy from Hungary where they are apparently grown widely and they don’t prune them at all. We shall see how big they grow.
I just got two jostaberries plants in pots so it will be interesting to see how they go here in South Australia.
We go from frost to 42 deg C
I’ve a sheltered area under shade cloth so time will tell. Your comments are great but all seem to be from colder climates.
So interesting to read the array of experiences with the good old josterberry. We have had huge successes in Southern Tasmania with both the plant and the fruit. The birds, wallabies and possums seem to leave it alone and it strikes so easily that even the dead sticks we used as markers in our veggie patch struck and have turned into lovely small bushes.
I love this fruit – it’s tangy, easy to grow and we have even discovered a variation of it that tastes a bit like fruity lemonade. Last year we had such an abundance that I made wine – that is going to be interesting/scary. The jam is great, but I would love to hear any ideas for other recipes.
Here’s an update on my Jostaberries grown as free standing cordons.
They were planted from rooted cuttings in the Spring of 2008 (see my earlier report). After a small crop in 2009 there was a bigger yield in 2010. There was also a great deal of vegetative growth so I spur pruned many of the shoots back to 3-4 inches after harvest. I’m really pleased with this way of growing, getting a good crop from a small area and having the pleasure of taming a real Goliath of a species!
What have I done with the fruit? It all got frozen and we use it mixed with other fruit in fruit compotes. I also make a Jostaberry and Red Onion Relish which is a really good accompaniment to red and white meats and goes well with cheese too.
Amazing thread!
I planted a jostaberry out of curiosity at least 3 years ago and it struggled along until this year when i cleared that bed of other unwelcome stuff. Now, while the plant seems to be thriving with new growth and lots of greenery, there’s no sign of a flower let alone a fruit. Based on this discussion I gather it’s an early summer fruiter. I shall prune this autumn – and share cuttings – then watch optimistically for more productive developments.
I love that they are so easy to propagate, making ideal unauthorised plants for public planting on the edge of the parks near me – this gives the birds their own bushes, increases local foraging and provides me with back up to my allotment bushes.
I also love their flavour straight off the bush, which means we have fewer to preserve when we get the harvest home. Maybe the variety is vital – not sure what we have since we got a stick from a friend who recommended its flavour.
I live in Northern Tasmania and have had my jostaberries a few years and have shared cuttings with my Mum at Sheffield (NW Tasmania) where they are powering away and running rings around mine. Due to better soil, I think.
I highly recommend this recipe:
Jostaberry Syrup
1,750g jostaberries (or mixed with black or red currants)
grated rind and juice of 2 oranges
1.2 litres water
approx 750g sugar
Wash fruit. Place in heavy jam pot with orange rind and juice. Pour over water. Bring to boil while stirring. Boil 1 min, crushing fruit with wooden spoon. I strain through a sieve then a doubled over muslin cloth.
Measure juice. Add 350g of sugar for every 600ml juice. Stir well until sugar dissolved, heating slightly if necessary. Pour into sterilised bottles.
Keeps better in fridge. Much nicer than black currant juice.
We have two jostaberry bushes here just outside Palmer Alaska (about 40 miles from Anchorage); they are 5 years old and about 3 ft tall. The first two years they were eaten to the ground by moose. They have had fruit the last two years not a lot but enough for their size. While they are somewhat like black currants the flavour is much milder. Have not had enough fruit to bother trying jelly jam or wine. The winters here are mid-October through to April with extended below zero periods, this doesn’t seem to hurt the plants even with limited snow cover.
They are more vigorous than the 4 gooseberries but not a match for the currants. The white, red, blacks are all larger and more productive, with 5 white, 6 red, and 5 black currants we have had more fruit than we could use or even give away, with all the bushes producing at least 1 gall and many over two. And yes they were eaten by the moose also.
I saw an article in a magazine on these berries and want to try them. Any recommendations on variety? My nursery will have to order them for me, so I may as well ask for a good one.
Love the recipes! Someday when my bush produces, I’ll have to try them!. I’m in central Ohio, zone 5b.
We have just purchased two young bare rooted josterberry plants, which I planted in pots. We live in Limerick Ireland. I will keep you posted as how we get on.
At Creswick in central Victoria, we experience drought (2009), floods (three once in a 100 year floods over the last four months), bushfires, intense heat (several 40 deg C plus days a summer) and snow usually once or twice a winter. Finding plants to tolerate this range of conditions is difficult. Forget citrus fruits for example. Jostaberries seem to be the ones to go for. Mine have been in four years. They didn’t crop until the third year. There were so many on our twelve, (note the comma) metre-high plants, that we gave away buckets of them. We made jam (an intensely flavoured delight), jelly, wine (still maturing) and have frozen several kilos.
Even though the plants were well netted the birds managed to gorge themselves. I made the mistake of putting chicken manure around them last late-winter/early- spring (August/September). They put all their energy into vigorous growth and fruited poorly. By the time I decided to net the birds had stripped the bushes. I’ve just planted another six (from cuttings) and am cutting all the low growth off them as soon as it appears, hoping to trellis them like grapes. I have also (summer) pruned six of the original twelve to get rid of the excess new growth to see what happens. Thanks for the discussion. I have enjoyed reading all the comments from all over the world.
Nearly three years ago I ordered a ‘black currant’ plant from a nursery and have just discovered that it is a jostaberry instead. At first I was disappointed that I didn’t get what was ordered, but after reading the above posts, it sounds like I got the better of the two.
Last year, there was about 1 cup of fruit, and this year there are loads of blossoms. The plant is about 3 1/2 feet tall. It was planted near the edge of a garden and gets full sun for about four hours and filtered sun for probably two additional hours.
The taste of the berries is a little strange compared to the delicious red currant planted nearby, but am anxious to try making a little jam this year. I’ll be sure to secure some netting around it.
The only fertilizer used has been ‘Spray N Grow’ and the Omaha Nebraska winter has been cold with lots of snow, but the jostaberry plant seems to be doing very well.
I grew Jostaberries for 15 years in Detroit Michigan (zone 6). They were in a mostly sunny situation. They were vigorous and never seem to be bothered by the gooseberry leaf worm that occasionally ate the leaves of my gooseberries and currants (red). They were thornless. They were the size of a large gooseberry (little smaller that Hinomaki Yellow). They had a wonderful taste, somewhere between a gooseberry and a black currant with a touch of tart. The end of the blossom you pulled off as it was a little stem like. They made very good pies and jam. However, most of the time my kids just stood around the bush and grazed on them and we only made good memories.
Update on our four year old cordon-grown Jostaberries. Very little fruit on our West Sussex Jostaberries this year after two good crops. Could be the weather conditions, but the red and blackcurrants immediately adjacent are cropping well. Anyone else suffering a poor crop this year?
John Partis: No, I have just picked a substantial crop from mine, a good bowlful from the one bush.
I stuck it in the ground into poor soil 10 years ago (2 inches of indifferent topsoil ‘lawn’ over an old cinder track/former playground), and it has grown like topsy, now about 7 ft high and cropping what looks like heavily to me.
It took a few years to establish, but the last 5 years we have had excellent crops.
My wife makes a delicious jostaberry fool (equal quantities custard and double cream with Jostaberry coulis mixed in to give an intense, rich, creamy flavour mostly of blackcurrant but with a strong underflavour of gooseberry) and a jostaberry bombe (whipped double cream and crumbled meringue pieces with jostaberry coulis folded in to give a marbled effect, then frozen: serve with some more coulis) – but it does require a lot of sugar to overcome the tartness and tannins.
Worth growing? In my useless garden (see comment on soil) – YES!
Perhaps you need to encourage tawny mining bees (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tawny_mining_bee) and similar in and around your garden. I used to get annoyed with some little volcano-like mounds on my lawn until I discovered that it was these little insects that make them, and one of the plants they specialise in tends to be currant bushes. Since I stopped persecuting the beasties I have had very good crops of both redcurrants and jostaberries.
Anyone know if is this is true? I always felt that ants were responsible for fertilizing my Ribes. They always seemed to be crawling all over the flowers. Many years they would bloom quite early (very early April) and even though we would get a frost they always produced a very nice crop.
What do the other gooseberry x black currant crosses taste like?
I believe I have a Jostaberry bush, not too sure as I was given a rooted cutting. But reading all the comments I note that they do not have thorns. Mine has very long thorns. On the other hand, they do look like a cross between a blackcurrant and a gooseberry.
Any ideas why mine should have thorns?
How about putting the Jostaberry in a food processor before cooking It makes a lovely smooth jam also it cooks quicker I usually do this.
Thanks to Della White of Tasmania for the syrup recipe – just what I was looking for. I like Margaret Dodd’s idea of a food processor but do you need to remove all the blossom ends then? That would be tedious.
I must be lucky with the climate here in western Washington state in the USA, somewhat close to Canada. My Jostaberry is in its 3rd year or 4th year, 6 feet tall and bore like mad this year, even though we had a cold, miserably wet spring. I’ve no idea what variety it is, purchased at local nursery. I’ve harvested about 3 gallons of berries this year – some the size of currants, some as large as marbles. I have made straight jelly from the juice –seems to jell up well, as one would expect, and it has an intense flavor (not to mention, a gorgeous color). I’ve created a mixed drink using the unsweetened Josta juice, lime juice, Angostura bitters, brandy and seltzer water – still needs some tweaking. So I’d say, yes, worth growing, but you might not want more than one bush. It certainly is vigorous, growing in a disorganized fashion. Pruning should help.
Three years ago I bought three plants at a local nursery. The care tag said red current berries with photos of small red cluster berries. Two of them I keep in their pots. The third was looking bad, so I planted it in the ground next to my house. It was only supposed to get to 3 ft. tall. The first summer, small berries appeared and dropped to the ground. Over the next year, the bush grew to be 4 ft. tall and produced huge berries that resembled gooseberries, but then turned black. I left them be as I wasn’t sure what they were. After some research, I concluded it might be some sort of gooseberry. This year, I finally know it’s a Jostaberry bush. The bush is up to the roof of the house (10 ft.) and there’s about 20 lbs. of fruit. We are finally enjoying them. As for the other two plants… red currents for sure. The nursery mix-up turned out to be a nice surprise, but they didn’t order Jostaberry bushes either.
We live in Gatineau Quebec and planted a Jostaberry bush about 4 years ago. It’s been a new fun experience. It was a discounted end of the season bush that I bought to have something different. It doesn’t produce much fruit but it’s been a fun little experiment. The birds don’t go after the fruit but there are never many on our bush. Thanks for all the info on the fruit and it’s taste and use. I’ll try freezing them and stewing them with the blackberries from my garden.
I too am in Washington State and close to Portland Oregon. I bought my Jostaberry from Raintree Nursery catalog a few years ago and only prune it when it gets in my way. Has about 20 pounds of fruit ready to pick today and was looking for recipes when I found this site. In the past I have added them to my red currants for jelly when I did not have enough reds. This year both have outdone themselves in quantity. My bush seems to be impervious to disease or insects, unlike my currants. And they definitely get sweeter the blacker they get.
I posted here a couple years ago about my Jostaberry bush, it still produces many berries each year and continues to grow. Each year I bend a branch into a partly buried pot cracking the stem but leaving it to nurse from the mother plant while growing roots till the following spring, then cut it loose and plant it on its own. Each year the offspring produce fruit, I’m convinced there is some kind of hormone thing retained by doing it this way. My original plant took several years to produce anything. I make jelly with using only Jostaberries and light brown sugar – it tastes awesome. Jostaberries contain GLA (gamma linoleic acid) from their black current heritage. I also like the fact that the plant has no spines and it is not invasive like black currents.
Good to know it’s not an invasive. I hope I will like the taste of the plant I’m ordering for spring.
Does anyone know if you can get a good crop of Jostaberries when they are grown in shade most of the day?
I have a couple which are growing in shade in central Minnesota. They’re only in their second spring now, so I can’t report on their productivity. They sure bud out quickly with warm weather, though.
I enclose a picture of my Great Beast, a Jostaberry (see main post). It is a twenty-two foot wide and trained as a fan, the only thing that restricts it is a large pair of secateurs. During the many years I have grown it I have only had one good crop. The space it occupies would be very adequate for two blackberries or two hybrid cane fruits. I retain it for one reason only and that is for the RHS Summer Fruit & Vegetable competition at Tatton Park, class 12:’Jostaberries or any other hybrid between gooseberry and black currants’. They slug it out with the Worcester berries for first place.
Jostas do make a reasonable jam; it is not unlike black currant and requires some water like black currant jam. Several years ago I read that they made a very good wine. Whose opinion this was I cannot remember. I can only assume that they concocted their own medicine for that is what it tasted like, all three gallons were poured on the garden!
Just planted a Jostaberry on an east facing fence – £1.99 from the corner shop in Hingham Norfolk U.K.
Will let you know how I get on. Hopefully the post will still be going when I get some fruit
I’m probably just being optimistic, but I’m going to try growing these in central Texas. I miss not having blackcurrants and the Josta sounds like it might be tough enough to survive a Texas summer, given enough watering. Worth a try anyway.
Just bought my first Jostaberry plant,though I was looking to buy a gooseberry. But the nursery didn’t have any left and only one of these; and they let me have it for half price! I couldn’t pass it up. It looks like a very big stick with just a little bit of leaves on the tips. I’m hopeful that it will be as vigorous as everyone is saying! I’m in Washington state, on the west side of the mountains. So time will tell.
I just rescued a Jostaberry plant from the local department store’s clearance sale. It looked so amazingly healthy, especially compared to all the other plants, that I had to buy it. This thread has been very helpful to me! Now to plan where to put it, if it can get to be such a beast of a plant.
I was given a couple of twigs last year by a friend in South West France. They are now rampant plants overladen with fruit!!! Easily six feet wide each by 4/5 feet high so they obviously like the climate here. Lovely to freeze and use in winter, make jam or jelly and great in pies!
I, too, am on the West side of the Cascades and I can assure you that every year we have to severely cut back our two bushes or we cannot open the garden gate. Deer leave them alone, it looks like, because some hang over the fence and are untouched. Right now they are loaded with probably about 100 pounds of fruit. They make great jams and jellies and even liqueurs. For liqueur just follow a blueberry recipe and you will have some good stuff to bottle up for holiday gifts in December. But don’t pick before the berries are almost totally black.
Windsor, Ontario Canada: I’ve had my jostaberry bushes for 5 years and they now fruit out in abundance. This year was an extremely frustrating battle with the birds, mostly (American) robins, who got about 90% of the crop. Next year I will be staking the bushes out and putting up netting.The flavour is just fantastic and this year again I will be making jelly. I usually supplement the liquor with apple juice as needed, and this produces a beautiful colour and flavour. Having solved the riddle of getting jelly to set, I usually get enough to last through the winter, and to give as Christmas gifts.
I have had Jostaberries for about 6 years. I prefer them over black currants any day. I have taken cuttings to produce more (mainly for the birds). I have cooked them with apples and red currants to make a compote to put over ice cream or just to eat as a side dish. This has become one of my favorite fruit producing bushes for my urban wildlife habitat. I, too, have pruned it into a small tree in order to mow around it, which has invigorated upper growth and given profuse fruit production.
There must be a vast difference between Jostaberries that we have here in the US and the ones many refer to in comments above. Our Jostaberries are also a cross between black currants and gooseberries. The Jostaberries I planted as twigs 3 years ago are 5 feet tall now and well branched bearing profusely a deep reddish fruit larger even than my gooseberries fruits. The taste is sweeter than the gooseberry with only a tad of the black currant musk taste to it. Excellent fruit better tasting than the gooseberries alone, and definitely much better than black currants eaten raw. Birds are not a problem here (bird netting is inexpensive) but the deer are vicious, so fencing is a must. I put some bonemeal and greensand in the holes when I planted them and they seem to love that.
A neighbor gave me three Jostaberry plants that he had started from volunteers off his Jostaberry plant; this is in Salem, Oregon. I planted them in the ground against the exterior chimney wall and spaced about 2 feet apart. The first year they doubled in size, the second year they tripled in size. I pruned them to keep them fairly close to the chimney and under some control. The plants are still growing vigorously but NO flowers or fruit at all. Could the cutting be sterile?
We inherited two large jostaberries when we moved here, Lincolnshire England, in the corner of a large fruit garden previously tended for home brewing. Also six ‘baby’ bushes in a ‘nursery’ area. Bushes are now six foot tall and have collapsed over each other but this year producing masses of berries which we covered with nylon netting to deter the wood pigeons. Perhaps fruiting well because of the excessively wet season we are having due to the position of the jet stream? Or because they have now reached maturity? Found this amazing thread when looking for advice about pruning. Have already made two jars of colourful jam – unadulterated jostaberries using my mum’s blackcurrant jam recipe (stew gently in added water before commencing jam making).
I have had jostaberry bushes for several years. Never known what to do with them, until this year, when I have made a juice drink with them. My husband cannot eat anything with skin on, or seeds in, so this is the recipe I used:
2 lbs of jostaberry rinsed in cold water. Drain, place in large dish or pan, pour 1 kettle of boiling water over. Cover, leave overnight. Sieve, sweeten with 3 tablespoons of sugar or to taste. Delicious!
My Jostaberry grows in full shade behind (and over) a 6ft fence and the house wall. It doesn’t seem to suffer from the birds – they prefer red currants whatever I do to keep them off. I live near Dover, Kent, UK, over 500ft. up, on very good soil, pH about 6.5, with low rainfall most years, Zone 6.
It crops reasonably well, but I find the biggest snags are that fruits ripen unevenly on the strigs, so picking over is tedious. When they’re fully ripe it’s almost impossible to ‘top and tail’ them without squashing them. I’m wondering if it’s easier to turn them into a purée, then sieve out the oddments; but I think that would waste a lot. On the other hand, I’ve just picked gooseberries as well and I know which is more comfortable, and Josta leaves don’t smell of cats’ pee like blackcurrants.
I think it’s worth its space, especially as hardly anything else would survive and crop there. Definitely best cooked as for either gooseberries or currants. They help to make superb summer puddings. They do freeze very well and give a ‘zing’ to stewed apples etc. in winter.
Try running them through a juicer, tops and tails and all. Beats the heck out of picking them apart one by one. You can then freeze the puree until you have enough to make a batch of something.
We have a jostaberry bush that was in the front yard when we moved in our house in 2005 in Ashcroft, British Columbia. If you pick the fruit when it’s at its full nutrient potential it is black with blue tinges. That is when it is sweetest. If you pick before then it is sour.
I planted Jostaberry stick on a small hill in the Czech Republic. The location provides early morning and afternoon exposure to the sun. As the branches started to grow, I kept cutting them off at the bottom to create a trunk of about 10”. In the autumn I pruned the plant. Next year I have no fruit, because it grows only on the branches from previous year which I have cut off. Now this plant is 4 years old and I have plenty of delicious berries loaded with Vitamin C. Every autumn I trim the branches a bit.
I am still hoping for some (any) fruit from my Jostaberry bush. I planted 3 plants 3 years age to climb up my East facing fireplace chimney and they have grown well but still have to produce any blossoms or fruit. I live in Salem, Oregon USA and I am still hoping.
I started out with one bush and in the fall, like Vera, I take new stalks, strip the leaves about 8″ and just stick them in the ground. I now have 9 very nice bushes. One, like Vera’s I have pruned into a small tree that produces like crazy. The birds love them as much as I do.
I have a two year old jostaberry bush. The first year I didn’t get any fruit. I have cut it all back for next year but will I get any fruit from it?
We have two Jostaberry plants that are now in their fourth year. They survive the extremes of summer heat here in Australia and bear heavily with very little attention. Very easy to grow from a cutting when dormant in winter. Last year we had so much fruit that we made heaps of jam and left the rest for the birds. Love the fruit.
I live in South Australia and am a sucker for buying unusual things. I bought a Jostaberry from a hardware store.The first year it grew one fruit that the birds got. Last year there were two fruits that the birds got. I will keep trying but I prefer jaboticabas
What is a Jaboticaba? Does it grow anywhere, or need specific heat/cold/water conditions? And how does it taste?
Jaboticaba is native to Brazil and I don’t know the full range of climates in which it will grow. I keep mine in a shade house because summer temperatures can be over 40 degrees and winter night temperatures only get down to low single figures. In this location I have had 5 and 6 crops per year. The fruit is approximately large grape size. The skin is black when they are ripe but must be used within 4 or 5 days or they ferment in the skin. From the time of flowering to picking is approximately 1 month. The health benefits are very promising and I don’t know why more research has not been done. My wife has used them as an antibiotic with great success. They have many more applications that have not been verified as far as I know.The flesh is pleasant to eat, the skins are tough but edible and the seeds likewise.
(For more on the Jaboticaba see the post ‘Jaboticaba -what is it?‘)
Yes it is worth growing; it makes lovely jam and is nice in apple pies.
I am about ready to spray my Jostaberry bushes with ‘Round-up’ and take them out in favor of something that will flower and bear fruit. This is the fourth year and though the bushes are VERY healthy, literally taking over the area in which they are planted they have yet to produce one flower or one berry.
So glad I found this thread. My jostaberry is 3 years old. It had lots of blooms finally this year. But, I can’t find any berries. I think they all dropped with the last frost the first of May. I have it planted in my herb garden but I think I’ll have to transplant it because it has gotten huge! It’s covering all my herbs. I was thinking it wasn’t worth keeping. Maybe I’ll prune it down and see what happens next year.
I planted my jostaberry 3 or 4 years ago, but this is the first year that I have had any fruit AT ALL. I have 3 bushes and they are taking over the East side of my house, though the few berries that I got this year were so good to eat as they ripened that I have decided to keep the bushes and hope that next year they will produce enough berries to make jostaberry jelly. I must say that I keep pruning the bushes back so they don’t take over the whole side of the house, they are vigorous growers.
I trimmed back several branches that all my herbs were uncovered. I think I’ll prune it back a little more later and find a better place for it after I think about it some more.
What a fabulous thread. I had never heard of Jostaberry until browsing a garden catalogue last year. I have planted mine in a sunny aspect in my garden here in Perthshire in Scotland, so far lots of growth, no sign of flower or fruit ….or even moose! Have just come through one of the longest winters and coldest springs for about 50 years.
My jostaberries are loaded with fruit again this year, I have them in afternoon sun about 10′ off the house wall on the west. Never fertilize them and cut back some new growth. All the fruit is on older growth. My plant is about 20 years old. If yours are too vigorous maybe you have too much nitrogen.
Wonderful to find this thread still running! I had forgotten my post of 2008, but did make the jam, thank you all for recipes. I have moved away from the allotment, but planted another jostaberry two years ago in my new sandy and chalky Sussex garden, and have just taken the first crop. It seems to be a good year for all fruit, here. The first jostaberries weighed about a kilo, and are destined for cooking today.
I too am please to see this still going. In Idaho we are faced with a severe drought and my berries have suffered as I can’t water as much as usual. However, I made cuttings last fall and transplanted them this spring as a border around my property. I now have 8 more bushes. Hopefully next year more water will be available and I can get a great harvest. Believe it or not, it has become one of my favorite fruits next to blackberries. I love the tangy bite. They make a great compote if cooked with apples or other hard fruit and put over ice cream or just eaten as a breakfast treat.
Too many comments for me to read here, so I am not sure if I am repeating what everyone else has said. We have a jostaberry bush – had it for four years. This is the first year it has produced anything like a real crop (five and a half pounds of fruit). The birds don’t seem interested so we lost none. They are not the kind of fruit you would really eat raw, but make delicious jam and pies. We have so many this year that we have also made some jostaberry wine (recipes available on Google, of course). Should you keep your jostaberry bush? Depends how stuck for space you are. They are full of Vitamin C and of course there is that novelty attraction about them when you serve anything (pies, wine, jam) containing this almost unheard of fruit.
Victor – my wife would agree with you about eating them raw. However, I love them as does my 36 year old daughter. In fact I have taken cuttings over the years and produced about 25 new starts for her and her friends. I like them in my cereal and they also are great cooked with apples and a little cinnamon in a compote either eaten alone or over ice cream. They have become one of my favourite fruits.
Try using acidic fertilizer, like blueberries, they will not produce fruit without it. Coffee grounds works for acidity around the base of the plant.
So happy to know that its worth the wait. This will be the third year for my rather oddly growing plant. The gooseberry I planted at the same time is not producing yet either but both plants look healthy. Can’t wait to make jam!
My three plants growing in Salem, Oregon are over 4 years old and just set fruit, producing a few berries, last year. I am hoping for a larger crop this year.
I ended up with about 6 cups of fruit. I am going to make jelly this year and hope for a larger crop next year.
We have one jostaberry bush in our small urban garden in Vancouver, BC. It’s been very reliable every year for a good harvest, and we haven’t had any trouble with birds (they’re too busy eating our cherries).In past years, I’ve mixed the jostaberries with other berries from our garden (boysenberries, blackberries, raspberries) to make a mixed berry jam, which is lovely. This year, I’ll try making a straight-up jostaberry jam. Should be tasty!
I grow a half standard in a 18 inch pot and a standard planted in the ground. They are three years old from cuttings and this year they have set a bumper crop on bushes about three feet across. The fruit set is very black currant like in that they are in bunches and ripen very unevenly, nevertheless well worth growing for this size of crop. Surprisingly, there is no difference in size of crop from the bush in the pot or in the ground but they are securely netted as are all my soft fruit as the squirrels and birds from the woods behind the house will strip them in a morning as I know to my cost in the past. Josterberries are the ‘Marmite’ of the soft fruits, you either love or loathe the taste. With about two kilos of fruit I now have a choice of what to do with them.
I enjoy them so much that I have propogated 6 plants from my original. My wife is not fond of the tartness but she loves my cobbler. Well worth planting… it has become one of my favorite berries, second only to black berries.
I confess I am quite envious of all your productive bushes. Here in Melbourne, Australia, my 5+ year old plant is pretty, healthy, bushy, and completely barren. The only reason I persist is the abundance I read about here. The bush faces east and north (the sunny direction downunder). This year I removed several side branches to leave 3 main ones, which I tied together in the hope of getting it to reach above the fence protecting it from the western sun.
Oh, and cuttings also seem to do brilliantly, but as friends keep taking them away, and I can never remember who took them, no idea if they get fruit.
No-one mentions position or feeding as being issues. I would be glad of some tips, maybe from someone in a temperate climate?
I live in Salem, Oregon and have written several posts complaining that my three jostaberry plants growing beside my chimney were barren. Just when I was about to kill the plants to plant something else, a large branch broke off in a wind storm, when I was removing the branch I noticed a few berries, that was the 4 year after I planted the bushes. This year I got enough berries to put up three half pint jars of jelly (really good). I am hoping for a better crop next year. Good luck and don’t give up. My plants are on the East side of the house but I did need to secure the bushes to the chimney with cable to support the size and weight of the bushes. My neighbors commented on how healthy they look, so there are other benefits beside jelly.
I do put some steer manure in the bed every year and water the plants in the summer.
Michael – I am no expert, but I have read of many people believing that fertilizer will make some plants focus on growing, to the neglect of berries. I have read on this stream that some suggest not fertilizing them at all. Maybe try skipping the fertilizer one year and see how this affects the crop? I graduated from Willamette and live in Tualatin, by the way.
Thanks Brett, I will give it a try.
I have to concur… I have never fertilized and mine produce a bunch every year. This is the 4th year of production on my 7 year old plant. However, I have three year old plants that really pushed berries this year. Mine are in full sun.
My allotment (which already has gooseberry and currant bushes) tends to throw up chance seedlings, and a bush which I had provisionally identified as a blackcurrant/ gooseberry hybrid has cropped for the first time this year, being about 3 years old. The fruit is exactly as described for the Jostaberrry, so I think I will persevere with it and even strike some cuttings.
Thanks everyone for all the fabulous information. My jostaberries have not yet fruited. They are about four years old but I have now have some hope. Do I need to prune the plants?
Our Jostaberry bush is now 3 years old, last year it was quite a low and wide bush, so we gave it a good pruning , this year it grew upwards instead of outwards and produced a few fruits , but the birds beat us to them, I will adopt the same approach this year but will net the bush to keep the birds out.
Is it also called troberry?