Pic Today 9/13/12

GOOSEBERRIES

COME ALREADY WRAPPED

It's gooseberry season.

And if you haven't tried these tangy sweet "berries",

you're in for a treat.

The cape gooseberry is native to America,

but now a favorite in Colombia and Asia.

It looks like a small tomatillo,

and although in the tomato family,

gooseberries are sweet and consumed as fruit.

They're great in salads, and delicious

when mixed with kiwi and watermelon.

Here's an easy recipe for gooseberry jam

(if you can find these gems at your farmer's market):

Peel 4 cups of gooseberries (discard the husks);

heat in a sauce pan with 1/2 cup sugar,

3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, and

the scraped inside seeds of 1 vanilla pod.

Simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve on toast . . .

over vanilla ice cream . . .

or with a dollop of crème fraiche.

Their tangy-sweet goodness is addictive!