Jostaberry

What do you get when you cross a blackcurrant with a gooseberry?

Something that looks like an oversized blackcurrant but tastes surprisingly much like a gooseberry.

And it's actually fantastic.

Jostaberries can be rather confusing the first time you encounter them. They are dark, almost black and considerably larger than blackcurrants, so your brain has already decided what they should taste like before the berry reaches your mouth.

Then comes the surprise.

The flavour is fresh, tart and fruity, combining characteristics of both blackcurrants and gooseberries – although in ours, the gooseberry character definitely makes itself known first. The variety we grow is Josta, the classic and most widely known jostaberry.

And the productivity?

Completely ridiculous.

The bushes can produce enormous quantities of fruit, and over the years we have realised that we simply planted far too much Josta. Even after harvesting and selling what we can, there are years when plenty still ends up on the ground.

A luxury problem, perhaps, but still a problem. :D

Jostaberries are rich in vitamin C and have become an important ingredient in our mixed fruit cups. They're perfect for the job: large, dark berries that look like blackcurrants but give customers a completely different flavour experience than expected.

And that's half the fun.

- Josta – the classic and most widely known jostaberry
- A cross between blackcurrant and gooseberry
- Large, dark berries that look like oversized blackcurrants
- Fresh and tart with a distinct gooseberry character
- Exceptionally productive – almost ridiculous quantities of fruit
- So productive that we have simply planted too much
- Rich in vitamin C
- An important and popular ingredient in our mixed fruit cups
- A berry that surprises most people the first time they taste it