Five forgotten summer berries

The sight of summer berries creeping into our hedgerows is a bittersweet affair. On the one hand it marks the start of a season in which even urbanites are persuaded to don a pair of fingerless gloves and dip into nature’s bounty. On the other, it’s a premature warning that autumn is on its way; Mother Nature’s equivalent to the person that says, “Ooh, the nights are drawing in now” when it’s still only bloody August!

Nonetheless, I don’t know of anyone that does not benefit from a ritualistic picking of blackberries at least once a year, especially when it results in a heart-warmingly tasty crumble. But to take just blackberries from a season in which many other berries also bloom seems a real waste.

Here is a guide to five forgotten berries that come into season over the summer months.

I like to think gooseberries have a taste to match their current fortunes: sour. Because while strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are still widely enjoyed, gooseberries have rather fallen down the pecking order in recent times.

One suspects this is largely because they are wincingly sour - particularly early season. But in the right context - as a counter to mackerel or duck, perhaps – its biggest flaw becomes its biggest strength. It soars in desserts – use in a posset, fool, ice cream or, as immortalised in Simon Armitage’s gooseberry season poem, to make a zippy sorbet.

For more advanced options, try macerating gooseberries in a white spirit like gin or vodka to deepen their flavour. One of the best desserts I have ever had was at The Star Inn, Harome, where Andrew Pern garlanded a rice pudding with gin-macerated gooseberries.

Season: Earlier than most berries: from June to August.

Appearance: Slightly plumper and rounder than green grapes with a veiny skin.

Redcurrants actually belong to the same family as gooseberries and share their sharp flavour. You will need to sweeten with a little sugar before eating one raw.

As gooseberries have found a loving partner in mackerel, redcurrants share the same attachment to grouse – a prime example of Mother Nature playing matchmaker. Yet they could also work alongside most other gamey meats, such as duck, venison and pigeon.

Their bright red appearance often determines that they are used for decoration, but to do so would be to grossly undersell them. A high pectin content means they are well suited to converting into jam, while the fruit also lends itself well to many desserts, vinaigrettes and sauces.

Season: July - September.

Appearance: Small, plump red berries.