Unique Features: The Hinnomaki Red gooseberry is a Finnish variety that produces abundant crops (4 to 5 pounds per plant) of larger oval berries. They turn dark red when fully ripe, so you know when to pick them at their peak. And, since this gooseberry has fewer spines than most, it’s easier to pick the fruit! The fruit is among the sweetest of all gooseberries, the crisp skin has a tart, tangy flavor followed by the mellow sweetness of the flesh. If you don’t eat all the berries fresh, they’re also great for baking, canning and freezing. Gooseberries produce fruit on older canes, but not the oldest. Each year, during the dormant season, prune out the oldest and any damaged canes at ground level. Leave about 15 to 16, evenly spaced healthy canes to provide fruit for next summer. The shrub can produce for 20 years.