To Keep Gooseberries

Ingredients

• gooseberries
• coarse sea salt (formerly 'bay salt')
• water

Directions

1. Gather gooseberries before they become too large, taking care not to cut them while removing the stalks and buds.

2. Fill wide-mouthed bottles with the gooseberries and cork them loosely.

3. Place the bottles upright in a boiler of water.

4. When the fruit looks scalded, remove the bottles and let them cool completely.

5. Once cold, cork the bottles tightly and seal the tops with rosin.

6. Dig a trench in a less used part of the garden deep enough to stand the bottles upright, covering them with 18 inches of earth.

7. In frost, add fresh stable litter to prevent the ground from hardening, making it easier to dig up the fruit.