Gooseberries - when to pick

[size6feet]

I have some nice gooseberries this year. They seem to be turning transparent? Are they ready for picking yet and do I select ripe, soft ones or take them all off in one go?

Would also appreciate some ideas on how to use them up please. I just have the one plant. TIA.

taste one of the larger more transparent ones, they sound about ready. ours have finished fruiting already.

Give them a squeeze, that tells it all really. Sadly today, we found some massive fruit on the ground with peck holes in them .

depends on variety. we have some great big green ones for cooking which i should go out and harvest right now [lazy cow emoticon] and some smaller ones which go a sort of pink (they're delicious) and i reckon about another ten days before they're ready. if they are ripe they should have just a little give when you squeeze them.

Red - I tasted a large one - its very nice, not at all bitter as I expected.

Chatelaine - I have a cat which might explain why none of mine has been touched.

Stripey - I dont know the variety. The plant was here when I moved in. They are lovely and sweet.

Earlier in the year I took off the lower growths and just kept the shoots that were growing upwards, starting from about 9" from the ground. The fruit has been so much easier to get at with all those thorns.