Is this gooseberry?

lambertiana

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Jul 7, 2000
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On my hike out of Mineral King today, I saw a lot of this:
P9200116.jpg


Is this gooseberry? There was a huge amount of it, and if this is edible it would make a great food source in a pinch. I'm no expert, but to my eye this looks like it.
 
I believe they are wild currants- related to gooseberry, but actually better to some folks.
 
Gooseberry, if I'm thinking of the correct plant, is very thorny and tends to grow in places I like to hike and hunt.
 
I agree with Horse. They look like currants--which by the way, are very good, too. Currant jam? Currant pie? Or--throw a cup of them into a blender with two cups ice cream and a half cup of milk. Interesting milkshake.
 
Yes, it's a gooseberry - or currant! Both are members of the genus Ribes, and both berries are edible. Flavor varies quite a bit. The distinction between gooseberries and currants is that gooseberries have prickles on either the berries or the branches, and currants don't - but otherwise, they are the same critter!

BTW, there are a number of Ribes species in the Sierra - and they are all edible.
 
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