Gooseberry Cake
Source: Joyce MacPherson, MUN Botanical Garden Cookbook.

Marie Wadden, a network producer for CBC Radio in Newfoundland and Labrador has been a member of the Veggie Coop for many years. She reminded us at the recent pick-Veggie Coop pick-up that we had provided the Gooseberry Cake recipe from the Botanical Garden Cookbook, many years ago. She says this is easy to make, is her favourite and e-mailed it as a reminder. We found it among the collection developed over the years, but it is important to acknowledge that it was re-introduced by Marie and the source is Joyce MacPherson, a “Friend of the Garden.” The beauty of this recipe is that it is layered, like a flan or crumble so mixing is kept to a minimum. Marie says she does “tail” the gooseberries.

Cake Base
1 / 2 Cup Butter or Margarine
l / 2 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Cup Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
Cream butter with sugar. Mix eggs with vanilla. Sift flour with baking powder. Add egg mixture to creamed mixture, a little at a time, adding a little of the flour with the last addition of the egg. Gently fold in the remaining flour with enough milk to make a soft batter. ( Marie writes, “When in a hurry, I’ve simply mixed the wet ingredients first, then added the dry without disastrous results.”) Spread cake base into the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch round or square cake pan. Cover with 2-3 cups fresh gooseberries. Top with crumble topping.

Crumble Topping
2/3 Cup Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
l / 3 Cup Sugar
l/ 3 Cup Butter or Margarine
Sift flour, baking powder and sugar. With a pastry blender cut in butter until it is like break crumbs. Sprinkle over gooseberries. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour, a little less for a square pan.

About The Cookbooks:
There are four cookbooks now available, Vegetables, Preserves, Berries and Herbs at the Botanical Garden Gift Shop on Mt. Scio Road, St. John’s. They are developed by the Friends of the Garden as a fund raising activity. Cost: $5.99 each or $19.99/ set. For more information, phone the Gift Shop: 737-8590 or Google: MUN Botanical Gardens.

About Marie Wadden.
Marie recently published, Where The Pavement Ends, Douglas & McIntyre, Ltd. 2008, which describes the tragedy among abroginal families across Canada as a result of years of neglect, socially and politically. The inside cover reads, “Roads leading nowhere describes many institutional healing efforts, and despite the successes of a vital Aboriginal healing movement hat is recognized worldwide, rates of suicide, poverty, addiction and chronic diseases in many communities seem to be escalating.”

This book also describes programs and healing activities and the personal stories of peoples who have made it to the other side of very difficult, personal journeys. Mary Walsh, writes that “this book sends a message of alarm but also of hope about the contemporary reality of Aboriginal peoples” in Canada. As peoples who live in Canada and this province, we need to become more informed and more concerned about these issues that touch the lives of all of us, in one way or another. Marie’s book is a good place to start to bring us up to date.

Melba Rabinowitz, August 2008.