The black fruits of the jostaberry taste tart-sweet. The skin is leathery and firm and somewhat bitter, the flesh juicy and jelly-like. The berries ripen gradually in summer, hanging tightly on the thornless bush during all stages of ripening. The harvest can be abundant in good summers. The reddish-brown, small flowers have a rather unpleasant smell.

The jostaberry goes back to a cross between the blackcurrant and the gooseberry, hence its name (from german “Johannisbeere” and “Stachelbeere”). In the early to mid 20th century, the aim was to cultivate a mildew-resistant variety. In fact, the plant shows good resistance to many plant diseases.

The black, round berries with white little hairs are best eaten fresh as soft fruit, but they are of course also suitable for making jam, jelly, juice and liqueur.

• Edible fruits
• Type of fruit berry
• Culinary Group soft fruits
• Taste sweet
• Trivial Names Jostabeere, Josta, Jochelbeere, Joglbeere, Rigatze, jostaberry, casseille, caseille, jostabes
• Size 1 cm
• Taxonomy Grossulariaceae Ribes × nidigrolaria
• Origin Europe (cultivar from Germany) (Map)
• Locality (fruits) Gewächshaus für tropische Nutzpflanzen Witzenhausen (KASSE) 2019
• Locality (flowers) Palmengarten Frankfurt 2021