In the 1920s, New Yorkers grew 2,700 acres of gooseberries. These days, they are a fairly rare sight, even at farmers markets. In part, that’s because growing gooseberries used to be illegal in New York State. The law was enacted in the early 1900s to prevent the spread of white pine blister rust. The federal version of the law was rescinded in 1966, and New York eventually followed suit in 2003.