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Fortunately New Zealand has shared this tangy, fuzzy fruit with the rest of the world. One of the kiwi’s great advantages is that it is a great traveler: It not only ripens after harvest, but this ripening process is slow. In addition, its hairy skin provides natural protection against bruising and splitting. It’s oval shape is about 3 inches long and weighs about 4 ounces.
The flesh is so artistic! Bright green speckled with tiny black seeds adds contrasting drama to any fruit salad. With a creamy texture and refreshing sweet taste, its fragrance is a combination of strawberries, melons and bananas.
Between November and May kiwifruit is offered by California. The timing is perfect with New Zealand crops coming available between June and October.
Remember, kiwi gradually ripens after being picked. Choose semi-firm, unblemished fruit with uniform skin and must be free of mould or soft spots that yield to gentle pressure. Kiwis sweeten with age, however, if you wait too long this fruit becomes mushy and begins to ferment.
Ripen kiwi at room temperature uncovered out of direct sunlight. Refrigerate ripe (soft) fruit covered (away from other fruit) for up to two weeks.
Rinse. May be eaten with or without skin. In general, however, people tend to remove the fuzzy skin by peeling. Slice, cut into chunks or eat whole.
Cutting lengthwise (end to end) will create a longer, artistic design with the flesh, whereas cutting side to side will result in unique star shapes.
It’s simple to entice appetites with this eye-catching fruit:
A Few Quick Serving Ideas
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Slice the fruit to make snacks and fruit platters, or beautiful garnishes on cakes, cocktails, cheese plates, and breakfast cereals.
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For a delicious, vitamin C-packed treat, cut the fruit into chunks, mix with strawberries, orange pieces, and other fruit. Let the fruit bowl stand for an hour to blend juices, stir, and serve.
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Eat like a grapefruit or boiled egg: Remove one end and then use a spoon (a grapefruit spoon if you have one) all around the inside edge to free it from the skin and slip it out.
Cooking Tip
Cooking kiwi fruit is not recommended, although they can be blended into sauces or soups.
Considered to be one of the top 10 most nutritious fruits. This is no surprise once you learn that kiwi contains more vitamin C than the same sized orange! Even more nutrition abounds with a good dose of folate, potassium, and vitamins E. Loaded with antioxidant polyphenol, a kiwi a day may help lower triglyceride levels (thwarting arterial plaque build-up which usually results in heart disease), as well as protect against cancer, diabetes and can even help us look younger!
Kiwi (raw), 1 medium (76g)
Calories: 46
Protein: 0.75g
Carbohydrate: 11.3g
Total Fat: 0.33g
Fibre: 2.6g
*Excellent source of: Vitamin C (74.5mg)
*Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value. Foods that are a “good source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the Recommended Daily Value
OF INTEREST
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This is news! Originally known as Chinese Gooseberry, the kiwi fruit wasn’t even introduced to New Zealand until 1906, when James McGregor brought home some Chinese gooseberry seeds from his travels in the Far East. The acidic soil conditions of New Zealand’s North Island were ideal, plus the locals were quick to appreciate the exotic fruit. Commercial growth for European exporting began after the Second World War. However, the fruit did not do well in Europe until this ‘Chinese Gooseberry’ – with its Communist implications – was renamed ‘Kiwi fruit’.
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The fruit is now cultivated around the world.