The Kiwifruit
Created | Updated Apr 17, 2008
Throughout this entry the term Kiwifruit(Actinidia chinensis)will be used as the New Zealand Maori word Kiwi can refer to the fruit, the animal and to those living in New Zealand. Kiwifruit are small, brown and hairy. They contain a green inside and black pips, which can be reached by peeling the kiwi open or using a kiwifruit spoon.
History
The kiwifruit vine first grew around trees in the Yang-tse river valley in China, where they called the fruit "Yangtao". The great Khans considered it to be a delicacy due to its strange colour and nice flavour.
The fruit was spread to the UK and other countries in the form of its seeds in the 19th Century. It was shipped to the USA in 1904 and New Zealand in 1906. The Americans called this variety the "kiwi" after the national bird of New Zealand.
The Kiwifruit was primarily called the 'Chinese Gooseberry', but due to the fact that the people of New Zealand called any Actinidia chinensis fruits 'Chinese Gooseberry', the fruit was marketed (since 1959)internationally as the kiwifruit.
Grow Your Own
Imagine the scene of a kiwifruit vine reaching out to absorb the delicate rays of the sun across a trellis. Little wind affecting them so as not to snap off their new growth and little shade so that they get as much sun as they want. When planting the kiwifruit in soil make sure that the soil is well drained but rich in organic matter. Kiwifruit vines love nitrogen and will absorb a lot of it during the start of the growing season, so be sure not to make the soil too basic. Later on the kiwifruit vine has less of a desire to take on nitrogen as it does not store properly. As the growing season takes place make sure the plant has plenty of water. Most plants die from not being watered properly and the last thing people want to eat are sagging kiwifruit.
Kiwifruits should be pruned in the winter and specially pruned and trained to produce good crops. When they are planted the vines should be cut back to 4 or 5 buds. From these a main stem should be chosen to grow to the top of the trellis1 which will support it. Once the main stem has grown that high and ended in a "pig-tail" it is cut behind the entanglement and a new shoot is allowed to grow from a leaf base. Over the years many roots will grow from the lateral mainline ad each lateral cane will send out a new shoot about 1/3 of the way from its own starting point. The next winter, prune off the older cane at the point that it connects with last summers new shoot. Repeat this every year.
When growing kiwifruit it is important to take into account that a vine has male and female parts as there needs to be one of each in order to get fruit. Up to 8 females can be pollinated by one male. Using the 1.8 ratio allows for a 3-by-3 'grid' pattern, with one male (non-fruit-producing) plant being surrounded by 8 females.
Propagation: Seeds from store bought fruit may be planted in the spring. This should be done in a fine, somewhat sandy planter mix which is kept moist but not soaking wet. Seed germinates in 4 to 5 weeks. Plants raised this way will need to be grafted the following season to produce better, known sex, plants. Nursery bought plants are usually either grafted or cutting grown. Both types have their own attributes. One slight advantage of the cutting grown plants would be advantageous to growers in areas that experience winter freeze problems. If a plant is killed to the ground, a cutting grown plant that survives will regrow from the roots and thus maintain its known characteristics. Otherwise, either type is acceptable to backyard growers.
Kiwifruit are usually harvested around October to November time, but this depends on the cultivar grown and the environment it has grown up in. Once, harvested they should be stored in cool dry areas such as a refrigerator and when needed ripened on the counter for a few days in a plastic bag. Kiwifruit can last up to several months if stored correctly.
Pests/Diseases
Kiwifruit are not known to have many pests and diseases which affect them. Possibly due to the fact very few are planted. However, they sometimes have to put up with the pest many adore and know as the cat, which think the kiwifruit is catnip. Garden snails also cause problems for the kiwifruit, especially the younger plants. While deer and gophers have been known to attack the kiwifruit's roots.
Kiwifruit in New Zealand are well known for requiring very little pesticide intervention. There is a large certified organic kiwifruit industry here because of this.
Choosing Kiwis
It is important that when you choose a kiwifruit to eat it is soft to the touch and plump. Avoid fruit which has wrinkles and abrasians. If you find that the kiwifruit is a little hard place it near apples, bananas and pears that will ripen the kiwi quicker as they give off ethylene
How to eat a kiwi
Obtain Kiwifruit from nearest grocery store or fruit bowl.Then cut a small portion off the top of the kiwifruit, as if you were cutting a soft boiled egg. Hollow out the kiwifruit with your choice of silverware. A plastic spork works particularily well. (for more on the spork, type in "Spork" at the search box.)Eat the parts of the kiwifruit you have just taken out of the skin.
Leftovers
A fun thing to do with the kiwifruit part that is left over is to draw eyes, nose, and mouth on the skin of the kiwifruit with white out. Gather Leaves and place them in the kiwifruit, like hair. (for more on Leaves, type leaves into the search box)Give Kiwifruit a name.
Benefits
Kiwifruit contain ten times more vitamin C than lemons, as well as containing vitamin E. Kiwifruit are also high in fibre, the important part of your diet which bulks out your food so that you don't have diarrhoea. Kiwifruit are completely free of fat, salt and cholesterol.
The Kiwi Spoon
The kiwifruit spoon is an implement used for the eating of kiwifruits, commonly known as kiwifruit. It is a spoon with the cutting edge of a knife cleverly added somewhere on it, and is usually made of green plastic.
The knife is used to cut open the kiwifruit into two perfect halves, leaving a very small piece of kiwifruit skin connecting the two. This produces a user friendly kiwifruit which has a similar struture to two yoghurt pots still joined together at the top. The spoon is then used to eat the kiwifruit. The whole process is very easy to perform, and is best done using ripe kiwifruit.
Types of Kiwifruit Spoon
There are two main types of kiwi spoon - head-knife kiwifruit spoons and handle-knife kiwifruit spoons. The former has a sharp edge on one side of the head which acts as the knife, whereas the latter has a serrated handle.
The advantages of the head-knife kiwifruit spoon are that you can eat puddings with them very easily, and the handle stays clean as it does not have to touch the kiwifruit. The disadvantage is that the sharp edge must enter your mouth as well as the kiwifruit, and so must not be too sharp.
The advantages of the handle-knife spoon are that you don't put the knife in your mouth, and that the knife is bigger. The disadvantages are that it gets messy, and that it still can't be that sharp, as you have to hold it while you eat.
