Vegitables and Fruits

8/8/2019 Vegitables and Fruits

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The Kiwifruit plant belongs to the family Actinidia. Althoughthere are around 400 varieties, the ones most widely grown forcommercial fruiting purposes are A. deliciosa, which has a greenflesh and more recently, A. Chinensis also known as the Golden

Kiwi or Chinabelle, which has a yellow flesh and is sweeter andless acidic than the green variety. Both these varieties are aboutthe size of a large chickens egg and are oval with a downygreenish-brown edible skin. When ripe the flesh is soft with rowsof tiny black seeds, which are also edible. The flavour can bedescribed as a cross between strawberries, bananas and pineapple

and the fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. Kiwifruit is high inantioxidant vitamin C and a good source of fibre, vitamin E andpotassium. It also contains folate, copper, vitamin E and lutein.


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The Kiwifruit is indigenous to southeast Asia. Thevines can be found growing wild on the edges offorests near to China's Yangtze Valley, and reach

heights of 30 feet or more, and the fruit has beenknown to the inhabitants of China since ancient timesalthough during our research, we have come acrossdescriptions ranging from were not well liked as ageneral food to .considered a delicacy by the Court

of the great Khans to used to make a tonic forwomen after childbirth. Perhaps it depended on

exactly where or who one was.


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The West was introduced to this fruit relativelylate on in history and it wasnt until the 19th

century that samples of both the fruit and seedswere sent to England and c1905 plant cuttingswere taken to the United States and seeds sent toNew Zealand where the fruit was renamed the"Chinese Gooseberry" where the fruit started to beproduced commercially c1940. By the early 1960sNew Zealand was exporting crops to the UnitedStates where it was re-named Kiwifruit after NewZealand's national bird the "kiwi."


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By the 1970s it was commercially grown inCalifornia and available for the first time in

supermarkets throughout the country. It wasalso about this time that nouvelle cuisinestarted taking its hold worldwide at whichpoint the kiwifruit gained great popularity as

the darling of the new eating craze,especially as a garnish.


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Today Kiwifruit is available worldwide and iscommercially grown is several countriesincluding Australia, Chile, France, Greece,Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the USA.


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Kiwifruit can be grown in most temperateclimates so long as adequate summer heatoccurs. Commercially grown vines generallycrop in the fourth season with full production

being reached in 8 to 12 years. Dormant plantsobtained from a nursery can be planted outduring the spring after the danger of frost andshould be planted to the same depth as the

plants grew in the nursery.


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After planting, prune the plant back to onesingle, healthy shoot 6 to 12 inches long.

Kiwifruit plants are normally male or female.The female plants bear the fruit but a maleplant is necessary in order for pollination totake place. In general you need one male plant

for three to eight females. Although it is nowpossible to get self pollinators, their vigour isgenerally inferior, producing much fewer fruit.


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As Kiwifruit is difficult to pollinate, some

producers collect male pollen and then blow itover the female flowers however more oftensaturation pollination is the preferred method.This is where bee populations are over boosted

by placing lots of hives in the orchards. Thebees are therefore forced to use kiwifruitflowers which they usually find unattractivedue to the fierce competition for all flowers

within flight distance.


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It is best to buy firm kiwifruit and allow themripen at home f. A kiwifruit is ripe whenplump and slightly soft to the touch with a

fragrant smell. Choose kiwifruit with nobruises or soft spots and avoid fruit withwrinkles or signs of exterior damage.


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Store unripe fruit at room temperature until theskin indents slightly when touched. It normally

takes 3 to 5 days to ripen kiwis at roomtemperature although to can hasten ripeningby placing the fruit in a paper bag with anapple or banana. Ripe kiwis can be kept in the

refrigerator for up to three weeks. Place themin a plastic bag to help reduce moisture loss.


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Freezing kiwifruit doesnt impair either theflavour or colour and is therefore an excellent

idea when you have lots of fruit available. Alsoit does NOT inactivate the enzymes whichbreak down protein (see below for full details).They can be frozen whole, sliced or crushed.

Choose fully ripe fruit. Sliced fruit freezes andthaws very well making them ideal to use as agarnish. Simply place individual slices on abaking sheet and freeze until solid then store in

freezer proof bags. Alternatively, cover with asugar syrup before freezing in rigid containers.


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As mentioned above, Kiwifruit are a relativelynew ingredient in most western cuisines. Evenin its native China, it doesnt seem to bewidely mentioned. However, with the advent

of Nouvelle Cuisine plus improved cultivationand transport methods, most of us can nowbuy kiwifruit throughout the year.


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Due to the enzyme called Actinidin, Kiwifruitit a natural meat tenderizer and cooks have

therefore utilised it in savoury as well as sweetrecipes. It works by breaking down the protein.The most simple way is to just cut in half ormash the flesh, rub it over meat, and leave to

stand for at least 15 minutes but do notmarinate for more than 30-40 minutes.


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It should be remembered that this enzyme also

breaks down protein in other foods such asgelatine and dairy products so when it iscombined with ice cream, yogurt, or sourcream, it's best to consume it relatively quickly.

Cooking halts the protein break-down process.Avoid using raw kiwifruit in dishes containinggelatine as it will impair the setting qualities.


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Vegitables and Fruits

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