Hi, good to see you. I take it you have come to find out more about us? We kiwifruit may look like a fuzzy brown egg on the outside but inside our sweet bright green, golden yellow or red flesh is just delicious. We can even make your mouth tingle and are packed with vitamin C. If you haven’t tried us, you must!
Some people think we're from New Zealand, and probably the ones you eat are grown there, but we come from China where we've been growing for centuries. We’re a member of the berry family and were given the name kiwifruit by New Zealand growers. This is the name we're known by in Australia.
Availability
We're available almost all year round but are in the best supply from March through to July. The Australian season occurs between March and July. Year-round availability is made possible through imports, predominantly from New Zealand and Europe.
Did you know?
Varieties
We’re sold by the colour of our flesh, not variety.
Green Kiwifruit
We’re the original type of kiwifruit and the one that you see the most often. We look a bit different from other fruits because we have fuzzy brown skin on the outside. But when you cut us open, you'll find something really cool inside.
Inside the kiwifruit, the part that you eat is called the flesh. The flesh is bright green! When you take a bite of a kiwifruit, you'll notice that it has a slightly tangy taste. That means it's a little bit sour but in a nice way.
Now, here's something really interesting about kiwifruit. If you look at the centre of the fruit, where the flesh is, you'll see a special pattern. The small black edible seeds are arranged in a star shape.
Gold Kiwifruit
Gold kiwifruit is a newer and sweeter variety of the kiwifruit family. It has golden-yellow flesh and a honey-like flavour. It has fewer seeds and thinner smoother skin that is less hairy than other kiwifruit. They also taste best when eaten a bit firmer.
Red Kiwifruit
Red kiwifruit is a special kind of kiwifruit that has a surprising colour inside. When you cut it open, instead of seeing green, you'll find a vibrant reddish centre colour and a pinkish-toned flesh that looks really cool! It's like a delicious, sweet surprise waiting for you. The taste is similar to the regular green kiwifruit, but it has a slightly different flavour that most people really love.
Why Kiwifruits are Good To Eat
How They are Grown and Harvested
Our parent plant is a vigorous climber which loses its leaves in winter. It needs to be supported on poles and climbs by twisting around them. It can grow to 10 metres if not pruned and will produce fruit for up to 30 years, but requires a cold winter to ensure a large amount of good quality fruit.
Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants, making it necessary to have one of each sex for successful fruit production. We're picked by hand to avoid damage.
Choosing Kiwifruit
Select those of us who are plump, large and oval with undamaged skin. We are ripe and ready to eat when we feel just soft when gently pressed.
How to Keep Kiwifruit
Ripen us in a fruit bowl on your kitchen bench. When ripe, store us in your fridge away from other fruit for up to 1 a week.
Prime Growing Areas
Kiwifruit production occurs predominantly in the southern states of Australia,
History of Kiwifruit
We grow naturally in China in the forests of the Yangtze River Valley and were known as Chinese gooseberries. However, we've been grown in other countries since the start of this century, but the greatest development occurred in New Zealand where growers obtained plants and were able to develop us commercially. To assist in marketing our name was changed to kiwifruit.
Fun Ways to Eat and Cook Kiwifruit
We're fuzzy little creatures, some with more fuzz than others. If very hairy, you can rub us with a cloth before cutting or peeling so the hairs do not go all over our flesh.
We can become bitter if cooked, so it's best to cut in half and eat straight from the shell or peel and slice.
Cut us in half and eat the flesh with a teaspoon or peel and slice.
Add chopped kiwifruit to your fruit salad or fruit salsa.
Peel then slice kiwifruit and serve on your breakfast cereal or porridge.
Kiwifruit can be used to marinate meat like pork or chicken. The acid in kiwifruit helps to tenderise the meat.
Serve kiwifruit and strawberries on a pavlova with freshly whipped cream.
Try some of these quick and easy kiwifruit recipes from Sydney Markets;
FRUIT SKEWERS WITH BUTTERSCOTCH DIP
FRESH FRUITS WITH DATE, PECAN & HONEY YOGHURT
SPICY KIWIFRUIT SALSA WITH FIVE SPICE CHICKEN