Kiwi

          The kiwifruit, often shortened to kiwi in many parts of the world, is the edible berry of a woody vine in the genus Actinidia.
          The most common cultivar group of kiwifruit ('Hayward') is oval, about the size of a large hen's egg (5–8 centimetres (2.0–3.1 in) in length and 4.5–5.5 centimetres (1.8–2.2 in) in diameter). It has a fibrous, dull greenish-brown skin and bright green or golden flesh with rows of tiny, black, edible seeds. The fruit has a soft texture and a sweet but unique flavor, and today is a commercial crop in several countries, such as Italy, New Zealand, Chile, Greece and France.
          Kiwifruit is native to southern China where it has been declared a National Fruit of China. Other species of Actinidia are native to India, Japan, and southeastern Siberia. Cultivation of the fuzzy kiwifruit spread from China in the early 20th century, when seeds were introduced to New Zealand by Mary Isabel Fraser, the principal of Wanganui Girls' College, who had been visiting mission schools in Yichang, China. The seeds were planted in 1906 by a Wanganui nurseryman, Alexander Allison,
with the vines first fruiting in 1910.
          The first commercial planting of Chinese gooseberries occurred in 1937 in New Zealand by the orchardist Jim MacLoughlin. The fruit proved popular with American servicemen in New Zealand during World War II. In 1952 MacLoughlin partnered with the New Zealand Fruit Federation to market and export the fruit in the United States market. Thanks to pioneering research into the transportability of the fruit by John Pilkington Hudson and others at the agriculture department in Wellington this was the first international export of the Kiwifruit.
          As the local popularity of this fruit increased, New Zealanders discarded the local Chinese name for the fruit ( yáng táo ) in favor of the name Chinese Gooseberry. After World War II it was marketed under the name "Melonette". The importer, Ziel & Co, rejected this name because melons and berries attracted high duties. Jack Turner of produce exporters Turners and Growers suggested the name "kiwifruit" around 1962 after the kiwi, New Zealand's national symbol, as the bird and the fruit share a similar appearance (small, brown and furry). Kiwifruit has since become a common name for all commercially grown fruit from the family Actinidia.
          In Chinese, the current word for most wild or local varieties of the kiwifruit is the Macaque peach. The imported varieties are often referred to as wonder fruit (qí yì guǒ) as qí yì (wonder) sounds similar to kiwi. See the table below for other Chinese words for kiwifruit.
          The genus Actinidia contains around 60 species. Though most kiwifruit are easily recognized as kiwifruit (due to basic shape) their fruit is quite variable. The skin of the fruit can vary in size, shape, hairiness, and color. The flesh can also vary in color, juiciness, texture, and taste. Some fruits are unpalatable while others taste considerably better than the majority of the commercial varieties.
          The most common kiwifruit is the Fuzzy Kiwifruit and comes from the species A. deliciosa. Other species have fruits that are commonly eaten; some examples are: Golden Kiwifruit ( A. chinensis ), Chinese Egg Gooseberry ( A. coriacea ), Baby Kiwifruit ( A. arguta ), Arctic Kiwifruit ( A. kolomikta ), Red Kiwifruit ( A. melanandra ), Silver Vine ( A. polygama ), Purple Kiwifruit ( A. purpurea ).
          Kiwifruit can be grown in most temperate climates with adequate summer heat. Where fuzzy kiwi ( A. deliciosa ) are not hardy, other species can be grown as substitutes.
          Kiwifruit is commercially grown on sturdy support structures, as it can produce several tonnes per hectare, more than the rather weak vines can support. These are generally equipped with a watering system for irrigation and frost protection in the spring.
          Kiwifruit vines require vigorous pruning, similar to that of grapevines. Fruit is borne on one-year-old and older canes, but production declines as each cane ages. Canes should be pruned off and replaced after their third year.
          The plants are normally dioecious, meaning individual plants are either male or female. Only female plants bear fruit, and only when pollenized by a male plant. One male pollenizer is required for each three to eight female vines. An exception is the cultivar 'Issai', a hybrid of Arctic Beauty and Silver Vine ( A. arguta x polygama ) from Japan, which produces perfect flowers and can self-pollinate; unfortunately it lacks vigor, is less hardy than most Arctic Beauties ( A. arguta ) and is not a large producer.
          Kiwifruit is notoriously difficult to pollinate, because the flowers are not very attractive to bees. Some producers blow collected pollen over the female flowers. Generally, the most successful approach, though, is saturation pollination, where the bee populations are made so large (by placing hives in the orchards) that bees are forced to use this flower because of intense competition for all flowers within flight distance. (From Wikipedia)


Juice recommended
- Kiwi smoothie