Kiwifruit stars in fruit salad and is also great in smoothies, salsas and marinades.
There are few things more highly anticipated than the first ripe strawberry of spring or a crisp fall apple, just days off the tree. In our Market Fresh series we look at the produce in season this month and offer quick and easy suggestions for how to enjoy it.
The Chinese loved it for its bright green hue nearly 700 years ago. New Zealanders changed the name from Chinese gooseberry to kiwifruit after their beloved national bird. And once it hit American crops and supermarkets in the 1970s, the country fell for its unique, sweet-yet-tart taste. Forty years later, Americans are still smitten.
Do it for your health
At just 56 calories per one large fruit, kiwifruit is a nutritional superstar.
Kiwifruit is packed with vitamin C and potassium — giving oranges and bananas a run for their money. It's a good source of fiber and lutein (a carotenoid thought to benefit eye health). Kiwifruit also contains vitamin E, an antioxidant most typically found in high-fat foods like oil and nuts. And for all that nutrition, one serving contains no saturated fat, cholesterol and a tiny amount of sodium.
Selection, preparation and storage
Kiwifruit is grown in California during the winter months and New Zealand and Chile in the summer months, making it available year-round. A ready-to-eat kiwifruit will be fragrant, plump and slightly soft to the touch. If a kiwifruit is still too firm in the grocery store, it will ripen once you bring it home. (For rapid ripening, place it in a brown paper bag with an apple or pear — the ethylene gas produced by these fruits will speed up the ripening process.)
Avoid choosing kiwifruit that appears wrinkled, bruised or damaged. Kiwifruit may be stored at room temperature for up to five days to ripen. Ripe fruit should be stored in the refrigerator in a plastic bag, which will help reduce moisture loss and retain freshness for up to two weeks.
Kiwifruit skin is edible (really!) once it is washed. An egg slicer can make perfectly symmetrical kiwifruit rounds. If you can't get past the brown fuzzy exterior, just chop both ends off and peel the kiwifruit in a downward motion with a vegetable peeler. Another popular (and fun) method: slice a kiwifruit in half and scoop out the juicy flesh with a small spoon.
How to use kiwifruit
- Add it, along with strawberry chunks, to oatmeal, cold cereal, brown rice or couscous.
- Mix kiwifruit chunks into chicken, turkey or shrimp salad for a sweet and savory sandwich filler.
- Top low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese, yogurt or ice cream with kiwifruit slices.
- Marinate chicken breasts in mashed kiwifruit for about 20 minutes for juicy poultry. It contains enzymes that are natural meat tenderizers.
- Place 1 peeled, chopped kiwifruit, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries and 1/2 cup fat-free yogurt in a blender for a delicious smoothie.
- Toss mixed greens with grilled chicken, kiwifruit slices, fat-free feta cheese, olive oil and white wine vinegar for a refreshing salad.
- Top pancakes or French toast with kiwifruit slices.
- Add it to fruit salsas or chutneys, and serve as an accompaniment to fish dishes.
For more recipe suggestions check out the links below:
No Bake Fresh Fruit Tart
Kiwi-Berry Pavlova
Papaya Salsa
Kiwi-Berry Ice Pops