Cute fruit..the Kiwi Berry.

[Rascal]

Yes, "Chinese Gooseberries" in GB when I first had one in the 1950s. Our greengrocer knew my mother's penchant for trying new things and used to throw the odd free "newbie" into the box of fruit and veg she ordered every week. (The avocado he sent once didn't go down well at all - I now realise that it wasn't ripe enough!).

Kiwi's are available all year round in UK. Apparently they are prized for their "keeping" abilities so travel well. Not expensive either - the ones I bought last week were 4 for a £1 ($1.30-ish) so 5 "bob" each (ie 25pence in modern British parlance). Mind you they were labelled "Produce of Italy" so not exactly "Kiwi".


Very rich in vitamin C. Possible health benefits are said to include maintaining healthy skin tone & texture, reducing blood pressure and preventing heart disease & stroke. No wonder New Zealanders look so healthy!

The funny thing is as I said I grew up with them called Chinese gooseberries. About 15 years ago Chinese came here and stole some kiwi fruit seedlings and smuggled them out of our country and started their own business selling them. The price plummeted but has come back again with the new varieties.

Russ

 

[larry_stewart]

I actually grow these. They are like weeds. Not sure where they are native to, but they sure like the climate on Long Island, NY. Needs M and F plant. I have 1 M, 2 F. The vines have latched onto, and have grown the height of the adjacent 40 + foot Oak tree. I tried pruning it and keeping it to a pickable height, but my laziness and the plants aggressive growing powers have left me in the dust. They are ripe about now, but about 20 feet off the ground. They actually ripen as the temps get cooler or even frost. I usually manage to get a bunch to eat, but the majority just rot on the vine about 30 + feet up. The squirrels and birds haven't figured out what they are yet, so I usually get a decent amount of untouched fruit. MY regular kiwi vines have started to produce ( i think i got 3 of them this year). I have seen them in the stores but not frequently, and usually the specialty stores.

 

[buckytom]

The young, intertwined leaves can't wait for breezy days.

 

[Rascal]

Larry, you may have to buy a ladder.lol. Kiwi are grown in the north island here, I havnt heard of them in the south where I live. Although I'm having a go ar growing water melons this year. 4 seeds have grown into plants, so we shall see what happens.

Russ

 

[caseydog]

I actually grow these. They are like weeds. Not sure where they are native to, but they sure like the climate on Long Island, NY. Needs M and F plant. I have 1 M, 2 F. The vines have latched onto, and have grown the height of the adjacent 40 + foot Oak tree. I tried pruning it and keeping it to a pickable height, but my laziness and the plants aggressive growing powers have left me in the dust. They are ripe about now, but about 20 feet off the ground. They actually ripen as the temps get cooler or even frost. I usually manage to get a bunch to eat, but the majority just rot on the vine about 30 + feet up. The squirrels and birds haven't figured out what they are yet, so I usually get a decent amount of untouched fruit. MY regular kiwi vines have started to produce ( i think i got 3 of them this year). I have seen them in the stores but not frequently, and usually the specialty stores.

When the critters do get a taste for them, they are only going to want the ones that you can reach. You do know that, right?

CD

 

[Kayelle]

Velly interesting...Chinese Gooseberries huh? Yep, it's a good marketing ploy to call them Kiwi berries, as everyone knows how pretty the inside of a Kiwi is. Chinese Gooseberries is non descriptive.
I do a good chicken salad that includes halved grapes, and now I'm thinking halved Kiwi berries.

 

[Rascal]

Kayelle I like your thinking.

Russ

 

[larry_stewart]

When the critters do get a taste for them, they are only going to want the ones that you can reach. You do know that, right?

CD

Sadly thats the story of my gardening life

I once had issues with rabbits eating my string beans. So, I put a 2 foot wire fence around them. Came home one day and saw the lower leaves on all the string bean plants were missing , leaving only a canopy of leaves at the top. With closer inspection, I noticed that not only did mama rabbit ho over the fence to get into the strignbeans, she also had a litter of 4 baby rabbits who now took residence under my fenced in string bean plants.

 

[Cheryl J]

Kay, I'll have to look for those. I love kiwifruit, but haven't seen the fuzzless berries. I was just in Albertson's yesterday, and forgot to look. Thanks for sharing.

 

[caseydog]

Sadly thats the story of my gardening life

I once had issues with rabbits eating my string beans. So, I put a 2 foot wire fence around them. Came home one day and saw the lower leaves on all the string bean plants were missing , leaving only a canopy of leaves at the top. With closer inspection, I noticed that not only did mama rabbit ho over the fence to get into the strignbeans, she also had a litter of 4 baby rabbits who now took residence under my fenced in string bean plants.

At my previous house, I had a huge yard, with a Peach tree and a big garden. I protected them with bird netting, but somehow, birds still got to my tomatoes. A bird won't eat one whole tomato. No, they have to peck holes in every tomato in the garden. I don't even know if they ate anything. I just know I had big holes in my tomatoes.

I didn't have the same problem with my peach tree. Yeah, the birds got to a few of them, but that tree procreated like a couple of teenagers after a Friday night football game. I easily got a couple-hundred peaches from that tree every year. I couldn't give them away fast enough. There was no way my wife and I could eat them all.

I grow herbs and peppers now, and nothing messes with them. I would actually like to see a critter eat one of my jalapeños. Psycho-poodle ate one once, when he was a young and foolish puppy. I dropped it, and he grabbed it. He only did that one time. I got a great laugh out of it. He was rubbing his face on the carpet for at least 15 minutes. He gave me the "sad eyes," as if to say, "make the pain stop." But, there was nothing I could do, and he needed to learn from the experience. He never did that again.

CD

 

[Mad Cook]

Kay, I'll have to look for those. I love kiwifruit, but haven't seen the fuzzless berries. I was just in Albertson's yesterday, and forgot to look. Thanks for sharing.

The first one I tasted had "whiskers" too but this seems to have been bred out of the ones we get in GB. The skins sort of rough but no bristles.

 

[larry_stewart]

At my previous house, I had a huge yard, with a Peach tree and a big garden. I protected them with bird netting, but somehow, birds still got to my tomatoes. A bird won't eat one whole tomato. No, they have to peck holes in every tomato in the garden. I don't even know if they ate anything. I just know I had big holes in my tomatoes.

I didn't have the same problem with my peach tree. Yeah, the birds got to a few of them, but that tree procreated like a couple of teenagers after a Friday night football game. I easily got a couple-hundred peaches from that tree every year. I couldn't give them away fast enough. There was no way my wife and I could eat them all.

I grow herbs and peppers now, and nothing messes with them. I would actually like to see a critter eat one of my jalapeños. Psycho-poodle ate one once, when he was a young and foolish puppy. I dropped it, and he grabbed it. He only did that one time. I got a great laugh out of it. He was rubbing his face on the carpet for at least 15 minutes. He gave me the "sad eyes," as if to say, "make the pain stop." But, there was nothing I could do, and he needed to learn from the experience. He never did that again.

CD

Thats sad but funny about the dog and the jalapeño

I also have the birds ( or whatever ) that take a bite out of each tomato, I have more than enough to share, but just eat one at a time !! Also, I hate when the squirrels eat an apple that is like 2 months too early, they realize it tastes like crap, so the take one bite, leaves, then go get another, take a bite out of that one, tastes the same, drop it ... and so on.

 

[Kayelle]

The first one I tasted had "whiskers" too but this seems to have been bred out of the ones we get in GB. The skins sort of rough but no bristles.

To be clear, the smooth skin is more tender than a grape. The skin is nothing at all like a Kiwi, but the flavor is the same.

 

[Rascal]

I havnt come across a fuzz free kiwi either. Maybe they are only export.

Russ

 

[rodentraiser]

I'm going to have to get some of them. I doubt if my dollar store carries them, but they look delicious. I love kiwis.

I go to Trader Joe's to buy butter and tuna and when I need to, cream cheese. The cream cheese is $1.99 all the time, the butter stays at $3 a pound and the tuna tastes so much better than what I get in a regular store.