Also known as the Chinese gooseberry, kiwifruit is a very delicious fruit that is known for its appearance and flavor. Kiwis are about egg size and have a brown fuzzy-like surface. When cut open a bright lime green flesh is revealed. Within the bright lime green flesh are black seeds which can be eaten. The skin is somewhat tough, but the flesh is soft. There are both green and yellow kiwifruit.
The Gold Kiwifruit has a yellow flesh which is characterized by its sweet flavor and less acidic base which is found in the traditional green kiwifruit. The golden variety is also shaped with a pointed end and is a bit less hairy than the green variety of the kiwifruit. It should be noted that although most people removed the skin from the kiwi before consumption it is edible.
The kiwifruit is native to southern China. Other varieties of the kiwifruit are available in Japan and India. The kiwifruit is the national fruit of the People’s Republic of China. The kiwifruit would eventually be cultivated in New Zealand when Mary Isabel Fraser, a principal of girl’s school, was visiting a school in China and obtained the kiwi seeds and bought them to New Zealand.
The seeds were planted by the nurseryman Alexander Allison in 1906 and the first fruit appeared in 1910. Currently, there are a number of countries which cultivate kiwifruit which include Italy, New Zealand, France, Chile, Japan, Greece and the United States. Kiwifruit is still grown in China, but the country is not considered to be a major producer of the fruit today.
The process of cultivating kiwifruit is interesting. This fruit is produced in warm climates. In order for fruit to be produced pollination is necessary. It can be difficult to pollinate kiwifruit because the flowers of this fruit are not very preferred by bees. Thus, to increase pollination two methods are used. There is the method of saturation pollination where a large number of beehives are placed in the kiwi orchards forcing them to collect pollen from these plants.
Also, there is the method of blowing pollen over the female flowers to begin germination. Because many kiwifruit can be produced on one vine it is necessary to grow this fruit on a supportive structure. Many times the structure is also accented with a watering system to ensure proper irrigation.
Kiwifruit is a small fruit which packs a load of healthy nutrients. Kiwifruit are very delicious, and there are a number of vitamins and minerals available in this fruit. It is very high in vitamin C and it also contains potassium, vitamin A and vitamin E. The skin of the kiwifruit contains antioxidants so even though people usually discard this part of the kiwifruit they shouldn’t because it offers lots of health benefits.
Kiwifruit is also high in fiber making it a natural laxative. It is possible that there are a number of cardiovascular benefits to eating kiwifruit as it is a natural blood thinner which means it can naturally prevent blood clots and lowers the fat content in the blood to prevent blockages. Because kiwifruit contains lutein it can also be consumed to promote eye health.
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