Kiwi fruit is a sweet and tangy table fruit about the size of an egg, with green flesh and iconic fuzzy brown skin – they kinda look like testicles. They are most commonly eaten raw but also serve as garnishes for desserts or as ingredients in processed foods. Technically a berry, kiwis grow in thick bundles from woody vines with heart-shaped leaves. You’ll learn what that’s all about and so much more on the history of kiwi fruit!
Origin of Kiwifruit
Kiwis are native to the temperate Yangtze Valley that runs through the middle of China. The fruits were regarded as nutritious and medicinal in China, remaining a local delicacy there for much of history.โถ
That was until the early 20th century when a New Zealander named Mary Isabel Fraser took notice of the fruit. In 1904, she brought seeds back from China. On top of being the principal of a girlโs school and a womenโs rights activist, she established the kiwifruitโs roots in the land of the kiwi bird.
Seeds were planted in 1906, had their first fruiting in 1910, and by 1924, the kiwifruit you’ve come to love was born! This Hayward cultivar, named after its creator, Hayward Wright. Like Hass avocados, named after California postal worker Rudolph Hass who first grew them in his backyard.
The fruitโs popularity blossomed in New Zealand until WW2 when US service members stationed there came into contact with kiwis. Americans liked the quaint little fruit and figured their neighbors back in the States would too. Kiwis had some presence in the US from the 1930s, but their popularity really took off in the 1950s following the war.
By the 1970s, New Zealand was exporting more fruit than consumed domestically. Globally, 4,000,000 tons of kiwifruit are harvested each year, with 50,000 tons grown in California alone.
Why They Are Called Kiwi
The original Chinese name for the kiwi is Mรญhรณutรกo, which translates to Macaque Peach in English. Rhesus macaque monkeys are native to the Yangtze Valley, and as enthusiastic fruit eaters, they are very fond of the native kiwis that grow there.
In New Zealand, the fruit was initially referred to as the Chinese Gooseberry, because it reminded locals of another delicious fruit at the time.โดBut, this name was an issue. The period in which kiwifruit increased in popularity was also the era of drive-in movies, poodle skirts, soda fountains, and Elvis.
Back when racism was more of an inner dialogue and less a political platform.
Because it was the Cold War, the name Chinese gooseberry had major commie vibes! And as the popularity of the fruit grew, so did the desire for a shorter and sweeter name. Eventually, growers settled on the name kiwi as an homage to New Zealandโs growing regions and the small, fuzzy, flightless bird endemic to the island.โท
Many anglophone nations call it a kiwifruit to differentiate it from the bird. Sadly for Americans, we donโt have kiwi birds running around, so we havenโt felt the need to disambiguate the word.
Types of Kiwi
Not all kiwifruit look like balls. There are around 50 species of kiwi in the genus Actinidia. Above all, Actinidia deliciosa, or the common kiwi, produces the most popular fruit and is the most widely cultivated. While there are dozens of different kiwi varieties grown commercially across species, the most recognizable is the Hayward.
The Hayward has bright green flesh that is sweet with mild acidity. It is covered in that iconic fuzzy brown skin that is easy to peel. Its long shelf-life results in less spoilage and greater longevity.โนThese factors make the Hayward the preferred variety for California growers.
The Mega Kiwi is a new variety that is gaining popularity in California. As its name suggests, the fruit is much larger than a regular kiwi but with the same fuzzy skin and sweet green flesh.
The golden kiwi is a popular variety in New Zealand and elsewhere abroad. It has thinner skin, fewer seeds, and a gold-colored flesh that is softer and sweeter than the Hayward variety. It is grown in California but it is still fairly rare.
Thereโs even a type of kiwi that is bite-sized with thin skin that you can simply pop in your mouth. This variety is more cold-resistant, making the Pacific Northwest a better growing region. These kiwiberries are an interesting novelty that are gaining popularity as acreage increases.
Kiwifruit Nutrition
Kiwis are nutritious. They are packed with dietary fiber, as well as vitamins C, E, and K. Gram for gram, kiwis actually have more vitamin C than oranges (93mg per 100g Kiwi vs 53mg per 100g Orange). They also have a comparable amount of potassium to that of a banana (312mg per 100g Kiwi vs 358mg per 100g Banana). Kiwis make an excellent source of energy-boosting fruit-based sugars.
How to Eat Kiwis
Most of us already know the classic peel-and-slice method of eating kiwis, but there are so many more ways to incorporate them into your diet. By cutting a kiwi in half, you end up with two convenient โbowlsโ of fruit that can simply be spooned out of their skins.
Kiwis also make great jams or preserves that can be used in baked goods. They can also be freeze-dried to retain their flavor.
Kiwis contain an enzyme called Actinidain, which has meat tenderizing properties. It is used commercially in the meat industry but can also be used in your kitchen to marinate roasts, so they cook tender and flavorful. Though, being veggie…I wouldn’t know.
Fighting Food Waste
While it may not seem so looking at it, the kiwiโs skin is actually edible. The skin can be bit into raw, if you donโt mind, or you can throw the entire kiwi into a blender to make for a fibrous and low-effort smoothie. The skin is a good source of fiber, folate, and vitamin E.
Global Kiwifruit Production
The kiwi has proven to be a versatile fruit that flourishes across the world. Major growing regions are found in China, Japan, South Korea, Italy, France, Greece, New Zealand, and California. Globally, over 4,000,000 tons of kiwis are harvested from around 170,000 acres in cultivation.
California first experimented with farming kiwis in 1934 when the USDA grew vines at their Plant Introduction Station in Chico.
Now, California produces 50,000 tons of fruit annually from 7,000 acres across the Golden State. We are best known for growing crops like grapes, citrus, and tree nuts. The volume of kiwi production in California doesnโt quite match those giants but is roughly on par with artichoke and pumpkin yields.
Keep in mind, we do grow over 50% of the nation’s fresh produce! California has around 98% of the countryโs kiwi acreage. They grow well in the stateโs temperate river valleys. The Central Valley and Central Coast Region serve as the major growing regions, with Sacramento and San Joaquin areas being the largest producers, and even more acreage in smaller valleys and foothill districts. As a shorthand, kiwis tend to grow well in peach-growing regions.
Farming Kiwi Fruit
Kiwifruit grows a lot like grapes. Only bigger. Just like any crop, planting, growing, and harvesting them comes down to hard work, science, decades of experience, and skilled labor.
Soil
Silt and sandy loam soils are best. Soil should have good drainage as kiwis are sensitive to standing water, particularly when the buds break in spring.
Water
Kiwis require ample water. Between rainfall and irrigation, an acre of kiwi vines should receive between 6,000 and 10,000 gallons of water daily, depending on the temperature.โนKiwis require more water than Californiaโs vineyards but can grow with less than is used for citrus or tree nut groves. Drip irrigation is ideal, as canopy sprinklers are less efficient due to leaf runoff.
Planting
Kiwi vines are dioecious, meaning the plants come in both male and female varieties. Males make the pollen, females bear the fruit, and some honey bees for hire help them get jiggy with it. A 1-to-8 ratio of male to female plants is ideal to ensure proper production.
Keep in mind, the vines can take up to 7 years to flower and reveal their sex. So worst gender reveal party ever! For this reason, plants are propagated by grafting fruit-bearing vines onto rootstock grown from seedlings.
Training
Kiwi vines are typically trained to either a pergola or T-bar style trellis system to support the weight of the fruit and allow for easy harvesting. Vines are planted 15 feet apart to account for ample root space, resulting in about 150 fruiting vines per acre.
The goal in year one is to develop a single, straight trunk trained to the trellis. Other shoots should be trimmed so the main vine can reach the top of the trellis and begin to move laterally down the cordon.
A light crop will be produced during the second year under good conditions. The goal this season is to establish two separate cordons (horizontal growths on trellis) for each vine. Prune & desucker to maintain growth in the main vine.
In year three, the cordons should begin to touch their neighbors. From there, canes should spread laterally across the trellis to form a canopy with adjacent vines.
Kiwi vines will start bearing full loads of fruit in year four. Female vines should be pruned vigorously in winter to remove older fruiting shoots so that fresh ones form. Male vines should be pruned only lightly to maximize the number of flowers that appear to facilitate pollination.
Weather
Hayward kiwis require winter temperatures below 45โฐF for at least 600 hours for the fruit to set. The vine is cold-hardy but may experience damage at temperatures below 10โฐF. Kiwis hold up in temperatures up to 114โฐF but often benefit from a shade cloth in summer to reduce wilting.
Growing Season
Kiwis need 225-240 frost-free days for a successful season. Vines first produce leaves in March, flowers in May, fruit over the summer, and are generally harvested from October to November.โนVines hit their stride after 5 years and have been known to be productive for up to 40 years.
Harvest
Harvests occur from October to November, depending on the region. Fruit is gently picked by hand with cotton gloves so as not to harm the skin. Farmworkers go under the vines and hand-harvest fruit by snapping the stem away from the vine. Pickers carefully place fruit in cloth slings – like a marsupial pouch for farm labor. The fruit is transferred to bins, loaded onto tractors and into trucks, and transported from the farm to a packing facility. Itโs inspected for quality and graded based on its size, shape, and weight. Then on to your produce aisle. And when properly stored, they can keep for months!
And thatโs how kiwifruit went from China to California to you.
Sources: World Atlas on Kiwis, Growing Kiwifruit โ Oregon State, Home Stratosphere โ Types of Kiwi Fruit, New Zealand History – Kiwifruit, Zespri Site, Facts.net Kiwis, CalHarvest, Atlas Big, UC Davis, Kliewer Interview, Agrifarming How to Grow Kiwis in USA, 2021 California Agricultural Overview, Press Democrat article on CA Water usage, Savvy Gardening article, Pacinst California water usage by crop
