Edible emeralds - kiwi - column

American Fitness, Jan-Feb, 1990 by Susan C. Rosenberg

Edible Emeralds

It's become an annual activity - slimming down and toning up after the devastation of holiday eating. Exercise programs are approached with renewed vigor and healthy foods regain their rightful place in our diet. The abundance of fresh winter fruits in the produce department add variety to a healthy diet and provide energy for a rigorous shape-up campaign.

Used in fruit salads, cakes and pies, kiwi is now becoming almost as mainstream as apples and bananas. Ounce for ounce, kiwis contain as much potassium as bananas - an important mineral for active people. If consumed half an hour before exercise, kiwis also compare well nutritionally to the protein and carbohydrates found in 3/4 cup of spaghetti with only a fraction of the calories.

Kiwis are actually berries. The black seeds which create a starburst effect against the emerald green flesh of the fruit serve as "storehouses" for most of the vitamins and fiber. Much like peaches, the fuzzy exterior of kiwis can be eaten along with the "meat" of the fruit.

Usually associated with New Zealand, kiwi was first found in the Hupoh and Szechuan provinces of China - along the borders of the Yangtze River where it was first enjoyed as a delicacy by the great Khans in China during the 13th-century. Seven hundred years later in 1960, the emerald green fruit with fuzzy brown exteriors was planted commercially in California. Kiwi is now available from November through May in America and from New Zealand during June through October. Although less available in the United States, kiwi is also grown in Italy, Japan, France, Greece, Spain, Australia and Chile. Few countries, however, have the same standards imposed on grown products as does California.

Like wine grapes, kiwis must be harvested at optimum ripeness and brix (sugar content). When California kiwis reach ripeness and 6.5 to 7.0 brix in October, they are carefully picked from the vineyards by white-gloved workers to protect the kiwi's tender, golden brown skin and exotic green flesh. The fruit is then transported to packing facilities where they are gently brushed clean, hand-packed and placed in cold storage for two weeks before being sent to retail markets. Kiwi vines blossom between late April and early May and the fruit is shipped to market in the fall.

Kiwi's natural sweetness eliminates the need for sugar. Kiwis contain fructose, a simple sugar which is digested and released into the blood more slowly than other sugar, avoiding a sharp impact on any sugar sensitive individuals - particularly diabetics. As a breakfast food, two kiwis provide more vitamin C than an orange and more ounce for ounce fiber than bran flakes. It also compares well to shredded wheat, hot oatmeal and even granola cereals with dried fruit and nuts.

Best of all, kiwi is an exquisite traveling companion for bicycle rides, "apresgym" snacks, jogs, walks and runs. Sliced, cut in half and scooped or eaten whole, kiwi is a take-along food that can be enjoyed almost anywhere without a lot of fuss.

Susan C. Rosenberg is a freelance writer living in San Francisco, California.