Originally discovered in China, kiwifruit found it’s way to producers in New Zealand, Italy, Chile and in the United States, California. While today’s generation is growing up with kiwi available at the grocery stores all year round, many generations had never heard of this funny looking fruit. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that kiwifruit started becoming popular in the U.S.
A kiwi is about the size of an egg. It has brown hair-like skin that doesn’t look all that appealing. However, once the skin is peeled, you’ll find a light green or golden flesh. Slice into the flesh and beautiful rows of tiny black edible seeds appear. When selecting kiwi, press on the outside of the fruit. If it gives to slight pressure, it is ripe and ready to eat. If it doesn’t, leave it at room temperature for a few days until it softens. A simple way to eat a kiwi is to slice it in half and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh from each half.
A ripe kiwi will taste sweet. It’s delicious on it’s own, but you can also use kiwi to make a tropical salsa, smoothie, fruit salad or parfait. For food fun, use kiwi as bunny ears in the recipe below to create a healthy snack or breakfast. For a sweet and savory side, chop kiwi with mango and fresh mint to top cooked beef, pork or lamb. One kiwifruit (100g) is only 60 calories and has no fat, but it’s packed with vitamin C, has about as much potassium as a banana and is considered high in dietary fiber. If it’s your first time tasting a kiwi, it likely won’t be your last!
Bunny Face (Printable PDF)
1/2 of a whole wheat English muffin
1 Tablespoon low-fat strawberry cream cheese
1/2 of a kiwi, gently rubbed under cool running water, peeled and cut in half
2 small blueberries, gently washed under cold running water
1 strawberry, gently washed under cold running water and cut in the shape of a triangle
6 pretzel sticks
Wash hands with soap and water. Spread cream cheese on English muffin. Have your child decorate with blueberries for the eyes, strawberry for the nose, pretzel sticks for the whiskers and kiwi slices for the ears.
Yield: 1 serving
Nutrition Facts (per serving): 137 calories, 3 grams fat, 215 milligrams sodium, 23 grams total carbohydrate, 2.5 grams fiber
Source: University of Nebraska-Lincoln. https://food.unl.edu/recipe/bunny-face
This blog post first appeared in The Pantagraph on July 1, 2020.