ABOUT KIWI FRUIT
Actinidia deliciosa
Despite the name Kiwi, they are not native to New Zealand at all, but actually came from China (eastern Asia). In China they were called Chinese gooseberry. Those clever New Zealanders renamed them and began exporting them all over the place.
DESCRIPTION
Checking in at about half the size of a chicken's egg, with brown, almost non existant furry skin. Flesh is bright green and holds a ton of black seeds- all edible. The skins are also very smooth making it unnecessary to peel them.
CULTIVATION
Kiwi fruits are not hard to grow, and might even be considered as being very vigorous. The Hardy Kiwi should survive winters (zones 7 - 9).They need a sunny area and lots of room for the vines to grow, including some sort of trellis or support. A quite popular small fruit because it is one of the hardiest and because it bears both male and female flowers, allowing for easy fruit production.
CULTIVARS
Issai Kiwi fruit is self fertile and is hardy, growing in Climate Zone 7 - 9. There are many cultivars of Kiwi known to exist.
Over 70% of the entire world-wide production of kiwifruit is in Italy, New Zealand, but mostly still ChinaChile.
Issai is a self-fruitful variety that will grown in our Zone 8.
KIWI fruits are actually classified as 'berries' and hail from China and a Church of Scotland mission station in Yichang in 1878 were they were called Yang Tao. Kiwi produce Vitamin C in abundance, which is a key nutrient that helps boost our immune system to stave off colds and scurvy. It also contains Vitamin K - best known for its role in bone health and cardiovascular function. Vitamin A (for skin, vision and respiratory health) and Vitamin E (very useful for lowering the risk of platelet aggregation) as well as Potassium which is needed to keep our body's electrolytes and manage our blood pressure levels. Kiwi is one of the very few foods that contain B6: which supports the immune system and is especially important for pregnant mothers to support them throughout their gestation. The folate in kiwifruits, ironically, is more important for the fetus as it may protect against neural tube defects and congenital heart disease. All in all a pretty neat fruit with a lot packed into such a tiny green ball !