So last Friday I received an organic produce box. And I was actually a little surprised because I thought I had selected what I wanted in it, but that must have been the box before. So I ended up with some things I don’t know that I would have kept in the box. You might remember I first signed up to receive an organic box of produce as a way to get “stuck” with fruits and vegetables that I would pass by in the store or at a Farmer’s Market. If I don’t know what it is, I am not likely to buy it and try to deal with it. But when it is delivered to me then I am “forced” to learn about it . . . .well, at least learn a way to cook it and/or (just) eat it. This past week we received Kiwi Berries. I have never heard of Kiwi Berries before.
My hubby had kindly left the produce box on the counter and I was able to snap a few pictures then put the produce away then go off to my Nia class on Friday. I asked a couple of ladies if they had ever heard of them and they had not. At that point I had not really had a chance to look at them or look them up. It was receive and leave. While we were talking I quickly looked it up because there were curious, too. The pictures showed the Kiwi Berries sliced and they looked just like kiwis (the fruit, not the bird).
These berries actually look like kiwis, but much smaller and not hairy. And when you cut them open they look exactly like kiwis. They are great. So much better . . . to me . . . . than kiwis. With kiwis you have to peel them and sometimes that hairy stuff gets on the kiwi and . . . . I just don’t like it. My husband says he doesn’t mind it. Well, that could be that most of the time when I give him a kiwi I have already peeled it and sliced it. I like to make it easy for him to eat while he is at work. So I am the one dealing with hairy skin.
The Kiwi berries taste like kiwis except to me, they were a little creamy. I don’t think of kiwis as creamy, are they? I don’t actually eat a lot of kiwis so perhaps they are and I missed it. But the berries had a hint of creaminess to them. They are totally cool because you can just wash them and then pop them in your mouth like grapes or any other small fruit.
Since they were such an easy to eat fruit, I didn’t even look to see any recipes or anything. Once I saw the pictures of them looking like kiwis I figured you can just eat them as it and we did.
Wiki says:
“Actinidia arguta (hardy kiwi) is a perennial vine native to Japan, Korea, Northern China, and Russian Siberia. It produces a small fruit resembling the kiwifruit.
The fruit are referred to as Hardy kiwifruit, kiwi berry, arctic kiwi, baby kiwi, dessert kiwi, grape kiwi, northern kiwi, or cocktail kiwi and are edible, berry or grape-sized fruit similar to kiwifruit in taste and appearance . . . . Often sweeter than the kiwifruit, hardy kiwifruit can be eaten whole and need not be peeled.”
I am seeing sites that say the kiwi berries are a good source of vitamin C, fiber potassium, vitamin E, and magnesium.
They are like bite sized dessert. If you like them, I am sure you can use them like you would use any berry or fruit; in a salad, as a topping for a pie, cake, or dish of ice cream or yogurt. They can be pack in a lunch or eaten as a snack. I am happy that I received something new to me in my produce box. That is one reason why I started getting it. But now that they allow us to pick what we want, I am not always being adventurous. Sometimes I forget to check my order. I am glad I forgot to check this week!
Have you ever heard of Kiwi Berries? Have you ever had Kiwi Berries? Do you like kiwis?
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