Monday, January 30, 2012

California Kiwi = Chinese Gooseberry

California is in the glorious California kiwi harvest time! Those brown little balls of fuzz hide the lime-green color of their sweet fruit. A bit like a strawberry and lemon combined, the fruits are delectable in salads, desserts, hors d'ouvres, salsas and straight out-of-hand.

The majority of the world's kiwis are produced right here in California. Approximately 90% of the world's fruit production is right here in the Great Valley. And, in fact, the California Kiwi Commission is based right in the state capitol of Sacramento, California.

Actinidia deliciosa is the botanical name for this popular fruit that was originally called the Chinese Gooseberry. When New Zealand named the fruit Kiwi, after their native bird, the name has stuck ever since.

Kiwis can be incorporated into many of your favorite dishes. I personally love them right out-of-hand! Recently, I have been making salsas with them as I have so many from the Farmer's Market. Kiwis are rich in vitamin C, potassium, omega-3 fatty acids and have a significant source of dietary fiber.

Here's a salsa dish that I invented this morning. Enjoy!
Here is another recipe using California Kiwis.

Kiwi Salsa - WET

large bowl
1 garlic head
5 medium-sized ripe kiwis
3 large tomatoes
1 small white onion
1 small habanero pepper
1 bunch of cilantro
1 lime
salt, pepper to taste

This recipe has no real measurements. Adjust based on your own personal taste. If you like spicy, add more habanero pepper or substitute an even hotter pepper. I like to add sweet diced carrots to the mix. My best friend likes to add diced cucumbers into her kiwi salsa. 

Cut garlic in half. Smear the garlic juice and spread liberally into the dry bowl. Remove garlic. Cut all ingredients into a uniform small dice. Place all cut ingredients into the bowl. Mix well. Let stand in the refrigerator for up to two hours before serving. This salsa is very tasty with grilled steak, pork or chicken on any river trip!



This post belongs to W.E.T. River Trips and our Camp Chef FOOD! blog.
Thanks to Google images and http://healthy-delicious.com/ for their Kiwi photos!

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