Page 25 - ALG Issue 3 2021

fruit
Kiwi fruit
Kiwi fruit, or Chinese gooseberry, is a woody vine with edible fruit, native to mainland China and Taiwan. According to the 16th century Chinese medicine encyclopaedia, the Compendium of Materia Medica, its original names in Chinese were mihou tao – ‘macaque peach’ – referring to the monkeys’ love for it, and Yang Tao, which means ‘sunny peach’. The fruit is now grown commercially in New Zealand, China, and California.
The Chinese used it as a tonic for children and for women after childbirth rather than as a pleasurable fruit.
Raw kiwis are high in vitamins C and
K. Slightly acid in taste, the fruit can
be eaten raw or cooked. It is used in salads, desserts, juices, and baked goods. Raw kiwi fruit contains actinidin, an enzyme said to aid digestion, which also makes it unsuitable to use with milk products; it can be used as a meat tenderiser. This enzyme can also act as an allergen and cause itching, soreness and wheezing.
Kiwi fruits need plenty of space and, as most varieties need a pollination partner, on an allotment plot it is best to go for a self-fertile variety such as A. deliciosa 'Jenny' or A. arguta 'Issai' (hardy kiwi). Plants take 3 to 4 years to produce fruit.
Actinidia deliciosa ‘Jenny’ is a very vigorous, deciduous climber and has heart-shaped, green leaves with red tips that are followed by clusters of small white flowers in summer.
Plant in a sheltered sunny spot and protect young shoots from frost
Actinidia arguta ‘Issai’ is more compact in habit, but a prolific producer of small smooth-skinned fruits that are ready in late September/October.
Plant in a sheltered sunny spot and protect young shoots from frost. Kiwi fruit need fertile, well-drained slightly acid soil which is rich in organic matter. Mulch around the plant in winter and
do not allow to dry out. Use a general purpose fertiliser in the spring. Kiwi fruit is a vigorous vine and will need some support, grow against a wall or over a pergola – tie in the new growth. The fruit can be harvested from late summer into autumn and will keep underripe
for a few months in the bottom of a fridge. Unripe fruit can be put in a bowl or paper bag with bananas or apples to ripen up.
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