A ripe kiwi fruit tastes fresh and fruity like a mixture of strawberries, gooseberries and melon. The fruits are harvested when they are unripe and must be stored in a cool place for some time before they ripen. They develop their full aroma when brought to the warmth.
The kiwis are climacteric, i. H. ripening fruits. For this reason, we can buy the fruits that grow in the subtropical regions in our supermarkets all year round. In the growing countries, the kiwis are harvested unripe and continue to ripen during the long journey. The kiwis are imported to Germany at different times from different countries:
- from April to November from Chile and New Zealand,
- from September from Italy, Greece or France.
After harvest
The hairy, brown fruits are still very hard and inedible after harvest, they taste sour. The fruits must ripen at 10-15° C. Temperatures of around 5° C are required for longer shelf life. The kiwi fruits reach full maturity after several weeks. The kiwis from our own garden can e.g. B. be stored in the basement. Single-layer storage in boxes has a beneficial effect on shelf life.
Post-ripening at room temperature
The fruit, which is intended to be eaten soon, is brought into a warm place a few days beforehand, where it ripens and develops its full aroma. A few days is enough for them to become soft and sweet. The green-fleshed kiwis with a hairy skin have more acid. The gold kiwis with yellow-green flesh taste much more tender and sweet. They contain less actinidin - the enzyme that makes milk products taste bitter - and can therefore be easily processed into quark, yoghurt and milkshakes.
tips and tricks
If you want to speed up the ripening process of the kiwis, place them with other ripe fruit, e.g. B. next to the apples.