General Information
Baby kiwi fruit are small berries, just shy of the size and similar in shape to a grape, with a razor-thin fuzz-free smooth skin. The exterior of the fruit is more vibrant than a common kiwi fruit, the color of muted green with hints of purple and brown. The skin, a less than protective peel to its flesh, is a mouthful of bright and zesty lime green flesh studded with black micro seeds and a barely opaque cream center. Baby kiwi fruit are a rather delicate fruit and post-harvest quality can deteriorate quickly.
History
The Baby kiwi fruit, though almost inherently associated with New Zealand, is native to China and Korea. Seeds from the kiwi fruit were taken to New Zealand in 1902 and soon thereafter fruit crops were being produced. New Zealand would dominate the commercial kiwi growing landscape for the majority of the 20th Century. In 1992, the Baby kiwi fruit found commercial birth at Hurst’s Berry Farm in Sheridan, Oregon. Though it is classified as a subtropical plant, it thrives in regions that the common kiwi fruit simply cannot, surviving subzero temperatures during non-fruiting periods. There are only three commercial growing regions of the Baby kiwi fruit: California, New Zealand and Chile.
