Little green fruit

Growing up in the northwestern corner of the US, I never knew when kiwi season was. Apples were ripe in the fall and cherries premiered in early summer. But kiwis are rarely grown in the Pacific Northwest. As an imported fruit, they were pretty much always in the grocery store. Sometimes the fruit would be sweet, but mostly they were so sour they forced your mouth into a tight pucker.

My siblings and I always debated whether or not to eat the hairy exterior. It is edible, just an acquired texture.

Regardless if we ate the skin, kiwis always felt like a special treat. They were small enough, we didn’t have to share, and unique enough to feel luxurious.

Kiwis are a very common fruit in Japan. They are grown here both commercially and in family gardens. They are in season from October through December, ripening on vines often trellised similarly to grapes, creating lovely shade in the hot summers.

We were fortunate to be selected to join a kiwi picking outing (it was based on a lottery) and dining experience put on by the city. Over 100 people applied to join the tour, and only two groups of 15 people were selected. While excited for the whole outing, I was most excited about the harvesting. I have never picked kiwi, but I’m always ready to enjoy freshly picked fruit and vegetables.

The farmer met us at the field. He didn’t tell us any secrets to growing kiwi. He told us he grew it because he had the space. His honesty made me laugh. I think most people wouldn’t have said that.

I was surprised to learn that kiwi cannot be eaten immediately after picking. The need to rest for at least 8 days before they are ready for consumption. To quicken the process, the fruit can be put in a bag with an apple. Otherwise, it is pick and wait.

He told us to look for fruit that the sun was shining directly on it, as these would be the sweetest kiwi. The farmer had kindly placed overturned milk crates and stools throughout the field for shorter individuals to use. This allowed my son to be able to reach up and grab his fruit without a lift from mom or dad.

The kiwi picking didn’t take us very long. It was fun, but I started to wonder what I would do with all the kiwis. We would eat many of them raw, but did we pick enough that I needed a plan B? Maybe I’ll be making kiwi jam or kiwi sauce pretty soon with all the kiwi! We picked (and paid for) just shy of 2 kilograms, which is 4.4 pounds.

After picking, we walked over to the Cadenza Hotel where we would enjoy a chef prepared meal featuring the fruit of the day. This was going to be a test of our son’s fine dining etiquette. His dad had prepared him by telling him the basics of table manners in a nice establishment.

The chef came out to introduce the 3 courses. Each one had been created to feature the fruit of the day - kiwi. I’ve never had pasta with a fruit sauce and prosciutto, but I did and it was good. The chicken course was delectable, featuring a kiwi sauce, asparagus, potato gratin, and a pumpkin soup that was simply divine. The final course, a cold kiwi “soup” with sorbet in the center, was unique, but tasty.

Our son ate and ate, using the proper forks and remembering to sit up nicely. We were both so impressed with his attention span and determination to eat nicely.

When it was time for dessert, the patisserie came out to describe it. What appeared to be a huge pile of whipped cream with cookies sticking out of it, turned out to be a strongly flavored foam featuring a fair amount of alcohol. One bite, and our son quickly said he had eaten enough and didn’t want his dessert.

The kiwis are hiding under all the foam.

Now we head home with a huge bag of freshly picked kiwis. The waiting has begun to eat some really fresh kiwi. I hope we found all the sweet ones and not the super sour ones!