Shavua Tov!
Rashi said that Tu Bishvat comes after most of the rains have fallen, and indeed it feels that the summer is pressing and exploding every where. It is pleasant and refreshing and warm, but I still want some more rain…
So before summer takes over and this magical fruit disappears,
10 facts about the kiwi:
1. It is originally from china and is their national fruit together with the jujube. The meaning of one of its names in Chinese is the “magical fruit”.
2. It is full of vitamin C. In 100 grams there is 240% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C for grownups. This is much more vitamin C than in an orange. So the kiwi is appropriate for its season as a strong flu fighter and is considered to strengthen the immune system.
3. There is a connection between kiwi the fruit and kiwi the bird!!! Kiwi is also the name of a small flightless bird, the national bird of new Zealand. In new Zealand, which was settled only 1300 years ago, there were no land mammal predators. The only mammals on the island got there by swimming or flying. Until man arrived.
The lack of predators allowed a variety of lizards and birds to flourish. Some of those birds are flightless like the kiwi.
In the year 1904 kiwi seeds were brought from china to new Zealand by the principle of a girls’ college called Mery Isabel Freiser. The fruit was given the name “Chinese gooseberry” (although it has no botanical relation to real gooseberries) but when they began to export them to the US in the sixties, they feared the name would not be accepted so well due to the cold war that existed with China at the time. In search of a more “attractive” name they came across this unique bird that is similar to the fruit in its smallness, its color and fuzziness. So they called it Kiwi, for commercial reasons.
4. Kiwi is considered to be a diuretic that cools and soothes the body!
5. The kiwi is a climbing deciduous plant, sensitive to wind and frost.
6. The kiwi is a good source of magnesium, lutein, zinc, potassium (more than banana), folic acid and vitamin E (more than a whole avocado). It is also a star when it comes to anti-oxidants!
7. In two kiwi fruits there is more nutritional fiber than in a bowl of morning cereal or an apple.
8. The kiwi contains digestive enzymes, the main one being the actinidine, that assist in digesting protein and accelerate the digestive process in general. These enzymes reduce fermentation and bloating of the intestines and induces the passage of food and cleansing of the bowels.
9. Kiwi should be kept in room temperature away from direct sun. If it is not ripe enough for you, place it inside a paper bag with an apple or a banana. When ripened it can keep another week or two in good condition and without losing its nutritional values!!!
10. For the lazy among us, you can simply cut the kiwi in half (the wide side) and eat with a spoon, instead of peeling.
Lavrioot!!
Wishing us all an abundance of buds and sprouts of beginnings that will grow healthily and fulfill their full potential!!!
Yours,
Maggie and the garden staff
We can expect in our organic vegetable baskets (draft only):
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
lettuce
broccoli
cauliflower
onions
Fennel
Pak-choy
Celery root
Green onions
In the large organic vegetable baskets, also:
cabbage
parsley
Potatoes
And Butternut squash
Organic fruit baskets:
Bananas
Pomegranate
Clementines
And oranges
In the large organic fruit baskets, also:
Papaya
And more oranges
