Kiwi fruitFiguring out when to harvest kiwis can be a mystery. Even commercial growers use a tool called a refractometer that measures sugar in order to determine when to pick.
But Bernadine Strik, professor of berry crops at Oregon State University, helps take some of the puzzle out of kiwis.
• For both the smaller, smooth-skin kiwis and the larger, fuzzy ones, she recommends handling them carefully because they bruise easily, and damaged fruit does not store well.
• The grape-size, smooth-skin kiwis develop the best flavor if vine-ripened, but they don't store well if ripe. If you plan to store them (for up to two months), pick while fruit is still hard and keep them in the refrigerator. As you need them, bring to room temperature to ripen. To figure out if they're ready to pick, cut one open. If all the seeds are black, the fruit is ready for harvest -- usually in early October. At this stage, they'll be hard and green. These hardy kiwis don't ripen all at once, so check for ripe fruit periodically. If you leave them on the vine to ripen, most varieties will get a red blush on the skin if exposed to sun. Eat these immediately and don't store.
• The larger, fuzzy-skin kiwis don't ripen on the vine in Oregon. Leave these on the vine as long as possible, and harvest before a hard frost. As with the smooth-skin kiwis, black seeds indicate ripeness, usually around the first of November, but it can vary from year to year. Store and ripen in the refrigerator or a cold garage or shed. Fuzzy kiwis will keep much longer than the smaller ones -- four to six months, depending on temperature.
• Chill both types of fruit as soon as possible after picking. The colder the storage temperature, the longer kiwis keep. They store better at higher humidity. Keep stored kiwis away from other ripening fruit, which gives off ethylene gas, a plant hormone that hastens ripening of surrounding fruit.
-- Oregon State University Extension Service
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