Baby Kiwis

So look what I found at Trader Joe's — baby kiwis!

I'd never heard of these before. They're tiny grape-sized kiwis with an smooth, edible skin.

That's a red grape in the top right for scale.

I have to say they're delicious, very sweet, and a lot less work that regular fuzzy kiwis.
According to Specialty Produce.com, baby kiwis (a.k.a. hardy kiwi, dessert kiwi, or cocktail kiwi) are grown in Oregon and available in Sept./Oct. Originally from New Zealand, Hurst's Berry Farm in Oregon was the first to produce these commercially in the U.S. According to the International Society for Horticultural Science, baby kiwi vines "have the reputation of being difficult to manage, (because) the fruit ripen irregularly on the vine and the storage life and shelf life of the fruit is limited." Bravo to Hurst's Berry Farms for their tender hand-harvesting of these yummy fruits!

While these are fabulous to eat just as they are, Hurst's Berry Farm provides some baby kiwi recipes on their website. They also produce red currants and gooseberries! Is there a gooseberry fool in my future?