T-Bone Tuesday Team Presents Today's Short Story

A Green Movement: A Short History of KIWI.

The Kiwi originating in China was first called yang tao, or "strawberry peach", since then the name has been changed by Europeans as the Chinese gooseberry. Then "in 1962, New Zealand growers began calling it "kiwifruit" to give it more market appeal". The kiwi's scientific name is "Actinidia deliciosa" (Encarta). Kiwi's are grown on vines, vines which as very sensitive to warm and cold spells. These spells can reduce flowering, kill fruits, and even the entire kill plant. Kiwi vines are so sensitive they have been unsuccessful in growing them in certain areas of the world. The kiwi is most often used as a source of food. Kiwi is most often eaten fresh, but can also be used in flavoring, desserts, or beverages.

The kiwi vines are now grown on trellises and new ways of wrapping and trimming the vines are being discovered to produce more fruit. "New Zealand supplies 99% of the world production of kiwifruit". Most of the kiwi produced in New Zealand is consumed by Germany. Kiwi vines grow up to 30 feet long with a fruiting lifespan at the mature age of one year until the age of about three when fruiting slows unless proper measures are taken.

-Mr. M&M