How to ripen kiwis

When you go to the supermarket, or to a greengrocer, surely you have come across kiwis and they have craved them. The problem is that, on many occasions, you cannot eat them the same day you buy them, because they are green. And unless you like them that way, you would have to wait a few days to get the fruit to reach its right point. But do you wonder how to ripen kiwis to make it faster?

If you are to buy this fruit but then you have to wait, there are several methods that can help you ripen, not only kiwis, but others. Do you want to know how?

When are kiwis harvested

In Spain, kiwi is harvested from early to mid-October to early to mid-November. In that time the fruit is capable of reaching 7-8 degrees Brix but you should know that, if you taste them, they will be sour and they are not really edible.

In fact, until they are a little soft, the intake is not recommended because they will be more tasty.

If you have a garden, you can collect them later, and based on how you eat them, making them ripen on the tree and also increasing their sweetness.

However, in professional gardens kiwis are harvested semi-ripe, or even unripe. These can be put in a refrigerator that will keep them in that state for longer, even several weeks or months, without maturing.

If you wonder why there are kiwis all year round, the answer is simple. Spain is not the only country in which kiwis are grown, therefore, the ones you eat in other months are from other places such as Australia, New Zealand, California or Chile. Those of October and November, if you are lucky, it will be the Spanish.

How they are collected

The way to take the fruits of the tree is very simple. For this, the farmers use a basket where they are going to store them and put on cloth gloves. The fruits are suspended, because the plant is like a vine, and that requires that they have to use a ladder to reach the tallest specimens. All they do is grab the fruit, turn it a little and pull it to detach. From there they go to the box.

Now, the vast majority of large-scale production and marketing companies what they do Once collected, it is to put them in cold rooms so that they are preserved. They are capable of having production until approximately June, hence they make sure that the kiwis do not ripen. To do this, they are at a limit point of freezing, between -2 and -2,5 degrees. In addition, it must have a relative humidity higher than 95% as this prevents the pulp from wilting.

Of course, even in those cameras, they can suffer problems such as yellowing or even fungus appearing, wrinkling, etc.

How long does a kiwi hold in the fridge?

When it comes to ripening kiwis, you must be aware that there is no going back if they all ripen. That is, imagine you buy a kilo of kiwis. You only eat them and you only eat one piece a day.

If you were to ripen all those kiwis, the first ones would be good, but the rest could continue to ripen and, in the end, you would have to throw them away because they can no longer be eaten. Therefore, it is recommended that they be kept in the refrigerator until you want to ripen them. Our recommendation is that you ripen 3-4 pieces and the rest put in the refrigerator. Don't worry about the time the kiwi lasts up to 4 months.

As you eat a kiwi, you take out another so that, thus, they always mature and do not lack to eat them.

How to ripen kiwis: 3 effective methods

Now that you know a little better about the kiwi harvesting process, let's move on to the situation that occurs from when you buy it to when you eat it. Would you like to eat it the same day you buy it? Well, for this you should know that there are several methods to ripen kiwis, and all of them are effective. We tell you.

Kiwis in a paper bag

One of the first methods on how to ripen kiwis that we can give you is very simple to carry out. But it requires a little help. And it is that many think that, by putting them in a paper bag, and thus creating an environment that allows their maturation, it is enough. And it is, but it will take longer.

If inside that paper bag where you put the kiwi you add a fruit that is ripe, what you will get is that it affects the ethylene, which is the substance that that ripe fruit has.

What do you get out of it? Well, it matures very quickly. In fact, if you buy it at noon, it may be ready to eat at night. Although we already warn you that, normally, it may take 2-3 days for the more mature specimens and / or depending on the degree of maturity of the other fruit that you put in. But it is the fastest method there is.

Room temperature

Here, where you live will have a lot to do with it. If the climate you have (or the season you are in) is very warm, then it will take little time to mature. But if it is colder it can take up to two weeks to do it.

The process basically consists of just leave it in the kitchen at room temperature, making it ripen little by little. In fact, the average is usually between 7 and 15 days.

Using newspaper

The newsprint acts in a similar way to the first one we have seen with the paper bag. For this you have to wrap the fruit with that paper and leave it at room temperature to speed up the process.

Still, don't think it's too fast, because it may take 7-10 days to get it (The temperature and climate you have also influences here).

As you can see, ripening kiwis is not difficult, and you have several ways to carry it out. Which one do you usually choose? Do you have a more effective method that you want to share with us? Let us know!