Do Kiwis Ripen After Being Picked? (EXPLAINED)

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Do Kiwis Ripen After Being Picked

Kiwi is a fruit that originates from China where it once grew in the wild and is known as Chinese gooseberry. 

The fruit is packed with nutrients and has very low calories, making it a great addition to your diet.

Most kiwis are slightly oval, approximately the size of a chicken egg, with fuzzy hair on their skin.

Below, we have a closer look at the question of whether or not kiwis ripen after they’re picked.

Do Kiwis Ripen After Being Picked?

Kiwis, like many of the best fruits, do continue to ripen after being picked from the vine. That said, when picking kiwi you must handle the fruit with care because they bruise rather easily. Bruising can lead to mushy or spoiled spots on your fruit.

How Do You Ripen a Kiwi?

Kiwi has a short shelf-life after they’ve fully ripened. They can be set on the kitchen counter in a fruit bowl to ripen naturally, or stored in the fridge in a fruit drawer if you want to slow the ripening process. Kiwi is best eaten when it is perfectly ripened.

How to Tell if a Kiwi is Ripe?

When kiwi is perfectly ripe it is slightly yielding when you apply pressure with your fingertips and squeeze it. If it is hard, it needs more time to more fully ripen. But, if it is soft, it is most likely already beginning to spoil.

Do Kiwi Ripen on the Kitchen Counter?

On the kitchen counter, kiwi ripen at a natural pace. If you’ve recently picked them, they may take anywhere from 3 to 5 days before they reach the perfect ripeness. Make sure you keep them out of direct sunlight while allowing them time to ripen. Sun may cause spoiled or mushy fruit.

How Can I Ripen Kiwis Faster?

If you want to speed up the ripening process of your freshly picked kiwis, place them amongst bananas and apples on the counter. You may also throw them in a paper bag with a banana or two. Either method should yield riper kiwis within a day or two.

What are the Health Benefits of Kiwis?

Kiwi is rich in vitamin C and provides plenty of fiber and other benefits to your health. Most noticeably, the kiwi is great support for digestive health, heart health, and the immune system in general. They are also high in antioxidants.