Add Excitement to Snacktime with Edible "Kiwi Flowers"

Cooking Ideas
How To's

Ready to mix up your lunches and snack time in a fun, tasty way that delights your family and friends? A quick and easy change to your routine can make all the difference (and a presentation of kiwi flowers is sure to impress).

Kiwi flowers are a refreshing snack on their own, and they can also be assembled into quick skewers for a morning or afternoon treat. Not only are kiwis bursting with sweet taste, but they’re also loaded with goodness.

In fact, did you know you can get 100% of your daily vitamin C needs by eating just one Zespri SunGold™ Kiwifruit?¹ And that 2 SunGold Kiwifruit are packed with more vitamin C than a medium orange?^1,*Yep, that’s right—with 290% daily value of vitamin C per serving, Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit contains the highest vitamin C content of all commonly eaten fruit.^1,2 That’s incredible, especially considering vitamin C is essential for healthy skin, teeth and bones – and is something our bodies can’t produce on their own.

But the kiwi nutrition benefits are not limited to just vitamin C. SunGold Kiwi health benefits include being a stellar source of vitamin E, folate, potassium and dietary fiber.¹ Now that you know why we’re stoked about including kiwifruit in your next snack, let’s take a closer look at how to cut kiwifruit with flair.

GETTING TO THE FRUIT OF IT: HOW KIWIFRUIT CAN BECOME EDIBLE FLOWERS

To add pops of yellow and green to your next snack, fruit bowl or charcuterie board, use Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit along with our classic Zespri Green Kiwifruit. Each kiwi variety brings a unique taste! Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit, which is unique to Zespri, has that refreshing, sweet taste, while our Green Kiwifruit has a fresh, tangy-sweet bite.

Wondering how to eat kiwi regardless of green or golden variety? We invite you to try the traditional method of cutting into thin slices, or you can follow these 6 simple steps to create kiwifruit florals:

Remove both ends of the kiwi using a small kitchen knife.

Try not to take too much of the kiwi’s fruit so that flat, skinless ends remain. That means there’s more goodness to eat.

Cut 2 to 3 centimeters diagonally from side to the center at 45°and ensure you’re reaching the middle for a clean, even finish.

Keep in mind the length of your cut determines then length of your edible “petals.”

Repeat zig-zag diagonal cuts around the kiwi.

Remember to cut to the center each time, so both halves pull apart neatly.

Once you’re back to where you started, don’t twist—just pull both ends directly apart to divide the kiwi into 2 pieces.

If your kiwi is still stuck together, run through your cuts again, reaching the center each time. Then try splitting the kiwi apart again.

If you’re looking to create especially elaborate kiwi flowers, you can create base petals by carefully cutting a thin slice between each section of kiwi skin and fruit.

Work your way from the top of one triangular petal by sliding the blade of your knife until you nearly reach the bottom. Repeat for all petals.

Pull the pieces of skin down to finalize the petals on your kiwi flower.

Fold each kiwi flap down at a 90° angle.

Ta-da! You’ve transformed your kiwifruit into a gorgeous, delicious lotus flower, or water lily. For video reference, catch a step-by-step how-to demo here. To store any remaining kiwi flowers that were too pretty to eat, simply put the leftovers in a sealed container and keep them in the refrigerator.

NO TIME FOR FANCY FLORAL CUTS? NO WORRIES.

Just because you’re craving kiwi doesn’t mean you have to turn the fruit into impressive florals. Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit is portable for packed lunches or on-the-go snacks. To eat kiwifruit on its own, cut the fruit in half and scoop. You can also slice the kiwifruit into smaller bite-sized pieces. Peeling the skin is also an option.

However, you can bite into Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit just as you would an apple or pear (after washing, of course). The skin is smooth, but strong enough to avoid bruising. Bonus: eating both skin and fruit nearly doubles the fiber content per serving, delivering 34% more folate and 32% more vitamin E.³ New research also suggests eating the skin and flesh of SunGold kiwifruit together has added beneficial effects on digestive health that are not seen when just eating the flesh alone!⁴

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