How Kiwano grows - and how you'll know yours is ready to eat.

How’s your food growing knowledge? When it comes to exotic (and even not so exotic!) fruits and vegetables, it’s not unusual to be a little in the dark on how exactly our favourite foods are grown. For example, who knew that peanuts are grown underground like potatoes?! Turns out you learn something everyday.

With our blog comments showing that we definitely have a few people keen to know, we thought we’d explain how our Kiwano fruit grows and how you’ll know when it’s ready to eat. Let’s start with the basics.

What is a Kiwano?

Cucumis metuliferus – better known as Kiwano – is a member of the cucumber and melon family. Just like a watermelon it grows off a low bushy vines that runs along the ground. The kiwano – sometimes known as a horned melon, kiwano melon or jelly melon – is an exotic fruit, native to Sub-Saharan Africa. However it seems to be a big fan of the mild, very sunny climate and clear air here in the Bay of Plenty New Zealand, where we’ve been growing it for over three decades now.

How does Kiwano grow?

The Kiwano plant seedlings are planted in spring and the fruit becomes perfectly ripe during the hot summer season (which is January-April here in New Zealand).

The Kiwano fruit first appears as small spiky bud below a bright yellow flower. It starts off small & green and eventually grows into around the size of a very large avocado when mature (although like any fruit they naturally vary in size), before turning a deep golden orange when ripe.

Here at Enzed Exotics we grow our fruit naturally, which means without the addition of any harsh chemicals or pesticides. Last season we grew our first Bio-Gro certified organic crop.

How do you know when a Kiwano is ripe?

A Kiwano is ready to eat when the skin is a bright golden orange – a few green patches are ok, but ideally it should be deeply golden in colour all over the fruit. Look for Kiwano in your grocery store that are shiny and plump. Once you’ve brought it home, keep it stored on the counter-top not the fridge.

Ok, I’ve got my ripe Kiwano. Now what can I do with it?!

We’re glad you asked! The edible part of the Kiwano is the vibrant green pulp found inside the skin. This pulp is made up of hundreds of very thin white seeds each encased in a jelly-like sac. And yes you can definitely eat the seeds – it’s all part of the Kiwano experience! The taste of the pulp is a subtle, refreshing mix of banana, passionfruit and lime.

Kiwano is an incredibly versatile fruit that works well in savoury and sweet combos. Try it:

In smoothies and juices
Over ice cream or yogurt
Mix through fruit salad
In fresh salsa, raita and guacamole
Create cocktails and mocktails
Dollop on seafood or grilled chicken
As a healthy taco topping
Add to salads
In an exotic breakfast bowl
Make infused water or as a flavour for iced tea or kombucha.

Head on over to our recipes page or to Instagram for some more delicious Kiwano eating inspiration.

How to remove the pulp

The easiest way to remove the pulp is to slice your Kiwano in half, use a knife to gently loosen the pulp away from the orange skin. Then flip your Kiwano over and squeeze into a bowl. Head to our How To Eat page for a 30 sec video tutorial on how it’s done.

Well, we hope you’ve learned something new today! Now you know how this amazing fruit is grown, seek one out at your local grocery store and give it a try. As always, pop a comment below if you have any questions.