Food, Recipe, and Activity of the Week - December 21, 2008
This week's features include:
Food - Kiwi
Recipe - Turkey and kiwifruit pasta salad
Activity - Sledding
History
Originally referred to as Chinese Gooseberries or Yang Tao, kiwifruit was first cultivated in Chang Kiang Valley of China approximately 700 years ago. Kiwifruit was first exported from China to the United States in 1904, but it was not until 1935 when kiwifruit was grown for commercial use in the U.S. A man by the name of Carl Heinke was the first to grow commercially-available kiwi in Paradise, California. He planted nine Chinese Gooseberry vines next to his grape vineyard and watched his Chinese Gooseberries grow successfully in the warm climate. California has since become the largest producer of kiwifruit in the U.S., producing 95 percent of all kiwifruit consumed in the U.S, with New Zealand making up the other 5 percent.
Before California became a large cultivator of kiwifruit, New Zealand was already exporting kiwi to the U.S. In fact, back in 1961, Trader Vic’s in San Francisco was the first restaurant to serve kiwifruit on its menu. Kiwifruit experienced a surge of popularity in the 1980’s and has since remained a popular fruit.
Nutrition
In a study conducted at Rutgers University, scientists found that kiwifruit is the most nutrient dense of all fruits, with papaya, mango, and oranges falling right behind. Kiwifruit contains the highest amounts of magnesium and vitamin C than any other fruit – containing approximately double the vitamin C of an orange! Furthermore, kiwi, papaya, and apricots outweigh the banana in terms of potassium levels. Kiwifruit is also a good source of vitamin E, which is a difficult vitamin to obtain from the diet. Unlike many other fruits, kiwi is available year round because of California’s late fall harvest and New Zealand’s summer harvest.
Adapted from California KiwiFruit Commission
Selection & Storage
To select the best-tasting kiwi, hold the kiwifruit between your thumb and forefinger and apply gentle pressure to the fruit. A perfectly ripe kiwi should yield to the pressure just enough to make a small dent. An overripe kiwi will yield too much to thumb pressure, and an under ripe kiwi will not yield enough.
Ripe, ready-to-eat kiwi can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. When stored in the refrigerator, be sure the kiwi is stored away from other fruits and vegetables because they release ethylene gas which can speed up the ripening process and cause the kiwi to become overripe. If you purchase under ripe kiwi, they can quickly ripen within a few days by placing them at room temperature inside a brown bag with an apple, banana, or pear to speed up the process.
Adapted from The World’s Healthiest Foods
Nutrient Analysis for 1 Kiwifruit: calories: 46, fat: <1g, cholesterol: 0mg, protein: 1g, carbohydrates: 11g, sodium: 4mg, fiber: 3g
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup wine vinegar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons basil
- 1 clove garlic (large), minced
- 1 package (8 oz) spiral noodles
- 2 cups broccoli flowerets
- 2 cups sliced squash
- 4 kiwifruit
- 1 lb cooked turkey breast, sliced
- 1 cup red pepper strips
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions:
- Combine vinegar, oil, mustard, basil, and garlic; mix well.
- Cook noodles as package directs.
- Add broccoli and squash to the last 30 seconds of cooking the noodles and drain.
- Pour vinegar and oil mixture over noodles, and allow to cool.
- Peel and slice kiwifruit.
- Toss turkey, red pepper, green onions and kiwifruit with pasta.
- Sprinkle with parmesan cheese to serve.
Nutrition Information: 280 calories, 7 grams total fat, 31 grams carbohydrate, 24 grams protein, 4 grams fiber, 140 milligrams sodium, 50 milligrams cholesterol.
Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. For more recipes and access to the recipe’s full nutritional profile, visit www.cdc.gov.
Sledding is a great recreational activity that the whole family can enjoy together during the winter months. Every year thousands of people take to the hills for a ride or two on a sled. If not careful, sledding activities can be dangerous and may lead to injury. Most sledding injuries are preventable though, so by becoming aware of the risks, you can keep you and your friends and family sledding safely.
Sledding injuries occur as a result of colliding with another sled or object, losing control of equipment, or falling of the equipment while sliding. Sledding injuries can happen to people of all ages. The majority of sledding injuries occur to children between the ages of 5 and 14 with boys being hurt more often than girls.
Sledding safety can be divided into four areas-site, behavior, equipment, and supervision.
Site
- Choose hills with a gentle slope and long run off area.
- Choose snowy hills and avoid icy surfaces.
- Stay away from roads, rivers, railways, parking lots, and barbed wire fences.
Behavior
- Go down the hill sitting up or kneeling on the sled. Never go head first.
- Be sure the path is clear of people and objects before beginning your descent.
- If you fall off your sled or stop unexpectedly, quickly move out of the way of other sledders.
- Walk back up the side of the hill away from other sledders.
- Rest when tired and go inside when you are cold.
Equipment
- Dress properly with hats, mittens or gloves, and warm, waterproof footwear.
- To prevent strangulation do not wear clothing with drawstrings that could get caught under the sled.
- Wear a properly fitted helmet (such as a bike or ski helmet) to reduce the risk of serious head injury.
- Choose sledding equipment that you can steer and stop.
Supervision
- Children under 12 should be supervised by a responsible adult.
- Children under 5 should have a responsible adult with them on the slide.
- Monitor children for wet clothes, chilling, frostbite, and fatigue.