What's ripe: There's gold in these kiwis

Americans have fallen in love with the tiny, fuzzy, emerald-green kiwifruit. Today, there's a new kiwi on the block. And it's neither fuzzy nor emerald-green inside. It was developed in New Zealand and first released in 2000. Its popularity has steadily grown to the point where many consumers can't wait to go for the gold.

The familiar variety of fuzzy, green kiwifruit is called a Hayward variety. However, there are more than 60 varieties of so-called Chinese gooseberries grown in China. One of those is small, fuzz-less and a brilliant yellow inside. New Zealand growers began crossing the large Hayward with a small golden variety. What New Zealand growers developed is called a Zespri Gold kiwifruit. It's the same size as our familiar kiwi, but it is fuzzless and has a funny- looking beak on top. Its real treasure is inside. When ripe, it is a rich golden color that matches its rich, more-intense flavor.

Please don't leave these kiwis in the open air to ripen. They have no natural oils on them and will just shrivel before fully ripening. Keep them covered to ripen on your countertop.

They should retail for between 39 cents and 59 cents each. Make a gold kiwifruit salsa and use it on grilled salmon.

-- Michael Marks

In the bins	Growing area	Nutrition	Price	Buying tips
Zucchini	Fresno, local	low calories	59 cents to 79 cents per pound	Larger sizes will have larger seeds, which "melt" when cooked; try to find smaller zucchini, which have smaller seeds.
Bing cherries	Washington	vitamin C	$1.99 to $2.99 per pound	Don't delay in enjoying the last of the Bings from Washington state; these Bings quickly will go bye-bye for the year.
Bell peppers	Salinas, Fresno, Bakersfield	vitamin C	69 cents to 79 cents per pound	Keep the peppers refrigerated in a plastic bag to help prevent dehydration. At the store, rub two of them together; if they squeak, they're fresh.
Portobello mushrooms	Watsonville	iron	$4.99 to $5.99 per pound	Before grilling your portobellos, scrape out the "gills" with a spoon, then bake them at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. This ensures a perfect grilled mushroom.

Source: Michael Marks, known as "Your Produce Man" during the noon news Mondays on Channel 13 (KOVR), has been in the produce industry for more than 25 years.