Thank you to California Grown for encouraging me to connect with California growers and encouraging California consumers to "Choose California Grown" when they can.
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When you think of winter fruits, what do you think of? Pomegranates, cranberries, pears, persimmons... If you're a fan of serving healthy seasonal foods to your family that is locally or domestically grown, you may want to add another fruit, low in calories and high in antioxidants, to your list of winter favorites -- The Kiwifruit! Fuzzy as a newborn reindeer on the outside and green as mistletoe on the inside, this funky little fruit is simply bursting with holiday spirit!
As a lifelong resident of California, I was surprised to learn that my home state produces around 98 percent of the kiwifruit grown in the United States. California has nearly 300 kiwifruit growers who spend around $18.1 million annually in the state -- contributing significantly to both the state and local economies.
Buying locally grown produce is important to my family, not only because of the positive effects it has on our local economy, but because I know I can always count on fresh, high-quality products from people in my own "backyard". I was especially excited to have the opportunity to connect with the growers who sent me two beautiful crates of kiwifruit, J.T. & Jasbir Kullar of Kullar Farms & Sunrise Kiwi Packing in Gridley, California.
My family loves kiwifruit! My husband started a tradition last year on Dr. Suess's birthday by peeling kiwis for the girls and serving them up whole as "Green Eggs". Now "Green Eggs" are a favorite snack in our home!
The girls were excited to learn that the kiwis we enjoyed this week came from a farm right up North. We had fun looking at the California Grown website and the girls took pride in learning about the other homegrown agricultural products in our state: Avocados, Cherries, Pears and fresh flowers! Next time we're at the grocery store, we're going to look for the CA Grown label.
With so many fresh kiwis at our fingertips, my husband and I were both inspired to get creative. I immediately thought of a refreshing Kiwi Sorbet garnished with pomegranate arils for a healthy holiday dessert (recipe HERE).
My husband wondered, "can you bake with kiwi?". "Hmmm...." I mused, "I've never heard of a kiwi pie." My husband loves a culinary challenge, and I'd call this one a definite success. He replaced classic holiday plums with tart kiwifruit for his Kiwi Tea Cake. Delicious!
Kiwi Tea Cake
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 /1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ cup sour cream
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
12 Tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks) softened1 large egg
4 egg yolks
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites
5-6 kiwis, sliced
3 Tablespoons apricot preserves
1 Tablespoon water
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9" springform pan.
Step 2: In a large bowl, sift dry ingredients. Set aside.
Step 3: In a medium bowl, stir sour cream and buttermilk until it thickens.
Step 4: In a small bowl, whisk egg, egg yolks 3/4 cup of the sour cream mixture and vanilla
Step 5: In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, combine dry ingredients and the egg mixture. Slowly add butter.
Step 6: Add the remaining sour cream mixture and stir to combine.
Step 7: In a separate bowl, beat egg whites to a soft peak. Add to the batter and mix until thoroughly incorporated.
Step 8: Pour batter into the prepared pan and arrange kiwi slices on top.
Step 9: Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before removing from pan.
Step 10: While cake is cooling, heat preserves and water to create a glaze. Brush glaze on top of the cake.
Serve warm or cold with fresh whipped cream.
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Thank you again to California Grown for sponsoring this blog post. Please
click here to learn more about all of California Grown growers. I was selected for this sponsorship by the
Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own. #CleverCAGrown #spon
