Kiwi Berry Seeds

My grandparents say they could live off what the rest of our family throws away. I think about that often and feel a pang of regret. It is not that I want to waste or think it is negligible; I just get busy and lose track of my pantry and fridge.

Once again, I am resolving to cut down on waste in our household. I was dismayed as I did an in-depth post-holidays purge of the fridge - especially when I spied a little clamshell of shriveled kiwi berries.

I remember devouring several containers from our weekly produce bin back in October. How in the world did we let a pack get lost in the back of the fridge? What a tragic waste!

I have been drooling over hardy kiwi/kiwi berry plants on several gardening sites. I think I may have talked myself into ordering this collection or maybe this. 

In the meantime, I decided to try and salvage the seeds from the berry mummies I had on hand. I pressed them into a strainer and rinsed the flesh away - much easier if you peel the skin off first, by the way.  Then I planted them in some soil in a covered container and placed the container in my African Violet/Streptocarpus window. 

I didn't find much information on covering or not covering the seeds or even if they would germinate after their months in the fridge. Maybe I just entertained myself for 20 minutes or assuaged my food-waste guilt, but maybe, just maybe I'll get some seedlings. And maybe, just maybe I'll get a kiwi berry or two in - 4-8 years. 

ETA: I just added Issai to an existing fruit order. How did I miss that it is self-fertile? That might be a better foray into kiwi berries than a large collection. Although some sites say it performs better with a male pollinator. I guess we will see.