Fruit Matatabi (Fully ripened silver vine)

In Abashiri, they call the fully ripened fruit of silver vine Fruit Matatabi. It is also registered as a special product.
Silver vine belongs to Actinidia of Actinidiaceae, which is the same as kiwi fruit. It is a climbing deciduous shrub that grows naturally on lower mountains and can be seen everywhere in Japan. In early summer, it has white blossoms. When it ripens, it has 2.5 to 4cm long, acorn?shaped, yellow fruit. In the case of cultivation, they wait until October and November. When white stripes appear on the fruit, they harvest it. It is said that it has five times as much Vitamin C as kiwi fruit and strawberry. In 1985, Abashiri Agricultural Cooperative purchased about thirty thousand Hon Matatabi from Niigata Prefecture and began growing it. Since 2003, Abashiri Farm Products Processing Institute has developed Matatabi Puree and Matatabi Dried Fruit. The company sells foods in which these products are used. Today, there are five hundred fully ripened silver vines growing at five different locations. At the most, they harvest 500kg every year.