CHECK OUT : BABY KIWIS.

Byline: - Daily News Staff and Wire Services

They're called baby kiwis because inside, these inch-long specimens look and taste similar to regular kiwis (we found the babies sweeter and not as sour). But they have no fuzz. ``We like to say we have a contract with Remington,'' said Mark Hurst, the owner of Hurst's Berry Farm in Sheridan, Ore., a grower of baby kiwis, which are available nationally through the end of the month.

Despite their name, baby kiwis are actually mature fruit, a variety developed in Russia at least 50 years ago. (All kiwis originated in China. They were introduced as Chinese gooseberries in New Zealand in 1906. After New Zealand developed an international market for the fruit in the 1950s, the name was changed to kiwi.)

The babies have thin, smooth, gray-green skins, and they look something like olives. When ripe, they are soft (do not try to eat hard). The best part is they can be eaten skin and all, making them convenient for salads or for children's lunch boxes. Each baby kiwi has four or five calories. Like regular kiwis, they are rich in vitamin C.

Available at selected Ralphs and Trader Joe's, they sell for around $2 for a six-ounce basket, about 30 kiwis.

Commemorative stamp

One of the newest 32-cent stamps on the U.S. Postal Service menu is a nifty Sunbeam Mixmaster, part of a salute to the 1930s in its ``Celebrate the Century'' commemorative stamp program. The stamp, sold as one of 15 in the collection for $4.80, was chosen to represent ``Household Conveniences.''

Freebie leaflet

Favorite Brands International, makers of Farley's Caramels, has expanded its line of the Original Chewy Caramels with the addition of Cappuccino, Caramel Apple and Chocolate flavors to Traditional Vanilla. The individually wrapped caramels are available in 14-ounce bags (suggested retail $1.99) and 9.5-ounce hanging bags (2 for $3) at grocery stores and mass merchandisers.

Besides snacking on them out of the bag, try the new flavors as a recipe ingredient. To get you started, order a free copy of a new booklet from Farley's Kitchens with 11 tempting-sounding recipes including Caramel Apple Bread Pudding, the Ultimate Caramel Chocolate Pecan Pie and Mixed Nut Caramel Bars. Send a self-addressed, stamped, business-sized envelope to Caramel Creations: Favorite Recipes from Farley's Kitchens, Favorite Brands International, Dept. C, Tri State International, Suite 400, Lincolnshire, Ill. 60069.

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3 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) no caption (Baby kiwis)

(2--Color) no caption (Sunbeam Mixmaster stamp)

(3--Color) no caption (Caramel Creations: Favorite Recipes from Farley's Kitchens)