Avocado – Aguacate

Technically, the Avocado is a fruit. The fruit of a beautiful tree native to Central America. It comes in many shapes. The different variations have diverse skins and colors, ranging from the common avocado green to very dark purple, and from smooth to very bumpy skin. The meat is yellow and soft when ripe. Inside there is a single pit.

Growing up there were 3 avocado trees in our yard. One had huge avocados but didn’t yield many. The second was a huge tree that yielded many large avocados with hardly any fiber, more like a huge Hass. The third one had many little ones. I imagine they were Hass, but we didn’t know that’s what they were. We had so many that my mother filled supermarket paper bags full and sent them to the neighborhood.

When choosing a Florida avocado look for an avocado that rattles when shaken; this means that the pit is loose and it was picked at the right time and will ripen nicely.  If this is not possible, then make sure they have no bruises…That goes for all the variations.

The small Hass avocados are wonderful, but you have to pick them before they turn black to guarantee they didn’t get bruised. The seed won’t ever rattle on these since they are always picked green. Test for softness. It should feel soft to the touch but should not yield.

To prevent an avocado from turning black after you cut it, leave the pit with the meat until ready to serve and sprinkle with lime juice. This also helps to diminish its tendency to cause gas.