Rugged Avocadoist

How does one know when an avocado is ready for use in say, a burrito? – Darth


A little squeeze is the best indicator: All varieties of avocados ripen from the broad end and the stem softens last. So give it a little squeeze about half way between the thickest part and the stem - the avocado should react to your touch, give a little but not completely cave in at the slightest the pressure. If your touch leaves a dent it is still useable but might be better suited for guacamole.

Avocados have a few odd characteristics – they are part of that list that sounds a bit like a Jeopardy category - Fruits used as vegetables, “What are olives, Alex”. The fruit doesn’t ripen on the tree, it is only after the avocado is picked the ripening process begins. In effect it is stored on the tree, picked hard, shipped and will ripen completely within a week of having been plucked from the branch.

Although the list sounds collectively like the cast of a PBS children’s show: Bacon, Fuerte, Lulu, Pinkerton, Reed and Zutano, these are in fact the names of some of Avocado’s lesser know varieties. Some are green and smooth, some oval, most are contoured in the familiar pear form and occasionally you will find a ‘Cocktail Avocado’ - pickle shaped and seedless but mostly stores carry the Hass. 85% to 95% of what California ships to market is the pebbly black skinned Hass Avocado, and with some exceptions from growers in Florida, Texas and a few imports, California is supplier to the domestic market.

The Hass was a spontaneous generation, every Hass tree descended from a single progenitor - first cultivated in the mid-1920s & patented in 1935. The variety quickly became dominant because of its high yields and shipability. Unlike other fruits and vegetables that are prevalent in the market because they hold up well during transportation and have a long shelf life: The Hass actually tastes good. It could be the fat talking: all avocado varieties are rich in fat, about 30% - equivalent to the fat content of whipping cream.

Rather than trying to find a perfect avocado in the store, buy them hard. You can soften a hard avocado by heating it but this doesn’t ripen the fruit and some find the the taste egg-y: like a vegetal flan but not in a good way. If you need to accelerate the ripening process, place the fruits in a paper bag on a countertop (adding an ethylene-emitting banana to the bag will speed the process more). Once the avocado is ripe, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days. Because of the high fat content you can freeze the avocado flesh. Although the flavor won’t suffer, the texture will and if wasn’t going to be used as guacamole going into the freezer, it will by the time it thaws out.

Good luck staying burrito ready, Darth.