What would our lives be without amazing creamy and delicious avocados to swoon over? It is pretty clear that we are beyond grateful to have them and to be able to enjoy them on the daily. It is without a flinch that we can passionately claim that avocados make everything better. Everything. So, naturally, we have decided to dig into this green world of avocados (also called aguacate in Mexico and paltas in Chile) and bring you an extensive Guide to Avocados.
It seems like yesterday when avocados were not very easy to come by and even if you did, they were seriously expensive. Thankfully, now you can find them everywhere, and if you look closely, you can find some pretty amazing deals. We’ve even seen them for 50 cents each! Having grown up eating avocado toast left and center, I was not surprised to see the boom of this simple and sometimes addictive concoction and see it become a MUST in every restaurant.
Did you know that Mexico is the biggest consumer (and producer) of avocados in the world? Although I haven’t yet experienced it, they say you haven’t tried an avocado until you’ve eaten one in Mexico.
They are the fruit grown by the avocado tree. Technically a berry, this fruit has a single large seed and a creamy buttery texture. They grow in tropical and Mediterranean climates and are partly self-pollinated. Originally from Central America, the different varieties have evolved over time and grow all over the world.
If you thought that there was just one avocado, you’re very wrong. There are many different varieties with completely different textures, flavors, and looks. Want to expand your avocado knowledge? Let’s take a look at some of those varieties:
Also referred to as “nature’s butter,” these gorgeous fruits are really that healthy. It’s not often that amazing flavor, creamy texture, and incredible nutritional benefits align in one food, so we are pretty determined to make the best of this gift of nature. They contain an array of vitamins like K, C, B5, B6, E and it's also very high in Potassium (even more than bananas!), and, the very coveted, monounsaturated fatty acids.
Unlike other sources of fat like oils, this amazing fruit also contains fiber and antioxidants, so eating them regularly is like a triple or quadruple win.
You can always find them in your local grocery store, but if you’d like to find them a bit fresher you will find them at your local farmers market or farmstand. Try to experiment with the different varieties and see which ones you like the most. Some might work best for some preparations than others. Also, try to remember, since Hass is the most sought-after type of avocado, the other varieties tend to be cheaper.
This seems to be the million-dollar question. Are there any amazing tips that might help you choose the best possible avocado? The answer is yes. There are some small things you can take into consideration before committing to the avocados you choose at the store:
It depends on what you’re after. We advise buying a few that are ready or very close to being ready to eat and a few more which still need some time to ripen, that way you’ll always have perfect avocados at home.
Keeping in mind that avocados don’t ripen in the tree but once already harvested, there are several things you can do to rush the process:
Often we encounter the issue of not being able to finish an entire avocado in one sitting and then having to discard the rest because they tend to go brown so quickly. There are few things that we can do to delay that process so that we don’t have to waste that precious avocado leftover:
All of these tips seem to prevent the oxidation process from happening too fast, so it might delay it a bit but not prevent it. If you know for sure you won’t be eating the leftovers the next day, then it might be a good idea to freeze the avocado chunks for some creamy future smoothies.
If you haven’t sliced it open yet and it is looking ripe, we advise storing them inside your refrigerator until ready to use.
Once open, we recommend placing it in an airtight container.
We hope you give this green beauty a try and experiment with all it has to offer! Avocados are an important part of a healthy plant-based diet, so enjoy!
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