Avocado Tales of Woe

[PixieGreen]

It seems like a good half of the avocados I buy are no good, and the other half I misjudge their ripeness by a few days.

The "bad" avos never ripen, have dark splotches and taste icky. I am beginning to realize the produce manager at Krogers knows absolutely nothing about produce after I had a discussion with him about basil. So half my problem is now solved as I'm not going to buy avos there anymore.

I puchased some avocados at walmart, and splurged on an organic one at our local health food store. Wow! Now I know what they are supposed to taste like! It's just not right that walmart's produce kicks my grocery store's behind in the produce dept, but there it is. [taught this anti-walmart snob a lesson!]

About those not-quite-ripe avocados... I'm hoping someone can tell me if it's possible to salvage avos that I cut open before they are fully ripe. Can I just put the halves back together again and leave them on the counter? I don't think they will ripen if I put them in the fridge. Is there a trick to it?

Christa

[Ahimsa]

The best way to ripen avocados is to place them in a paper bag. I usually buy really green avocados because I know that the likelyhood of the fruit being bruised is very small (because they are still so hard). I just put them in a paper bag when I get home and in 2-3 days I have a totally ripe avocado(s). If you don't have a paper bag handy you can place it next to (or on top of) a bunch of ripening banana's (the less green the better) this will help speed the ripening of the avo.

I don't think there is a way to salvage an avo you've already opened because the oxidation (turning brown) of the fruit will happen faster than it ripening. You couldn't put it in the fridge becuase it will slow down the ripening process so much that it still will get yucky and brown before it ever gets ripe.

Avo's are ripe when they give a little, like a peach or an almost perfectly ripe pear. If you think it is already ripe, stick it in the fridge and it will keep for a while. It took me a while to get the hang of avos too. There was a time I never opened one without asking for a second opinion :)

[PixieGreen]

Thanks, Ahimsa! My avo ripe-o-meter was out of whack because the avos I've purchased for the last six weeks were from the "bad place." The gross ones felt ripe but they were just rotten. The others wouldn't fully ripen; they would get 80% ripe then start to rot, so I've opened a few early to beat the ickyness. But I did guess correctly on the avos I bought elsewhere, so maybe I'm getting somewhere.

Thank you for the info on the paper bags and bananas. Do you know why paper bags work, do avos need darkness to ripen? If so I'd better move mine, I have my produce under a light since it encourages most of my produce to ripen. I only have two of the bad avos left and I'll try your methods, maybe they'll go from 80-100% ripe! Pity opened avos aren't salvageable, but I guess it brings a little drama to my raw life. :)

Christa

[RawTruth]

Perhaps the answer to why avos ripen faster in a paper bag is the same as with stone fruit -- the gases they give off are contained and the ripening is hastened. It's not the darkness; it has to be in a paper bag. But ... I like the answer of: just because! This was what my ex who owns an avocado orchard told me when he delivered a basket -- yes, a basket of avocados to me last year. They were green and hard. He said to put them in paper bags in stages so they wouldn't all ripen at once. When I asked why, he gave the above answer. Hey, worked for me! Unfortunately for me now that I'm raw and eating at least one a day, he's now selling the orchard, and, also, isn't really into sharing lately. :mad:

[PixieGreen]

I favor the "just because" explanation, too. Nice and simple.

A whole basket of avocados? If they tasted anything like the organic one I bought, more creamy than butter... well, let's just say I would have considered a reconciliation. :p

About that orchard; any chance he's sell it to ya real cheap?

Christa

[RawTruth]

Oh yeah -- those were such fantastic avocados. Organic, yep. He had so many and so sick of them, he was feeding them to his dog!! Aaargh!!

I wish he'd sell it to me! Even though it's in N. San Diego County (1-1/2 hrs. from me), I'd do it! Just to have so many I don't know what to do with 'em. I had a roommate a long time ago who'd smash them, spread them all over his body, and then lay out in the sun (sans clothing) till it was dried up and cracked. Claimed it gave him the smoothest skin. All I could think of was how much better they'd do in my tummy.

[heather]

i tend to like my fruit more green than ripe (bad habit, i know, but tell THAT to my taste buds!!) but when i purchase avocado, i only pick up the ones that are ROCK HARD. when it is just the slightest bit tender to touch, it is time to eat it. once it feels soft in my hand, when i go to cut into it, it had brown patches and tastes gross. if i let one get that soft, i will either throw it out (ouch!) or make it into guacamole.

[Ahimsa]

Raw Truth has it right. Ripening avos give off a gas called ethylene, like Raw truth stated, the paper bag traps it and voila, ripe avos really fast :) Banana's give off the same gas and that's why putting the avo next to ripening bananas will ripen the avo also. Mangos work by the same mechanism. Tomatoes too. You can paper bag them all (seperate or together) or if you want slightly slower ripening time put them all together on the counter.

Also, If you want your bananas to ripen slower you can seperate the bunch and place them in different places (different counters, etc.).

I couldn't imagine having a banana tree!! So many bananas would be ripe at the same time! I guess you'd just have to get creative :)

[vegangelist]

some avocadoes are best when they are very soft, but other varieties (i know b/c i have learned this the hard way) are ripe before they get soft and dark brown skin.

kristi