To check for ripeness and know when your avocado is ready to eat, gently squeeze the fruit in the palm of your hand (avoid using your fingertips). When the avocado yields to gentle pressure, they're ready to eat.
Avocados do not "ripen" or "soften" on the tree, they ripen after they have been harvested. Depending on the time of the season, avocados can take anywhere from two to seven days to ripen when stored at room temperature. You can ripen your avocado faster by placing your avocados in a paper bag with an apple for 2 to 3 days at room temperature.
Before eating, cutting or cooking any fresh produce be sure to wash it under running water. Dry and place the avocado lengthwise on a secure surface. Hold the avocado securely with one hand and slice slowly down the center lengthwise around the seed, starting at the narrower end. Finally, hold the avocado in the palm of one hand, while using your other hand to twist and rotate the two halves apart. Use a spoon to remove the pit. Check out our helpful step by step video on how to cut, slice, peel, and pit avocados today.
Yes. Wash ripe/ready avocados with the skin and then cut in half and remove the pit and peel. Next, cut the avocado in quarters and put in a freezer bag. Frozen slices can go straight in the blender for your next smoothie. Read our step-by-step instructions for freezing avocados, today.
Avocados do not ripen on the tree, they actually “soften” after they have been harvested. To ripen avocados quickly, we recommend placing unripe avocados in a paper bag with a banana or apple for a few days until they are ripe. If you are still wondering how best to ripen avocados faster, read more avocado ripening tips and tricks today!
Avocado and/or guacamole turn brown because of oxidation (exposure to air). By brushing the fruit or guacamole with an acidic agent such as lemon or lime juice and placing the avocado or dish in an air-tight container in your refrigerator you can help delay the oxidation process.
Placing the avocado seed in guacamole may help maintain the color of the guacamole because the seed reduces the amount of surface area that is exposed to air (minimizing oxidization). We recommend covering your guacamole with clear plastic wrap or placing in an air-tight container if you prepare in advance and want to store in the refrigerator for a few hours. Learn more tips and tricks for preserving avocados today.
Black streaks in an avocado describes a relatively rare occurrence generally found in fruit from young trees. Although the fibers may be unsightly, the surrounding fruit is safe for your consumption.
Avocados with brown or black spots – often called flesh discolorations – occurs when the avocado has been exposed to cold temperatures for a long period of time before it begins the ripening process. Flesh bruising can occur in transit or as a result of compression caused by excessive handling. Unfortunately, there is no way to detect either flesh discoloration or flesh bruising by looking at the avocado's exterior. These brown or black spots are not harmful and the remaining avocado can be enjoyed by cutting out the discolored spots.
We do not recommend eating "browned" or oxidized portions of the fruit. Overly ripe avocado can take on a rancid odor and is therefore best not to eat the fruit. If the avocado or guacamole has oxidized (turned brown) on the top layer and the underneath is green, simply discard the brown layer.
Fresh avocados are easy to love beyond taste. Avocados are healthy; the good fats in avocados can play important roles in your diet and health. They can help with nutrient absorption; with the predominant fat being unsaturated fat, avocados can be substituted for foods higher in saturated fat such as butter and other full-fat spreads. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats can reduce the LDL (bad) cholesterol level in the blood, which can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. Fresh avocados have also been certified as the American Heart Association as "Heart Healthy". Visit our FAQs about avocado nutrition to learn more.
The USDA site has a great tool in which you can search for the exact nutrition analysis or food composition for avocados and other items. Visit USDA Food Composition Databases for more information.
As Hass avocados are grown throughout the world, you can buy them all year long at your local supermarket, grocery store or farmers market; look for the PLU sticker numbers: 4770, 4225, 4046. Still wondering the best way to identify Hass Avocados? Learn more about avocados and distinguishing varieties today.
Many factors contribute to the demand and pricing of avocados. Around holidays retailers face demand that causes avocado prices to fluctuate. At other points in the year, price changes can be the result of inflation, the rise in growing costs, or crop supplies that don’t meet the huge demand. The unpredictability of Mother Nature can also play a role in affecting the price of our favorite fruit. From time-to-time, individual retail stores will have promotions, coupons or discounts on avocados.
Depending on your need or even creativity, avocados can be purchased in a variety of sizes and quantities. You may find them in small, medium, or large varieties, or even bundled in a bag for convenience. We recommend purchasing fruit that is green and allowing it to ripen at home in order to space out eating avocados every day.
The Hass avocado variety represents the majority of avocados consumed in the United States. Each variety of avocado has its own varietal characteristics. For example, Hass avocados are known as the "year-round avocado" because of their availability. The Hass avocados in your grocers' produce section are primarily grown in California, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, and The Dominican Republic and Colombia. That assures a ready supply of fresh fruit 365 days a year. Hass avocados are oval shaped, with a small to medium-sized seed, they range in weight from 5 to 12 ounces, and have a creamy texture with a great taste. They also have a distinctive skin that may turn from dark green to purplish-black when ripe. Learn more about Hass avocados.
It is spelled HASS and spoken to rhyme with "pass." Postman Rudolph Hass planted this seedling in his front yard and gave it the "Hass" varietal name. He patented it in 1935 (plant patent No. 139) and died in 1952, never realizing how important the variety would be to the global avocado industry.
The Hass Avocado Board (HAB) exists to help make avocados America’s most popular fruit. HAB is the only avocado organization that equips the entire global industry for success by collecting, focusing and distributing investments to maintain and expand demand for avocados in the United States. HAB provides the industry with consolidated supply and market data, conducts nutrition research, educates health professionals, and brings people together from all corners of the industry to collectively work towards growth that benefits everyone. The organization also collects and reallocates funds to California and importer associations to benefit specific countries of origin in promoting their avocado brands to customers and consumers across the United States. HAB is not involved in the purchase or sale of avocados or avocado related products.
