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THE CALIFORNIA AVOCADO  by Peter J. Leibert

About 150 years ago a Los Angeles physician with the name of Tom White imported the first avocado tree into Southern California. The fruit from this type of tree was domesticated long, long before that timeframe. In fact, the Aztecs used the name aoacatl for this same tree. Getting the “avocado tree” into California did not in itself result in the production of any large quantities of that fruit. That began to occur much later.

As the science of history goes, it was during the early 1900s before the best varieties from Mexico, and the best varieties from Guatemala were finally being imported and seriously considered as candidates for being commercial crops within California.

Those selected avocados, the varieties of Fuerte and Puebla from Mexico, and the varieties of Queen and Linda from Guatemala were considered at the time to have the most promise for resisting adverse diseases and for having good tolerance to the climate ranges found in Southern California.

In today’s terms, commercial avocado trees usually are grown in groves and most varieties become a comparatively tall tree. The avocado fruit itself is often pear-shaped and has a texture likened to a firm ripe banana, smooth and buttery, with a faintly nutty flavor.

The California avocado industry is currently dominated by a variety known as the Hass avocado. This variety was actually developed in Whittier, California. The Hass is dark-colored with a rough and bumpy skin. Most of the other varieties are more green and have smoother skin. Signs of ripeness also differ by variety. Here again, the Hass is unique as it starts turning black during the ripening process, while most other varieties remain green.

Typically, avocados must reach full maturity before they get picked. In other words, they do not soften on the tree unless the fruits are diseased. One way of looking at this is that the tree is being used as a warehouse. The fruit can be kept on the tree for many months after the fruit has reached maturity.

When you do pick the fruit, you can ripen it on the kitchen counter at room temperature, or speed the process by placing it in a sealed plastic bag with a ripe banana. Avocados yield to gentle pressure as the fruit becomes ripe. (Softer for guacamole, more firm for slicing). The storage of unripened fruit in the refrigerator is not recommended, but ripe fruit should be stored (for up to 10 days) in the refrigerator vegetable drawer. To freeze avocados, puree the flesh with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice per 2 avocados, and place in an air-evacuated container.

Avocados are used in salads and in the ever popular guacamole. It also is used in making breads, desserts, main dishes, and non-culinary creams for facials and body massages.

Buena Park Chorus Newsletter - September 2004