15 + 16 points
Strange Foods by A F
June 2nd, 2006 8:20 PM
Avocado being one of my favorite fruits, and being a California girl I ought to know about them... species:nubigena . genus: Persea. family: Lauraceae
The California Hass Avocado, as we know it today started its ecological journey in Mexico around 6,000 BC, but was first cultivated in Peru around 750BC by the Inca (they never cease to amaze me), about 200 years later Mexico got on the band wagon. When the Spaniards came into Mexico they jumbled the Aztec name to the now known "Avocado". In the 1800's some guy from Santa Barbara started cross breeding and creating the best avocado he could. in the 1930's the Hass was patented. One tree can create up to 500 avocatos a year (about how many I would like to eat). most of the US avocados come out of San Diego County and is harvested year round. they need well drained soil (sandy loam), sun, heat (no frost), and water (but not too much) to grow well. most avocado crops are fertilized with a NPK and a Zinc fertilizer. A seedling will take up to ten years before it bears fruit.
The California Avocado Comission gives the home grower a step by step guide on growing your own avocado:
# Wash the seed. Using three toothpicks, suspend it broad end down over a water-filled glass to cover about an inch of the seed.
# Put it in a warm place out of direct sunlight and replenish water as needed. You should see roots and stem sprout in about two to six weeks.
# When the stem is six to seven inches long, cut it back to about three inches.
# When the roots are thick and the stem has leafed out again, plant it in a rich humus soil in a 10-1/2" diameter pot, leaving the seed half exposed.
# Give it frequent, light waterings with an occasional deep soak. Generally, the soil should be moist but not saturated. Yellowing leaves are a sign of over-watering; let the plant dry out for a few days.
# The more sunlight, the better.
# If leaves turn brown and fry at the tips, too much salt has accumulated in the soil. Let water run freely into the pot and drain for several minutes.
# When the stem is 12 inches high, cut it back to 6 inches to encourage the growth of new shoots.
# Don't expect your house plant to bear fruit. Although this does occur occasionally, it usually requires grafting. A plant grown from seed will take anywhere from five to 13 years to flower and bear fruit. Fruit on trees grown from seeds are seldom good to eat.
my favorite part is how they tell you not to expect fruit. thats the whole point!
some interesting things about California Avocados that i came across:
-- they rank among the lowest of all fruits and vegetables for pesticide use (this is because pests don't really bother the trees, there is a virus and two fungi that have to do with moisture that do more damage to the trees than bugs)
--in one year, a single California avocado tree can absorb as much carbon as is produced by a car driven 26,000 miles. thank goddness for that one!
-- sodium and cholesterol free, five grams of fat, monounsaturated kind. whats not to like about these guys?
and just to be nice here are a few recipes:
Avocado Bread
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup mashed avocado (1 medium avocado)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to blend thoroughly. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and avocado. Stir in the buttermilk. Add to the dry ingredients and blend well. Stir in the pecans. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Avocado Sorbet
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2 cups water
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
3 avocados, seeded, peeled and mashed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
Fresh raspberries and crisp cookies, optional
Bring sugar, corn syrup and water to boil in large saucepan. Remove
from heat; stir in lime peel. Cool 50 to 60 minutes. Blend avocados
and lemon and lime juice in blender or food processor until smooth.
Add cooled sugar mixture; blend until thoroughly combined. Pour into
13 x 9 x 2 inch pan or 2 smaller pans so depth is about 1/2 inch.
Freeze 1 hour. Remove sorbet from freezer, beat 2 to 3 minutes until
light and creamy. Pour back into pan; cover with plastic wrap and
freeze until firm, about 4 hours. Serve sorbet with fresh raspberries
and crisp cookies.
Prosciutto/Salmon Wraps
2 avocados, seeded and peeled
8 slices each prosciutto and smoked salmon
Fresh lemon or lime
Cut each avocado into 8 slices. Diagonally wrap each with a
prosciutto or salmon slice. Arrange wraps on serving platter,
garnish with lemon or lime and serve.
The California Hass Avocado, as we know it today started its ecological journey in Mexico around 6,000 BC, but was first cultivated in Peru around 750BC by the Inca (they never cease to amaze me), about 200 years later Mexico got on the band wagon. When the Spaniards came into Mexico they jumbled the Aztec name to the now known "Avocado". In the 1800's some guy from Santa Barbara started cross breeding and creating the best avocado he could. in the 1930's the Hass was patented. One tree can create up to 500 avocatos a year (about how many I would like to eat). most of the US avocados come out of San Diego County and is harvested year round. they need well drained soil (sandy loam), sun, heat (no frost), and water (but not too much) to grow well. most avocado crops are fertilized with a NPK and a Zinc fertilizer. A seedling will take up to ten years before it bears fruit.
The California Avocado Comission gives the home grower a step by step guide on growing your own avocado:
# Wash the seed. Using three toothpicks, suspend it broad end down over a water-filled glass to cover about an inch of the seed.
# Put it in a warm place out of direct sunlight and replenish water as needed. You should see roots and stem sprout in about two to six weeks.
# When the stem is six to seven inches long, cut it back to about three inches.
# When the roots are thick and the stem has leafed out again, plant it in a rich humus soil in a 10-1/2" diameter pot, leaving the seed half exposed.
# Give it frequent, light waterings with an occasional deep soak. Generally, the soil should be moist but not saturated. Yellowing leaves are a sign of over-watering; let the plant dry out for a few days.
# The more sunlight, the better.
# If leaves turn brown and fry at the tips, too much salt has accumulated in the soil. Let water run freely into the pot and drain for several minutes.
# When the stem is 12 inches high, cut it back to 6 inches to encourage the growth of new shoots.
# Don't expect your house plant to bear fruit. Although this does occur occasionally, it usually requires grafting. A plant grown from seed will take anywhere from five to 13 years to flower and bear fruit. Fruit on trees grown from seeds are seldom good to eat.
my favorite part is how they tell you not to expect fruit. thats the whole point!
some interesting things about California Avocados that i came across:
-- they rank among the lowest of all fruits and vegetables for pesticide use (this is because pests don't really bother the trees, there is a virus and two fungi that have to do with moisture that do more damage to the trees than bugs)
--in one year, a single California avocado tree can absorb as much carbon as is produced by a car driven 26,000 miles. thank goddness for that one!
-- sodium and cholesterol free, five grams of fat, monounsaturated kind. whats not to like about these guys?
and just to be nice here are a few recipes:
Avocado Bread
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup mashed avocado (1 medium avocado)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to blend thoroughly. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and avocado. Stir in the buttermilk. Add to the dry ingredients and blend well. Stir in the pecans. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Avocado Sorbet
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2 cups water
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
3 avocados, seeded, peeled and mashed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
Fresh raspberries and crisp cookies, optional
Bring sugar, corn syrup and water to boil in large saucepan. Remove
from heat; stir in lime peel. Cool 50 to 60 minutes. Blend avocados
and lemon and lime juice in blender or food processor until smooth.
Add cooled sugar mixture; blend until thoroughly combined. Pour into
13 x 9 x 2 inch pan or 2 smaller pans so depth is about 1/2 inch.
Freeze 1 hour. Remove sorbet from freezer, beat 2 to 3 minutes until
light and creamy. Pour back into pan; cover with plastic wrap and
freeze until firm, about 4 hours. Serve sorbet with fresh raspberries
and crisp cookies.
Prosciutto/Salmon Wraps
2 avocados, seeded and peeled
8 slices each prosciutto and smoked salmon
Fresh lemon or lime
Cut each avocado into 8 slices. Diagonally wrap each with a
prosciutto or salmon slice. Arrange wraps on serving platter,
garnish with lemon or lime and serve.
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posted by Cameron on June 2nd, 2006 10:41 PM
Cameron really doesn't like avocados. He can't tell you why, either.
But he does like exhaustive research and recipies.
Avocados rock, I had half of one last night, it was awsometastic.