In the Last post we discussed planting methods and history of the avocado. In this segment we will discuss harvesting, some of the different varieties.
Mexico is the largest producer of avocados, U.S America is the second largest . California is where most U.S.American avocados are grown (90% of crops originate there ). It is a flourishing business with over 5,000 registered growers that produce about 400 million pounds of avocados a year. An indevidual avocado tree can grow to be 18 meters high (60 feet ) and produce 200 to 500 avocados .
The rest of american avocados are grown in Florida and Hawaii it is a very lucrative industry.
Avocados are harvested by hand, even in a commercial setting the pickers work from the ground, use ladders, and/or remove the fruit using a harvesting pole ( a device that uses a pull cord and blades to harvest into an attached bag ). Unlike most other fruit, that are ideally harvested in peak ripeness, avocados are harvested un their unripe state. A professional picker can pluck about 3,600 avocados a day using the specially equipped pole. Fickle as always our avocado makes harvesting her fruit a bit challenging as well. Pick them too early and they will not ripen properly , pick them too late and they will rot on the tree.
Avocados are usually ready in autumn (September is often the month ), if you are growing inside it might vary. As mentioned before, avocados do not give us the same ripening cues as most other fruit, they don’t dramatically change colour or soften consistently to indicate that they are ready . Left on the tree too long the avocado will often rot before it falls to the ground so it is always best to pick them while they are immature and let them ripen off the tree.
To get a bit of a feel for it you can do a test plucking. Harvest one or two of the largest fruit , put them on a counter or shelf and give them a week to ripen. if they become soft ripe and ready to eat you chose the right size. If they rot or shrivel you picked them too soon. If you first test failed do it again until you get it right and have the proper feel for it.
As avocados do not grow symmetrically (meaning all fruit ripen at the same time ) You can leave fruit on the tree for a few weeks and pluck the biggest ones, when you need them. Eventually however, you are going to have to harvest the whole tree if you have a big tree be prepared to make a lot of guacamole or be giving neighbours friends & family little green gifts. Avocados ripen best at temperatures of 6° to 24°C (60° to 75°F ) . If the temperature is higher than that the fruit can ripen unevenly and can end up tasting weird . You can cold store avocados to slow the ripening process . The lowest safe storage temperatures before fruit ripen is 13°C (55°F ) for West Indian and around 4°C (40° F) or most other varieties.
If you store them to cold the fruit might develop what they call a chilling injury which you can recognise by a browning or darkening of the skin and/or graybrown discolouration of the flesh. ripe fruit however can be stored in the refrigerator .
There are hundreds of avocado varieties on this planet and even more hybrid varieties to many to list here. They are grouped into three main types Mexican, Guatemalan and West Indian. The most popular two verities today are Fuerte and Hass. these are the ones you are most likely to see in a grocery store or market.
Mexican avocados take eight months from bloom to peak harvest. They are the “early birds” of the avocado varieties and start to produce fruit around January and February. The fruit is ready to harvest around June to October.
West Indian Avocados are also speedy growers and mature in a maximum of 8 months. The trees flowers in February or March and is ready to harvest around the May or September.
Here an infographic (I did not make this ) that shows the 50 most common varieties
Let us look into a few popular types to give you a feel of their diversity:
The bacon avocado is a California variety, oval in shape with green skin. It is Medium large in size. they are said to be more delicate taste than some other varieties.
The Choquette is a Florida verity with smooth, glossy skin. Its flesh has less oils and is more watery. The fruit often leaks when cut.
The fuerte avocado is a Mexican variety, grown mostly in Mexico and Central America. It is a hybrid cultivated from Mexican and Guatemalan varieties. It is one of the most popular varieties world wide. Distinctly pear shaped with an easy to remove skin and supple oily flesh it's taste is often compared to hazelnuts. Until a few years ago it was the most popular avocado in the United States now replaced by the Hass.
Currently the most popular avocado around and considered by many to be the best. Spherical in shape it boasts an intense flavour (often described as nutty or buttery) and creamy flesh. Its skin turns from a bold green to a dark purplish-black as it ripens.
Rudolph Hass, a postman with a knack for growing things , imported a Guatemalan verity which he then refined and patented. The Hass is also very popular in Israel where they are grown and in great parts supply the European continent.
The Ettinger is another avocado that is popularly grown in Israel.
It is medium large in size, with a large seed and has a fine bright green shiny skin. The flesh tends to yellow and is very soft which makes it perfect for smoothies and blended recipes.
The Mexicola is a small, plum size variety from California. Its skin is black and the flesh has an exceptionally high oil content which gives it a buttery taste. What makes this one special is that you can not only eat the flesh but the skin and the leaves as well. The leaves are popularly used in some Mexican dishes as seasoning,
The Reed avocado is a colossus and only available in summer. The veritable giant weighs about a pound (0.5 kilograms ) on average and is the size of a softball. The worlds largest avocado, to date, weighed in at a whopping five and a half pounds (2.9 kilograms ) and was as big as a human head. It was grown in Hawaii and was believed to be a Reed. Reed avocados take about year to grow to maturity.
Its skin is green and remains the same colour throughout its ripening process. flavour wise it is more subtle than most verities .
This wraps up this avocado segment next time we will look into how to grow avocado trees indoors until then stay safe and don't over water your avocados 🙃
Other Gardening &/or food posts posts
The Avocado Part twoThe Avocado Part one
Plant Based Vitamins , Minerals & essential Nutrients food list
Tomatoes , how to plant them
Let them eat Tygers Orange/Lemon Cake-Repost
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