Pickled Avocados
Do you ever find yourself with too many ripe avocados on your hands? Or perhaps you see them for sale at the store or a road side stand and wish you could take advantage of that opportunity?
If you do -- here's something to try -- you might find yourself a way to enjoy some avocados in mid-winter by preserving them with an old fashioned method - pickling! Let us know if you try it and how
New World Chicken
I adapted this recipe from a “Mediterranean Diet” recipe so
that it uses California avocado 3 ways in order to take advantage of the healthy
properties in avocados – the “New World’s” answer for olives. I also use
California olives, California wine and California lemon too.
In this one pot meal, we will use avocado oil, avocado leaves and finish with chopped avocado (instead of sour
Are Avocados GMO?!
A normal (yet large) winter avocado next to a normal sized Hass
I often get asked if there are any genetically modified organism (GMO) avocados.
In short, the answer is NO... not yet (as of June 2012).
Here's the longer answer....
A. GMO means: "A genetically modified organism (GMO) or genetically engineered organism (GEO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic
Which Avocado is the BEST?!
Reed, Hass and Lamb varieties
Various heirloom tomatoes at the local farm
People often ask the Avocado Diva questions like...
a. Which avocado is the BEST?
b. What is a "heritage" avocado?
c. What is your favorite avocado?
d. Which one should I buy?
So here's some answers for ya.....
a. The BEST avocado is the one that is in season.
b. A "heritage" avocado is like an "heirloom"
Real Food Doesn't Need a Label
I think that this graphic just about says it all.
But if this heritage avocado DID have a label - here are some of the wonderful things it might say:
KIND OF AVOCADO: A rare "Matthew Davis" (click on link for more info about how the Avocado Diva and fans are saving these rare trees!).
SIZE OF AVOCADO: 1 lb
ORIGIN: Ventura, California
NUTRITION: (from the California Avocado Commission)
What was THAT noise?!
The Sounds of an Orchard
Have you had the sheer joy of walking through a fruit orchard? Walking in a straight line – with towering trees on either side – clear blue skies seen in bright, glorious stripes overhead? It’s an amazing sight – but even MORE so – it’s an amazing SOUND.
Walk with the Avocado Diva – and HEAR with I hear…
First you notice the wind – sometimes whispering through
What Avocado Tastes Best? (Seasons of Avos)
People say - Hass tastes the best - What does the DIVA say?!
Heritage avocados grow YEAR ROUND in California -- so here is a list of what kinds are ripe - in which months.
What this means to YOU is -- what month(s) should you steal that avocado from a neighbor's tree -- no wait -- that's not right. ;-)
This avocado is REALLY full of oil - you can see how creamy it is. If flesh sticks to the
Heritage avocados grow YEAR ROUND in California -- so here is a list of what kinds are ripe - in which months.
What this means to YOU is -- what month(s) should you steal that avocado from a neighbor's tree -- no wait -- that's not right. ;-)
This avocado is REALLY full of oil - you can see how creamy it is. If flesh sticks to the
Why does my avocado turn brown?!
An amazing Fuerte avocado - this is after 1 hour
One of the most common questions that the Diva get's is:
"Why does my avocado (or guacamole) turn brown?"
Answer -- to get to the other side!! ha ha
Oh wait, wrong answer.
Correct Answer: Avocados "oxidize" when they are exposed to air. Just like an apple or a potato.
Here are several ways you can keep your avocado from going brown too fast
Green = Most Vitamins and Minerals
Lamb - note the darker green flesh next to skin
If you want to get the MOST vitamins and minerals out of your avocado - then follow this simple trick:
Make sure you get all the deep GREEN flesh!
That's right, either
PEEL your avocado's skin
or
SCRAPE the skin with a spoon
The deeper the green color, the more vitamins and minerals in that part of the fruit's flesh.
If you have a winter
Wakey Wakey - Eggs and Bacey (Bacon Avocados!)
Can I just share that I live in paradise? No? Too bad... ;-) Keep reading for the recipe...
Can I just share that I live in paradise? This is a photo of a sunset (I wanted you to think its a sun rise - but seriously -- the Diva does not get up that early) from my neighbor's porch. It's actually my sister's porch (who is also my neighbor) - so how lucky is that?
Anyway - it's sunrise
Can I just share that I live in paradise? This is a photo of a sunset (I wanted you to think its a sun rise - but seriously -- the Diva does not get up that early) from my neighbor's porch. It's actually my sister's porch (who is also my neighbor) - so how lucky is that?
Anyway - it's sunrise
How YOU Helped Discover and SAVE an Avocado Variety!
This is the tree "we" helped save -- well, actually the tree will probably not be saved... but the avocados it produces will live on and on...This is the story and a bunch of cool photos follow at the end.
Last summer (August, 2011) a story came out in the Ventura County Star (our county's largest newspaper) about the Diva and her love of rare, unique, "heritage" avocados and the trees they
Why Won't My Avocado Ripen?!
A variety of California Avocados - 3 winters and 2 summers
So the avocados above were all picked during the winter - but two of them are not winter avocados. Who cares? You may -- read on to find out why one is going to be SUPER delicious and one will NOT be.
So here's what they are named (from left to right):
a. Pinkerton
b. Bacon
c. Lamb
d. Fuerte
e. and the "big guy" in the front is a
Avocados - The once forbidden, "love" fruit...
Did you know that at one time - the avocado was considered an aphrodisiac?! Yes -- just being caught seen eating one could have gotten you put on the "naughty list"! In some European countries, women were forbidden to eat them.
Since the avocados came from warm, tropical climates (featuring ladies with little clothes on from foreign lands) -- and in the "olden days" - an avocado would
All About Pinkertons
The Pinkerton Farm's mail box - of course its green!
The Pinkerton avocado kind of makes my heart warm. It was hybridized by a local Ventura County family (the Pinkerton family -- duh). Back in the "day" everyone was trying to "create" a fruit that would be the "it" fruit. Tasty, grew all year around, had a good flavor, great flesh, would sell nice, etc. Many, many farmers and ranchers
Did You Have a Tree House ---??
Inside a "Cathedral Like" huge, old avocado tree
This past week I had the pleasure of taking two journalists to a remote ranch here in southern California. It was an ideal day – blue skies, thin winter clouds running across the arch of sky, like streamers fluttering quickly before the rain storm predicted - rare rain.
Both of these young ladies had never been in an orchard, they disclosed
Super Guac Sunday (PLAN AHEAD!)
YUMMINESS on Super Bowl Sunday requires forethought!
Super Bowl Sunday has become known as “Super Guacamole
Sunday”. Which makes sense, right
– since we’re watching an All American Game – and eating a Mexican inspired
snack. Wait – what?!
This is a FAIL - not allowed -- (cringe...)
Anyway – the thing is, we LOVE us some guacamole.
BUT – YOU – HAVE – TO – PLAN – AHEAD.
Time for Guacamole
The Diva is launching a second blog - this one is called "52 Weeks of Guacamole" -- so you can guess what it's all about...
Won't you check it out? Perhaps follow it?
www.52weeksofguacamole/blogspot.com
That's it for today folks!
It's time for BACON (avocados, that is!)
A Bacon avocado next to a grocery store Hass in Winter
Check out a Bacon (heritage variety) of avocado compared to a foreign grown, typical grocery store avocado you might find in the store during winter.
Bacon avocados are a wonderful, winter avocado that grows well here in Moorpark. Bacons do not TASTE like pork-bacon; however, they are just as delicious as bacon! (Note: heritage
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