Picking a ripe avocado
- Hold it in your palm and press gently; ripe fruit yields slightly
- Hard fruit ripens on the counter in a few days
- A paper bag with a banana speeds it up
- Once ripe, the refrigerator slows it down
Ways to use a lot of avocados
- Slice and freeze halves for smoothies
- Mash with lime and salt for a quick spread
- Add to salads just before serving
- Share: grove towns run on neighbors trading fruit
When visiting
Buy from local stands and markets, keep to public roads, and ask before photographing private groves.