When do avocados generally ripen and hit the market, and how do you eat and store them?

The fruit of the avocado is a fruit with very high nutritional value, its nutritional value can rival that of cream, and it even has the reputation of “forest cream”. It is generally eaten as a raw fruit, and can also be made into dishes and canned food. So when does it generally ripen and hit the market? How do you eat it? How do you store it after buying it? It is understood that in southern China avocados flower in March, and the fruit ripens in August to September, generally bearing fruit after 3 to 4 years of planting. The avocado is a fleshy drupe; when ripe, the skin goes from yellow-green, reddish-brown to brown; the fruit is 5 to 20 cm long and 3 to 14 cm in diameter; after ripening, the skin turns yellow-green, creamy yellow, brown or dark green. The flesh is slightly soft, creamy white, pale yellow or creamy yellow in color, with an extremely fine texture, an egg-yolk flavor, and a slight sweetness; a single fruit weighs 150 to 1500 grams.

How do you eat an avocado?

1. Eat it directly. Wash the avocado clean, peel and remove the pit, cut into small pieces, and eat directly; be sure to taste it carefully, as you may not be used to it the first time.

2. Make a salad. Cut the avocado into small pieces about 1 cm square, add pea grains, corn kernels and vegetable pieces you like (such as blanched broccoli, cucumber, tomato, etc.), then mix with salad dressing or tomato sauce.

3. Spread it on bread slices. This is a very simple way to eat it: after cutting the avocado open, scoop it out with a small spoon, use it like jam, spread it evenly, then add strawberry jam or honey, and the taste is quite good.

4. Make a milkshake. Add an appropriate amount of milk or yogurt to the avocado, then add honey, put it in a blender, and blend into a milkshake; this is a favorite of children and young people.

5. Serve with granulated sugar. Pick a ripe, soft avocado, cut it in half, remove the pit, scrape the flesh off the skin with a small fork or spoon and mash it, add one spoonful of white granulated sugar and mix well, then eat it directly with a spoon.

6. Dip in wasabi and soy sauce. Dip a relatively unripe avocado in wasabi and soy sauce; this is a way of eating that Japanese people like. Take one greener, less ripe avocado, cut it in half, remove the pit, cut each half in two again, peel off the outer skin with a small knife, cut the flesh into slices 0.5 cm to 1 cm thick, and arrange on a plate; prepare a small dish of light soy sauce and a little wasabi. Dip and eat; the taste is similar to salmon and tuna belly.

How do you store an avocado?

1. A hard avocado can be kept for a very long time. If you buy a hard avocado and want it to soften quickly, place it in a warm place.

2. If you want to slow down the softening, put it in a cool place or in the refrigerator's crisper compartment.

3. After an avocado (avocado) has ripened at room temperature, it can be kept in the refrigerator's vegetable drawer for about one week.

4. Avocado (avocado) flesh tends to turn black when exposed to air. If you only use half at a time, be sure to keep the half with the pit, do not remove the pit, sprinkle on lemon juice, then wrap it well with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator.

Appendix: How to choose an avocado

1. Avocado ripening period.

The avocado ripening period is from August to September every year, but avocados are mostly imported, so imported avocados from abroad can be bought all year round.

2. Look at the color.

When buying, do not buy one that is too green; choose a medium color, then after a few days the color will darken, and once it has darkened it can be eaten. If you buy a dark-colored one, then eat it as soon as you get home, and do not keep it too long either.

3. Look at the skin.

Although the avocado's skin is the kind that is bumpy and has small lumps, when choosing you should also pay attention to check whether there is any damage or any split areas; check all of these.

4. Touch it.

Gently pinch the surface of the avocado; one with elasticity is the best. If it sinks in when pinched and does not spring back, then it is an old avocado. Do not buy an unpfresh one; it is better to buy a fresh one and let it sit at home for a few days.

5. Look at the stem.

There is a stem on the top of the avocado. If you peel it open and the inside is black, then this fruit cannot be chosen; it has been left too long and is not fresh. If the inside is yellow, it is relatively fresh, and this kind of fruit can be chosen.

6. Look at the whole thing.

Finally, do an overall check: see whether there are any rotting or deteriorated spots on the surface, and if gentle pinching leaves no large dents, then it can basically be confirmed to be a fresh avocado and you can buy it with confidence.