AVOCADO PEARS.

        Just when you thought it was going smoothly, you find that avocado (or advocado) "pears" are a vegetable! Actually it is a fruit, that is considered by many as a vegetable. Firstly consider the uses of the avocado pear, we add it to salads, eat it with prawns, or like I do eat it on it's own, turn into soup and use it in guacamole, also the avocado pear is the "fruit" off a tree, well yes I understand, but the avocado is in that in-between area, rather like a tomato. So I crave your forgiveness if I have classed the avocado incorrectly.

          Avocados have many aliases, including " Midshipman's butter" which was due to the fact that the sailors on the old windjammers spread the avocado like butter on their hard tack rations. In West Africa the avocado  is known as the custard apple, and yet other people know the avocado as  the alligator pear, due to some (not all) of the avocado pears having a leathery knobbly skin.

          There are a lot of people that think there are very few types of  avocado pears, but there are around 500 different varieties, with many  more becoming available, so when you go out and buy either an avocado pear or a tree, try the differing varieties, to see which you actually  prefer.

           The first written account of avocado pears was made by a Spanish conquistador in 1518, and at that time was noted to be part of the staple  diet of the native Mexicans. Also there is an advocado pear tree in the  University of California that was planted in 1879, giving an indication  of the life of an avocado pear tree providing that it does not become  diseased.

            If you consider the planting of a tree, it will be of interest to note  that the avocado tree is it's own best storage, for as the avocardos mature,  they do not soften/ripen until being picked. Added to which if you choose different avocado trees for your garden you could virtually pick them all year round, as some of the varieties ripen at different times, but do beware as some of the avocado trees can grow up to 65 Feet. ( you might consider buying a ladder from you local hardware store)

       AVOCADO FUERTE.

              An avocado from California, which you can pick from late fall through to spring, with the average avocado being around 8 ounces, having  a pale green flesh and creamy taste. The avocado has the usual pear shape, with a "smooth" green skin that remains green even when ripe. Once picked, to test the avocado for ripeness, the fruit wiil seem a little soft.

        AVOCADO GWEN.

                Gwen is rather like the Hass avocado pear, for it has a knobbly  green skin and is slightly larger, but the shape of the avocado pear differs as Gwen is more oval (or roundish) than the normal pear shape, one might say that it is a plump advocado. When trying this advocado you will see that skin has a wider mid green rim, on the other hand this avocado pear weighs in at 6 to 15 ounces and is complete with a golden green, creamy flesh, with a hint of watery after taste.

       AVOCADO PEAR HASS.

              Sometimes misspelt as Haas, this avocado pear is grown  extensively in Southern California, which has proper drainage, good soil and an abundance of sunshine, giving their avocados a taste that you would  probably comparewith butter or cream, as this avocado is both  luscious and creamy tasting.

               The skin of the Hass avocado tends to be dark brown wiih hints of green with the familiar knobbly skin of avocados as most of us know, in this case the tree fruits November to January, with the avocados weighing anything up to 12 ounces.

         AVOCADO PINKERTON.

                Trust me this avocado has nothing to do with the famous agency. In looking at this avocado you will see that it appears to be a longer pear shape than usual, with the familiar knobbly but thick skin, weighing from 8 to 18 ounces with a small seed (stone), the Pinkerton avocado has a great taste in the pale green creamy flesh.

                Whilst it grows well in coastal areas the Pinkerton avocado can do just as well inland, with the ripening period January to May.

          AVOCADO REED.

                  Another "heavy" in the world of avocado pears as it can weigh from 8 ounces up to 18 ounces, although it has the thick,green kobbly skin of the avocado, it is more rounded than pear shaped, a summer variety with a  good tasting creamy flesh.

           AVOCADO ZUTANO.

                   Although the Zutano advocado is the usual pear shape, it has a  yellowish green skin with a light textured taste, an average sized avocado weighing 6 to 10 ounces, ready for harvesting late September to March.

                  The West Indian types of avocado appear to be the largest, weighing in at a whopping 2 lbs., with a smooth skin that is light green in colour and the leaves do not have the usual scent of the avocado trees.

                   I came across an article in the U K press printed in 2003, stating  that giant avocados big enough to make 3 gallons of avocado soup or 2lbs of guacamole are about to be sold in the U K., the fruit are descended from  a very old tree at Devils Cliff  Town in Africa's Northern Province.

                   Said to be naturally grown these avocados are as large as a water melons measuring 14 inches in circumference. The staff at the importing super market had nicknamed these large advocados as " J-Los" after her best known anatomical feature.

                    Pardon the pun but, " now there's food for thought".

                                                 FRED

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