What should I be considering when purchasing avocados?

Mmmmm.. avocado..

How to pick ripe avocados:

1) Choose an avocado without bruises or scars.

2) Pick that avocado up and examine the stem end. If the avocado is ripe, you will be able to pull the stem out very easily. If the stem is already missing, or you’re not sure how easy it was for you to pull out the stem, read on.

3) Hold the avocado in your hand and gently squeeze it. An unripe avocado will feel like a stone. An over-ripe avocado will feel loose under the skin. A ripe avocado will feel the same as if you were to squeeze the palms of your hands.

4) Know when the varieties of avocados are in season. Haas avocados are available year-round but at their peak from April to November. Fuerte are available from November to July. Reed are available from March to September. Booth, Lula and Taylor are available from the end of June through February. Zutano are available from October to May. Bacon are available from November through July.

Tips & Warnings:

- If you can buy the avocado you need a day or so before you need it, you can ripen it yourself. Put it in a paper bag with an apple. The ethylene gas that the apple will release will speed up the ripening process. [ED: Lemons work great for ripening fruit, as well]

- Avocados picked later in the season will take less time to ripen since they were left longer on the tree.

- Never put avocados in the refrigerator. They will only turn brown. They will not ripen.

I don’t know if you can figure out what is inside. I think the only thing you can really tell is what size they are and how ripe they are. You can also inspect the avocado for blemishes and bruises. You do not want any soft spots in your avocado.

What I’m looking for is ripeness, and the ripeness I want depends on when I want to use the avocado. If I want to use it right away, I’ll look for one that seems ripe. Usually the skin is dark, but not really dark. The fruit isn’t squishy, but it is slightly soft to the touch. My mother taught me to shake it to see if the pit rattles, but I don’t think that is a good way any more. If the pit is rattling, it’s overripe.

If I need the avocado later in the week, I’ll take one that is still unripe. The greener and harder it is, the longer it will take to ripen. I’ve bought avocados that took a week to ripen, but usually it’s about four to five days.

Other than that, I think @MissAnthrope knows what she’s talking about. I never knew about the stem thingy. I’ll have to try it.

I really like Hass avocados much better than any other variety. They are black when ripe with a bumpy skin. When unripe, they are green.

They will ripen at home (prefereably in closed brown paper bag).

When they are perfect to eat, they have a slight give under the skin.

@marinelife What does the paper bag do?

It creates a closed environment so ethylene gas can build up, which causes many fruits to ripen faster. The bag should be loosely closed to avoid mold growth. Apples give off “a lot” of ethylene gas and I have had good experience using lemons to this effect, so I think they do, too. I prefer using lemons for this sort of thing because they, themselves, are not very sensitive to the effects of ethylene, so you don’t end up with an overripe apple along with your avocado or whatevs.

@timtrueman What @MissAnthrope said. I also use bananas.

We also use Haas avocados and the main question is when you want them to be ripe for. The quality when ripe is fairly consistent. As @marinelife says, if they are bright green, they are not yet ripe; ifthey are blacksih with a little give, they are ripe. Most of the time here, they are sold unripe and we just set them on the counter for three or four days unti lthey are ripe. Frustrating if you wanted the guacamolel tonight, but fine with a little forethought!

Wow @timtrueman that french fry experiment you linked to is ridiculous!

There is a whole page on how to select, open and purchase avocados on the avocados From Mexico web site

http://www.avocadosfrommexico.com/Avocado101.aspx