CALIFORNIA WINTER AVOCADOS
Do not miss these delicious California winter avocado varieties arriving later this week.
Zutanos are pear shaped with shiny, yellow-green skin and light tasting flesh. Zutano’s stay green even when ripe. Try cubing and adding to a tortilla soup on a cold winter night. Zutanos are a cold hardy Mexican variety widely grown in the San Joaquin Valley and one of the first winter varieties to be harvested in California.
Fun Fact: Zutanos are used as a pollinator for the Hass Avocado.
Left to Right: Ettinger, Zutano, Fuerte, Bacon
Ettinger avocados are similar to Fuerte avocados, pear-shaped with smooth, thin, bright green skin, which does not peel easily, and pale green flesh. Ettinger avocados have a mild flavor and lower oil content than other varieties.
The Bacon avocado season for the most part is done but as we know by now there is no official start and end date to a season. We may end up seeing a grower that has one more picking just when we thought the season was over. Bacon Avocados are oval shaped with shiny thin skin and creamy light flavored yellow-green flesh. Bacon’s stay green even when ripe. They are easy to peel and the perfect complement to a citrus salad. Their mild flavor is delicious on avocado toast or in a winter citrus salad. Be careful when cutting this avocado into slices as the skin is very thin and delicate. We recommend peeling back the skin and then slicing the avocado.
The Bacon avocado is a hybrid of two Mexican avocado varieties and was originally cultivated in 1954 by James Bacon in Buena Park, CA. Bacon’s are a cold resistant cultivar and can withstand temperatures as low as 20 degrees Fahrenheit, making it acceptable for planting in USDA zone 9. (https://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Gardening_Zone_9)
The Fuerte Avocado has a medium sized pear shaped with easy to peel thin green skin that stays green after ripening. The flesh is a creamy pale green with a light smooth taste that pairs perfectly with a salad.
Along with the Fuertes we may see some overlap with the California Hass as they are “released” or “made oil” as they say in the produce industry. Even though the Hass avocados are allowed to be picked with a low oil content they are not ready to be enjoyed yet. The beginning of the season always yields fruit with low flavor and uneven inconsistent ripening. Growers pick the first crop to thin out the tree, creating more space to allow the next picking to size up. A larger more mature piece of fruit has had time to develop a good flavor which holds great value for both the grower and the end customer.
Interesting Fuerte Facts:
*Fuerte means strong in Spanish because the variety can withstand temperatures as low as 26 degrees Fahrenheit.
*Fuertes are a cross between a Mexican and Guatemalan species.
*Fuerte was the original California favorite back in the 1950’s and helped to build the avocado industry.
Earl’s Fuertes are coming from various growers in San Diego County which produces 60 percent of all California Avocados, and is the acknowledged avocado capital of the nation. (The California Avocado Commission CAC) Avocados contain Vitamin C and E which is good for the immune system and muscle development and Riboflavin and Niacin aid in digestion and help maintain healthy skin. Avocados taste great and are good for you. What’s not to like?
We love our avocados! Follow us as we continue to update you on the California avocado season. We will let you know what geographic regions the avocados are coming from and when they are at their peak flavor.