thomas@utah-gr.UUCP (Spencer W. Thomas) (11/11/83)
Two quick notes on avocados: 1. The best kind for making guacamole (sp?) is the black "pebbled" kind. The green kind with the smooth skins just aren't as good. I think that you may have trouble finding the black kind on the East coast, though. 2. Ripe avocados are SOFT. Most of what you find in the store is hard as a rock, it generally takes 2 or 3 days to soften up (I don't know why this is a constant, you'd think they don't age in the store...). Leave them out of the fridge until they are ripe, then use them. =Spencer
gordon@genrad.UUCP (Gordon Partridge) (11/11/83)
The blackish pebbled-texture avocados are often found in Star Markets in the metropolitan Boston area. I don't know about the East Coast in general. Gordon Partridge, GenRad, Inc., Mail Stop 98, Route 117, Bolton, MA 01740
eli@uw-june (Eli Messinger) (11/12/83)
A quick addendum: Avocados seem to ripen faster if you leave them out of the refridgerator, but in a brown paper bag. Don't know why though. ... uw-juneEli
cmaz504@ut-ngp.UUCP (Steve Alexander) (11/12/83)
The best way I've found to ripen up a really green avacato is to put it in a closed nonrefrigerated container for a few days. I suspect the increased concentration of carbon dioxide speeds up the process. Usually it only takes a day or two.
nelson@avsdS.UUCP (11/14/83)
The black pebbly kind are the best, and they are Haas avocados. In the US they principally come from California. At my house they principally come from the neighbor's tree! (which hangs almost entirely into my yard!) The larger kind with smooth green skin come from Florida. As far as I can tell, the main reason they are so tasteless is a much higher water content. Haas avocados when ripe should feel slightly soft on the outside, but not mushy - much like pears, it occurs to me. Here's a good guacamole recipe as I remember it. (Measures are highly subjective). 3 or 4 ripe avocados 2 medium tomatos peeled and diced 1 medium to large onion chopped some mashed garlic (optional) (mash all the above together) add 1 cup sour cream add various hot sauces (tabasco, salsa) to taste Enjoy! Glenn at Ampex
johnc@dartvax.UUCP (John Cabell) (11/30/83)
Another thing about avacados, they make great house plants. For instructions, send request to ..!decvax!dartvax!johnc and I'll see what I can do.
sasaki@harvard.ARPA (Marty Sasaki) (01/29/85)
All of this discussion of guacamole caused me to rush out to my favorite
grocery store and buy some avocados. Unfortunately, even the ripest ones
are still hard. Is there any way to speed up the ripening process? Or am
I stuck with waiting patiently?
--
Marty Sasaki
Havard University Science Center
sasaki@harvard.{arpa,uucp}
617-495-1270nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) (01/29/85)
> Is there any way to speed up the ripening process? Or am > I stuck with waiting patiently? > -- > Marty Sasaki You might try the old paper bag trick - put the 'cado in the bag at room temp for a day or three. Works pretty well for me. Nemo
beth@gymble.UUCP (Beth Katz) (01/29/85)
Marty Sasaki asked about ripening avocados. I have found that wrapping them
in newspaper and putting them in a dark place ripens them amazingly fast.
My grandmother once sent us some from San Diego and didn't know this. We
got a package of mush evn though they were only wrapped three days. She had
bought them when they were really hard. Good luck.
Beth Katz
{seismo,allegra,rlgvax}!umcp-cs!bethgino@sdchema.UUCP (Eugene G. Youngerman) (01/30/85)
>All of this discussion of guacamole caused me to rush out to my favorite >grocery store and buy some avocados. Unfortunately, even the ripest ones >are still hard. Is there any way to speed up the ripening process? Or am >I stuck with waiting patiently? There is bunches and bunches of folklore regarding the ripening of avocados (and fruit in general) In my experience, the best way to hasten the ripening of an avocado is to sit it (out of your refrigerator) in a closed paper bag. Why paper and not plastic? I dunno... Another method I have heard of is to put it in your oven, with the light on, but no heat. I have never tried this. Two things that do not work (from practical experience) are baking (in the oven) or nuking ( in the microwave). One piece of advice. If you bought many avocados, and you don't want to eat them simultaneously, Avos don't ripen in the fridge. So... Put one on your shelf to ripen, and leave the rest in the fridge. Two days later, pull out another. Avos seem to store better in the fridge unripe rather than ripe. That is try this system before ripening, and not storing ripe avos in the fridge until you are ready to eat them. If anyone is interested, I have sort of a pretty good idea of why this all works, and will share it if asked GINO
nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) (02/01/85)
> In my experience, the best way to hasten the ripening of an avocado > is to sit it (out of your refrigerator) in a closed paper bag. > Why paper and not plastic? I dunno... > A plastic bag will retain moisture and the fruit will tend to rot. Nemo
atkins@opus.UUCP (Brian Atkins) (02/04/85)
Toss them into a paper sack and put them in a dark place.
Don't forget them! A 5 month old avocado is a stout adversary.
Brian Atkins ...{hao, allegra, ucbvax, amd}!nbires!atkinsjeffw@tekecs.UUCP (Jeff Winslow) (02/07/85)
The best avocados I have ever had started as ordinary hard, green ones from the local Safeway. It was April in Portland, a time of warm sun changing to rainstorms and back again about 5 times a day. I put the avocados on a sun-facing windowsill in the morning and closed the drapes behind them, making a fairly intense little hothouse. When I came back that evening, the avocados were ripened to perfection - almost a smoky flavor. It's possible they were riper than I thought when I got them - I've never been able to duplicate that flavor. Jeff Winslow *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR GREEN AVOCADO ***
jeffw@tekecs.UUCP (Jeff Winslow) (02/07/85)
I forgot to mention in my previous article that the avocados went from bright green to a very dark brown in the process. Jeff Winslow
holt@convexs.UUCP (02/20/85)
Place the avocados in a paper sack with some banannas. The gases released
by the ripening banannas will speed the ripening process of the
avocados.
Dave Holt
Convex Computer Corp.
{allegra,ihnp4,uiucdcs,ctvax}!convex!convexs!holt
ps. Cilantro does come dried in the spice section of the grocery store.
It is, however, no substitute for the fresh version.