"bob" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 26 Dec 2008 22:12:46 -0800, "Paul M. Cook" >
> shouted from the highest rooftop:
>
>>
>>I live in SoCal. Almost every house has a avocado tree. The house I grew
>>up in had one, too. Avocado trees are kind of a attractive nuisance
>>around
>>these parts. Many a avocado poacher has been pulled out of somebody's
>>yard
>>in the wee hours of the morning whilst purloining the treasured fruit.
>
> I grew up in Santa Monica. Our house was the only one in the
> neighbourhood with an avocado tree. But that was because my step-dad
> was the son of a man who worked with Luther Burbank and Dad not only
> inherited b his love of plants, but a green thumb that turned our
> large backyard into a lush garden with oranges, lemons, limes,
> avocados, loquats, and even bananas, as well as herbs, vegetables and
> flowers.
>
> It was both a surprise and a disappointment to discover that not
> everyone was raised with fresh fruit and salads.
>
> The avocado tree Dad planted was from Guatemala and grew to be a great
> size. Its avos weighed from one to three pounds - or more - were
> round, like cannon balls and rich, smooth and buttery. We called them
> Gorilla Balls.
>
> The only avocados since then that even came close to their rich
> buttery taste, texture and oil content were grown on the Haleakala
> slopes of Kihei, Maui, Hawaii - but they were smaller (which is an
> advantage when thinking of one's weight).
>
> They weren't available in supermarkets, but if I wasn't given them, I
> could buy a box at Azeka Store for around two dollars (dolahs) for a
> couple of dozen.
>
> I've only encounter the "Reed" variety in New Zealand, but they may be
> available elsewhere. It's also round, like a cannon ball and can weigh
> up to a pound and a half, maybe two and is very rich, smooth and
> buttery. Surprisingly, they store well in the fridge and I've kept
> dozens on tap for six months after the end of the season.
>
> When I got my first "adult" job in high school as a boxboy at Fireside
> Market on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica there were no avocados
> available in supermarkets. My mom used to take one of our avos and
> fill the halves with shrimp and her special seafood sauce. If she was
> in a hurry, she'd just drizzle lemon juice on the top. My mouth is
> watering.
>
> After I'd graduated, was attending Santa Monica City College and
> working as the weekend produce manager at Fireside Market (what later
> would be called a boutique food market) we were one of the first to
> sell avocados that were sourced from Mexico or the developing avocado
> growing areas around Escondido.
>
> They were always picked too early and didn't not ripen properly. It
> took several years for the growers, wholesalers and retailers to learn
> what made a good avocado and I'm not sure that many of them still do.
>
> Avocados are one of my passions. I love to eat them, grow them and
> share them with others. For a while in the mid-80's, I even conducted
> avocado workshops in Auckland to introduce them to the market there.
>
> Speaking of which, I ate the rest of the tuna salad left over from our
> rather erratic Christmas day lunch/dinner with a half a Haas avo and
> some steamed asparagus (with my yogurt/mayonnaise/ketchup/wasabe
> sauce) tonight. They were delicious.
>
> Eat well ... and often.



Well then you know all the Hass in the world come from the same "mother"
tree in Pasadena. Its cuttings have been propagated worldwide. It was an
unknown sub species discovered by a postal carrier in his yard. The tree
died in 2002. Must admit I am a huge fan of the Hass. I must eat my weight
in them very year. I love avocado gazpacho, guacamole, grilled avocados,
avocado ceviche, avocado chutney, avocado ice cream and just plain old
avocado with some salt. Avocado and crab are a match made in heaven.
Avocado halves filled with bay scallop ceviche are divine. I love a salad
made with cubed avocado, cucumber and mushrooms and tossed with ranch
dressing. You just can't beat a nice ripe avocado. They are highly
cherished where I live and even though grown here they command a high price
in markets.

Paul