Description:Aztecs named the avocado ahuacatl which means “butter of the forest”. The avocado is a actually a fruit or as I like to call it a veggie fruit. It is usually prepared as a vegetable. Avocados actually contain more potassium per ounce than bananas by 60 percent. The “Hass” avocado is the most commonly consumed avocado and accounts for 80% of consumption. Today the 400 varieties of avocado are grown in Mexico, Central and South America, Israel, the West Indies (Caribbean island), South Africa, California, Florida, Hawaii, Australia, India, North Africa, and some Pacific Islands.

The avocado was first grown in Mexico about 9,000 years ago. Archaeologists have found avocado pits buried with mummies in Peru about 3,000 years ago. During that time period avocados were also grown in Guatemala, Ecuador, and Colombia. The Spanish carried the avocado back to Spain in 1527. British soldiers brought the avocado to Caribbean ports in the 1700s and 1800s. U.S. President George Washington, then 19 years old, was visiting his ailing brother in Barbados in 1752 and sampled the avocado. It is known that Henry Perrine planted the first avocado in 1833 in Florida which is now home to 56 different varieties. Dade county is Florida’s avocado paradise.

According to Meredith Sayles Hughes in her book, Cool as a Cucumber, Hot as a Pepper, the “Jamaicans are credited with giving the avocado the nickname ‘alligator pear’. The English-speaking people of this West Indian island - once a Spanish colony - substituted the word ‘alligator’ for aguacate, the Spanish term for ‘avocado’, and added ‘pear’ for the fruit’s pearlike shape. The commercial avocado industry discourages the use of this name, perhaps fearing that consumers won’t want to buy or eat something associated with a ‘gator.”

Nutrient content Avocados are sodium and cholesterol free. There is only five grams of fat per serving, most of which is monounsaturated. The National Cancer Institute and the Produce for Better Health Foundation include recipes for avocados in their meal plans. UCLA has recently discovered that lutein, a carotenoid, found in avocados helps to protect or prevent prostate cancer. Vital nutrients contained in avocados are:

* vitamin E, which helps “mop up” free radicals that can damage cells and lead to disease
* glutathione, which functions as an antioxidant like vitamin E
* beta-sitosterol, which helps lower blood cholesterol

In addition to Lutein preventing prostate cancer, it also helps prevent eye disease. Ounce for ounce avocados contain more fiber, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate than any other commonly eaten fruit.

Peak season: Available year round. Ninety-five percent of the United States’ avocados are grown in California’s warm climate which lends itself to year round growing. The other five percent is grown in Florida.

Selection: Test avocados by feeling the skin. If the skin yields to slight pressure, then it is fully ripe.

Storage: Avocados can be refrigerated for a short period of time if sprinkled with lemon or lime juice and placed in an airtight container. If the avocado is not completely ripe, it can be wrapped in newspaper and stored with an apple or banana. Another way to ripen is to store one to three days at room temperature. For fully ripened avocados, they can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days in the vegetable compartment. Avocados will spoil at temperatures below 43° F.

Preparation: Cut in half around the pit. You can use both hands and twist the two halves in opposite directions to break away from the pit. Remove the pit by hand or a knife if it does not come away easily. Immediately sprinkle the flesh with lemon or lime juice to prevent browning. You can use a vegetable peeler to take skin off if avocado is going to be used in salads.