People have been eating avocados for the last 5,000 years. They are native to the Americas, growing predominantly in Mexico. The USA gets most of the output. They are also known as Persea americana or alligator pears. Humans have had a hand in their many variations of skin, from smooth green and knobby dark green to black hat that looks like alligator hide. They also self-pollinate. Grafting is used to maintain a consistent output.
They are picked before they ripen and continue to ripen as they are brought to market. The most common variety is the Hass avocado. An avocado is ripe when it yields to pressure when pressed. If it has black spots, it may be mushy and taste yucky. If you want to hurry the ripening process, put it in a paper bag with a banana. Putting the ripe, sliced avocado in a container with an onion slows ripening. The sulfur in the onion slows the process.
Key West Master Gardener Robin Robinson was a columnist for the Chicago Daily News. Her books “Plants of Paradise” and award-winning “Roots Rocks and Rain: Native Trees of the Florida Keys” and the newest addition, “Sexy Shrubs in Sandy Soil,” can be found at the Garden Club. This column is part of a series developed by the Key West Garden Club. For information about plants, visit a compilation of previous columns at http://www.keywestgardenclub.com, Robin’s Columns.
