Avocado

The Avocado – A Superfood from Crop to Plate

The delicious, creamy and nutritious avocado is enjoyed around the world with its popularity soaring in recent years. From the delicious guacamole and avocado toast, to smoothies and salad toppings, the ways to enjoy this superfood are endless. But where does the humble avocado come from? How does it grow, ripen and reach our dinner plates? This blog post aims to explain this process in detail, from avocado crop to plate.

Avocado Production

To produce a single ripe avocado, a whole crop of trees and fruits need to be grown, tended and harvested. Avocado trees, a member of the Lauraceae plant family, are cold-sensitive subtropical and tropical plants, so they thrive in warm and sunny climates. In the United States, most commercial farming of avocados is done in the states of California and Florida, where the climate is warm and the soil is well irrigated. The trees can be planted in soil or in pots, but most commercial farms use soil for their production because the trees need a steady supply of water, sunlight, and fertilizer to cope with the harvest season.

An avocado tree can live for up to 30 years and can produce 500 to 1,000 avocados per year, depending on climate and soil conditions. An avocado tree’s growth and harvest time can depend on the variety, with some varieties bearing fruit within one year of planting, while others can take up to three years before they bear fruit.

Harvesting and Ripening Avocados

When it is time to harvest the avocados, the farm workers come in and do the pickers job. Depending on the variety, the fruits can be handpicked or picked with ladders or even with mechanical devices. The farm workers must be careful while collecting the fruits, as they must obtain only the vibrant green, undeveloped fruits with firm skin without any visible bruises or damage.

Once the fruits are collected, they are immediately transferred to climate controlled conditions or boxes and will be stored for about a week in order to let them ripen. This process is known as “pre-climacteric fruit ripening”, which is a process by which the fruit ripens without the need for any external agents such as ethylene or sugar, which is commonly done for other fruits. During this ripening period, the fruit will slowly increase in sugar content and the skin color will start to turn.

Avocado Distributions

Once the avocados have been picked and ripened, they will then be prepared for shipping. The ripened avocados will then be inspected and cleaned in order to make sure that they are free of any bacteria and contaminants, while also checking for any damage.

Once they have passed the inspection process, they will then be boxed up and given a unique traceability code, allowing the farmer to track them to the store shelf. The boxes are then sent off to the distributors, who will then further check the quality and ripeness of the avocados before shipping them to their respective locations.

Communication between the distributor and the retailer is essential to ensure that the product that arrives at the store is fresh, ripe and in perfect condition. In most cases, the avocados will be delivered to the store inventory within 2 to 5 days after being picked from the farm.

The Journey from Store Shelf to Plate

When shopping for avocados, customers need to know how to select and prepare the fruit for optimal enjoyment. The key to picking the perfect avocado is choosing one that looks ripe, but not overly ripe. The perfect avocado will be dark and firm, with a slightly bumpy surface that yields to gentle pressure.

Avocados can be cut and served as is, packed into salads, mashed and spread as guacamole, or used as an ingredient in baked goods, like avocado brownies. They can be added to sandwiches, tacos, smoothies and much more. The possibilities are endless when it comes to incorporating avocado into creative, nutritious foods.

Finalizing the Avocado Experience

Whether a person is eating avocados in their raw form or as part of a meal, the best way to enjoy this superfood is to consume it right away rather than storing it for extended periods. This ensures that the fruit is at its nutritional, texture and flavor peak.

Avocados can be stored up to two days in the refrigerator if they are ripe, but if they are not ripe, they can be stored for up to seven days in a dark, dry place. To extend the shelf life of a cut avocado, you can garnish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and store it in a tightly sealed container in the fridge.

Conclusion

There are so many fantastic ways to enjoy the humble avocado, from guacamole to smoothies, and from salads to toast. But have you ever stopped to wonder where the avocado comes from? How it is grown and harvested, transported, stored and enjoyed? This blog post took one such journey, from crop to plate, looking at the details of avocado production and providing tips on how to enjoy this superfood at its nutritional best. With a clear understanding of the process of avocado production, you can now appreciate this superfood even more!