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Hook
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Avocado Patdown no more?
Editorial in today's LA Times about how FINALLY, after almost 100 years, avocados can finally be imported into California from Mexico. This took
effect February 1.
So, I am wondering if this means we can bring avos back, in amounts for personal consumption, now?
Who is willing to be the first "test case"???? 
Avos have been the green substance that I have been smuggling into this country for some time.
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DanO
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According the lecture I got when I was first issued a SENTRI pass, you can bring back guacamole, but no avocados. I don't think that will change
because of the lifting of the embargo, which likely applies only to commercially transported fruit. For example, tomatoes are legally imported into
California from Mexico, but you can't bring them across the border unless they're in a pico de gallo. Frankly, the whole things is so confusing I
just stopped bringing anything back years ago (well, except for the occasional ceramic surfing monkey).
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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Hook
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DanO, I was hoping you would be willing to do the stupid thing first, here.
Come on, man, take one for the team.......
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DanO
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No way. They'll have to pry that SENTRI pass out of my cold, dead fingers, and I'm sure not going to give them the opportunity to pull it for the
price of a contraband avocado. They will pull the pass even if you didn't know you had the contraband on board (and I've been subject to a couple of
"random" SENTRI secondary inspections already). This may be an urban legend, but I was told by a DHS officer (who seemed rather embarassed about it)
that they pulled a lady's pass because she had a rose on the dashboard of her car. No mercy.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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Hook
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Understand completely, DanO. Should have indicated this was in humor.
Anyone else??????
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Taco de Baja
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I doubt it.
The reason for the ban was to stop the import of avo pests along with the avos.
Any avos will probably have to come from a "certified pest free" farm before they can LEGALLY be imported. The ones in the Calimax, could have come
from anyplace....
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Oso
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Taco de Baja
I doubt it.
The reason for the ban was to stop the import of avo pests along with the avos.
Any avos will probably have to come from a "certified pest free" farm before they can LEGALLY be imported. The ones in the Calimax, could have come
from anyplace.... |
BS. The ban was to protect CALAVO. You have always been able to bring in avocados, just without the pits, which gives you maybe 15-20 minutes before
they turn brown and rot, although squeezing lemon juice over them might stretch that to 1/2 hr.
I hate CALAVO for a somewhat different reason. There are many different wonderful varieties of avocados in existence. Among my favorites: Zutano,
Bacon and Hass. But the CALAVO goons have steadily pressured growers to abandon anything "exotic" and conform to growing nothing but Fuertes, the
least flavorful variety, simply because, as the name implies, they ship well.
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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Oso
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I'll stand corrected by more knowlegeable authority. One thing I'm sure of- Florida avocados are the most watery and flavorless.
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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Cypress
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There are over 60 varieties of avacodos. 
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The Gull
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Cypress
There are over 60 varieties of avacodos. |
...and which one is the best tasting?
�I won\'t insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.� William F. Buckley, Jr.
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Cypress
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Best I ever tasted was a "Butter?" or 'Butler?", not sure, grown in Hawaii. It makes a big difference if they're allowed to ripen on the tree.
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Hook
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my vote is for the Hass. Nothing I've had has the creamy consistency. I think its the oil content. A little Spike, a little high end balsamic
vinegar.....UMMMMMMMM! Great for guac, too.
Thanks for the info, Don Jorge.
PS. I dont like Zutanos. They are the epitome of the watery variety that seems to come from Florida mostly.
[Edited on 2-7-2007 by Hook]
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Bajalero
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| Quote: | Originally posted by The Gull
| Quote: | Originally posted by Cypress
There are over 60 varieties of avacodos. |
...and which one is the best tasting? |
Cypress , I think there are several hundred varieties of avocados. They are classified into 3 main groups , Mex, Guatemalan and West indian. Growers
im the U.S. think mostly in terms of Mex and Guat varieties whereas the Marketers think in termes of "green skin- dark skin" varieties.
Gull, my favorite avos are Pinkerton , Reed and Hass near that order. The pinkerton is reported to have the highest oil content -i don't know- but
the flavor and texture are great . Reed has a nuttyness I like. The only bad thing I can say about the Hass is the trees tend to produce every other
year
The variety(ies)you see in the store are there for a purpose --mainly shipability and the Hass is favored for several reasons . You can pick it hard
and green ( that doesn't mean not ripe) , you can store it on the tree for a nimber of months depending on the weather, it doesn't bruise easily
& if it does it's camouflaged by the dard outer skin, and for the consumer there is no mystery when it is ripe because it turns black. "Green
skin" varieties are shyed away from because untill you actually squeeze one, you have no idea if it is ripe or not. Imagine the condition of a green
avo after a hundred shoppers
queezing it before someone finally buys it. It will be bruised and mush and you run the risk of losing a consumer. That is why Hass is favored - the
consumer doen't have to be a rocket scientist to "see" if it's ready or not.
Every one seems to have their own taste preferances. I don't care much at all for the Mexican varieties ( mostly smooth skin) like bacon , zutano .
They tend to be watery , less dense and bland imo. I won't turn down a fuerte in a pinch though and for colder climates a mexicola grande is a good
cultivar. When shopping in Baja for avo's try to stay with the pebbly skinned ones.
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jimgrms
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Avacados seem to have dropped in price in colorado since the calif freeze
but all other fruit has skyrocketed 1.00 a lb for orange and they are from chile ,other fruit the same
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The Gull
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Bajalero
Thanks for the Baja shopping hint. I had two avo trees at one of my residences in the past. I planted them so I knew the name. It was a hybrid
called 'Jim'. No kidding. It was smooth green, fell off the tree as the top part ripened, but the bottom was like cement and four days later they
were totally ripe without bruises - bango - they were served as guac.
Great taste as you say because they were ripened on the tree.
Had to get to them before the dogs ate them. Damn fool dogs were as addicted to them as we were, but their central processor unit wouldn't handle 2-3
avos as well as with humans.
�I won\'t insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.� William F. Buckley, Jr.
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Taco de Baja
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| Quote: | Originally posted by The Gull
Thanks for the Baja shopping hint. I had two avo trees at one of my residences in the past. I planted them so I knew the name. It was a hybrid
called 'Jim'. |
The Jim was 'developed' by James (Jim) Bacon...he also 'developed the Bacon, along with a bunch of others....The Jim is nice for cold areas, as it
will tolerate temps down to 24 degrees, but is watery to my taste.
My favorite is an old fashioned variety called the Edranol. A close second is a Guatemalan variety called the Pueblo (smooth thin purple/black skin
and a wonderful taste). For show offs I used to like to give away the Nimleo, they got up to 5 pounds  ....not much flavor though 
Oso,
I have no love for Calavo either, they were our main avocado pickers/packinghouse for years (since the 1920's at least). Since the mid-1970's, we
usually got just enough to pay the taxes and water on our last 2.5 acres of Fuertes (Another good variety - but got a bad rap, because produce
managers in stores labeled any greenskin avocado "Fuerte" and people then thought the watery avocado with no flavor was a Fuerte, when in fact is was
something else).
Our last year with Calavo in 1998 they picked our largest crop ever 50,000 pounds....after they calculated the price per pound, and deducted the
picking and hauling charges, we got a BILL for $780!
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bancoduo
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Why do you continue to grow at a loss. Just the facts ma'm.
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Oso
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Taco,
Thanks for clarifying my several years old impressions. Seems I was a bit off the mark but not entirely mistaken about the general Calavo situation.
I used to buy at a small stand on the Nipomo mesa between Santa Maria and the 5 cities area below SLO. The Zutanos I got there were small and curved,
but very flavorful, I don't remember them as watery. My favorites have always been Bacon, well because they taste like bacon.
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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Taco de Baja
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bancoduo
Why do you continue to grow at a loss. Just the facts ma'm.
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I don't.
After my dad died in 2000, we sold the last 2.5 acres we had in San Juan Capistrano. My Grandfather bought the land in 1914 and still had his house on
it. My dad kept the property as his "playground". We had at least 10 avocado varieties (majority being the Fuerte, as that was the popular avocado
when most were planted), peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, figs, several varieties of oranges, limes, lemons, figs, apples, olives.....
It gave him something to do that he enjoyed, when he was not in Baja  , and he did
not really need the money, as he had invested well. And it was not really a "loss" except for all the time he put into it. Hell, the property taxes
on the 2.5 acres with a 5 bedroom, 3 bath house were only $425.00 a year.
The person who bought the land has ripped out most of the trees, some planted in 1914 were close to 80 feet tall, and demoed the house. He plans on
building 8 custom homes. Needless to say, I don't drive by the old place anymore.
I still hate to buy avocados in the market; they are usually bruised and battered, and they still charge $2.00 each….And to think I used to squish
dozens of them driving in and out of the driveway…
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Hook
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Taco,
Is this the land at the corner of Del Obispo and Avion, up on the knoll? Or is it more towards the Birtcher's area?
I almost never see any other avos in stores anymore, except Hass'. I'd have to go to a Pavilions or Gelsons to get any variety.
This has been a very educational post on my favorite fruit.
[Edited on 2-8-2007 by Hook]
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