How to pick a ripe Avocado?
“什么梨怎么吃都吃不饱？” (In English, what pear is never full/filled no matter how much you have eaten?)
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答案：鳄梨 (Answer: Avocado … the Chinese name pronunciation sounds like hungry pear)
This joke sounds a bit lame (冷笑话), it is just meant for some fun.
1. How to pick a nice and ripe avocado to puree?
2. How to slow down or speed up the ripening of an avocado?
3. How to cut and store a cut yet unripe avocado?
4. What could you do with the creamy avocado?
5. Interesting facts about avocado … do you know it can keep you youthful?
HOW TO PICK A NICE AND RIPE AVOCADO TO PUREE?
I have 3 tips to share in picking an avocado that is just ripe for puree for your baby or mash it as sandwich spread!
- Usually, avocado will change its colour from green to rich purple to brown/black which means it is ripe for eating. Avocado that is darker in colour is riper than the one with lighter skin. However, the colour of the skin does not always indicate the ripeness of the fruit. There are the green skin varieties which is ripe even though the skin is still nicely green. Such varieties include shepard, reed, shawl and wurtz, and usually from Australia.
- Look out for any large indentations on the skin when choosing avocado. it could be a sign that the avocado has been bruised.
- Place the avocado on your palm and give it a light and gentle squeeze. If it yields to firm gentle pressure, it is ripe for eating. Sometimes it could be difficult to ascertain the level of firm gentle pressure since different people has different perceptions about pressure. Frankly, I too have a problem in trying to ascertain if the fruit is ripe. Another method which I have experimented it and work perfectly well, is to use a gentle pressure on the top (the narrower end) of the avocado. I call it, the “top press”. If you could feel some softness like spongy feeling, it is ripe. If it is very soft and mushy feeling, the fruit may be very ripe to overripe. But, if you feel some hollowness, it is probably bruised or overly ripe. You can apply the same to the bottom of the avocado which usually won’t be as soft as the top since it has thicker flesh to cushion.
Note:
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- Do not use your fingertips to press as it will cause bruising
- If the outer skin looks very dry, it may be overripe
A picture speaks a thousand words, here I will be showing 5 which I have tracked the day-by-day ripening progress of the avocado at room temperature with no direct sunlight. I bought a firm and green hass avocado. On the second day and third day, the colour looks almost similar but the top of the fruit was softer on day 3. On day 4 morning, the skin has somewhat lost a bit of its lustre. The area of softness has extended from the top to 1/3 of the fruit. Time to cut the fruit!
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HOW TO SLOW DOWN OR SPEED UP THE RIPENING OF AVOCADO, speed Often or not, I bought the green, firm, unripe avocado, leave them at room temperature (a cool place with no direct sunlight) for 3-4 days and start checking them daily at day 2. In case you buy too many and they ripe at the same time, you can either send some to my home or keep them in the refrigerator to slow down the ripening process. If you decide to have an avocado party the next 2 days and need to speed up the ripening process, you can put them in a brown paper bag with either apple or banana until they are ripe. Alternatively, you can try leaving them near the kitchen appliances that emit heat, e.g. automatic water boiler, or a corner in the kitchen which has higher temperature. Check them constantly but do this at your own risk in case it gets ripen faster than expected.
HOW TO CUT AND STORE A CUT YET UNRIPE AVOCADO?
Avocado should be cut half lengthwise around the pit starting from the narrower end. Then, gently twist the two halves in the opposite direction. Remove the pit using a spoon or spearing with the tip of the knife. You can either half the halves and peel it like peeling a banana or use a spoon to scope out the flesh.
Avocado oxidises very quickly after it is cut, i.e. the browning effect. What if you have cut one that is not yet ripe? Don’t feed the bin. You could sprinkle some lemon juice or orange juice or vinegar on the exposed flash, put the two halves back, wrap tightly using the clear plastic wrap and put it in an air-tight container before placing into the refrigerator and enjoy the fruit later. It may not be a good idea to feed acidic fruit to baby below one year old. Best to serve fresh to baby especially for their delicate stomach.
WHAT COULD YOU DO WITH THE CREAMY AVOCADO?
I love avocado and it is also G&G’s favourite food, which I have introduced it to them when they were four month plus old. Avocado was one of their first food which is rich in nutrients, able to fill their little stomach, and be eaten raw. I just mashed it up using a fork. If it is still too chunky, I pureed it by adding some hot/warm water to the avocado flesh in the baby food blender to give it a smoother texture. When I started them with porridge at month six, I added the avocado mash into the porridge to give the porridge a creamy texture and nicer taste. Now, i either use a spoon to scope out the flesh and feed them direct or just cut it into small pieces and add into their rice or porridge.
For the bigger tots, you may wish to add some brown sugar to the pureed avocado and freeze it as a healthier alternative to ice-cream, or use it as spread on sandwich or dip for biscuits! It tastes fantastic, and there are some mineral present in brown sugar which cannot be found in white sugar that come from the molasses whereby some molasses is a source of calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron even though the amount may be negligible. (source: wikipedia.org)
I always fall for avocado salad, avocado sandwich and avocado milk beverage. How about some california maki tonight? Yummy, bon appetit!
SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE LOVELY AVOCADO
- Wide range of health benefits – Avocado is known to lower blood cholesterol level, anti-inflammatory benefits including Arthritis, antioxidants component which means anti-aging, promotes blood sugar regulations as a low carb low sugar food, and impressively, anti-cancer benefits! (source: wikepedia.org and whfoods.com) But, for people who is trying to lose weight, you may wish to watch out for too many avocados!
- Anti-aging – Who does not like this? Avocado has the anti-oxidants components which is also anti-aging.
- Avocado is a climacteric fruit, which means it ripe only after it matures on the tree and harvests. It will only ripe properly if it harvests after matures.
- Do you know that avocado tree can be grown domestically and used as a houseplant? … But, it needs ample of sunlight and a lot of patience as it can take as long as 10 years to bear fruit. And you can grow it in a container! Good news for those who do not have space for big trees, but I am not sure if it will bear fruits. You may refer to this forum thread: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0215385215395.html for more information.
- If you decided to do #4, you need more than one avocado tree. Avocado is a loving fruit, it bears fruits from cross-pollination!
- It is a wholesome food for your baby’s central nervous system and brain development because of the nutrients and good fats. Similarly, it is a good food for pregnant mummies for foetus growth, at least it worked for me when I was trying hard to grow my twins when they were inside knowing that they will come out early!
- Avocado is perfect as food for travelling due to its thick skin which protects the goodness therein. If we anticipate to be outside for the whole day, I would surely pack an avocado for my tots.
If you don’t wish to eat avocado yet wish to reap the health benefits of the fruit, why not try avocado oil which is available in big supermarkets. My mum has been “brainwashed” to use this in our cooking.
I wish I have avocado trees at home!
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