SOUNDS LIKE:
While technically a fruit because of its large seed in the middle, when it comes to nutrition, we often think of avocados as a vegetable.
There are many varieties of avocado. They can vary in shape, size, color, and can be enjoyed in a variety of ways!
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|---|---|---|---|
| Skin | Flesh | Seed | |
| Looks like… | Rough, bumpy outside FUN FACT!Bumpy avocados have more fat and more calories than smooth avocados. |
Creamy smooth inside | Hard, brown seed or pit in the center |
| Tastes like… | Bitter. While the skin is edible, the taste may be unpleasant. It can also be hard to digest and may cause allergic reactions in some people. |
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Do not eat seed whole. Powdered avocado seeds have a tangy, slightly bitter taste. |
| Use for… |
Look for avocados that yield a bit to a gentle squeeze, but avoid using avocados with blemishes or are mushy or stringy on the inside.
Use color to plan when to eat your avocado. Dark green avocados are ripe and ready to eat. Light green avocados will ripen to eat in about 5 days.
Very firm. Ready to eat in about 5 days.
Firm. Ready to eat in about 3 days.
Somewhat firm. Ready to eat in 24 hours.
Somewhat soft. Ready for slicing.
Softer. Ready for all uses.
Feel if it’s soft, but don’t squeeze.
When an avocado is bright green and hard to the touch, it is not ripe. It will need 4-5 days to ripen.
When an avocado is firm but dark green, it is almost ripe. It will ripen in 1-2 days.
Once an avocado is dark green and a little soft to the touch it is perfectly ripe and ready to eat!
If an avocado is mushy and brown, it has gone bad. Once you open it you will see it is inedible.
Try to take out the stem and compare it to the options below.
If it is difficult to remove the stem, the avocado still needs more time.
If the stem comes out easily and is green or golden underneath, the avocado is good and ripe.
If the avocado is dark brown or black under the stem, it’s overripe.
Cut
Unripe avocados should be stored on the countertop. They will ripen in 4-5 days at room temperature. Refrigerating unripe avocados can change the texture and taste.
Here’s how to store leftover avocado:
If you haven’t scooped out the avocado flesh yet, don’t! Leave it in the skin and keep the pit intact if you can. The skin and the pit block oxygen from reaching the flesh, which can help reduce browning. Preserve the rest by placing plastic wrap directly on the flesh so there’s no chance of air getting to it. Store in the fridge and use within 2 days.
If you've already scooped out the avocado flesh, spoon mashed avocado into an open container. Then, instead of topping the container with a lid, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the avocado, making sure there are no air bubbles. Your avocado should remain green for at least 2 days in the refrigerator. To slow the process down further, you can add an acid like lemon or lime juice. And if the mixture does look brown, simply scraping off the top layer should reveal green avocado below.
Put your avocado half in an airtight container with a sliced onion and refrigerate it. The fumes from the onion slow down the browning process. Your avocado will stay green for at least 2 days, but it may absorb the onion flavor. That could be a benefit, depending on how you plan to use it!
Avocados are rich in healthy fats, called monounsaturated fats. Healthy fats are good for heart health and help your body absorb vitamins A, D, K, and E.
Have fun with AVOCADOS!
If you or your children are new to avocados, here are a few ways to explore this amazing vegetable:
Touch the outside of the avocado. What does it feel like? Is it smooth, rough, pebbly?
Is the inside the same as the outside? How is it the same? How is it different?
Try new to explore how avocado tastes.
After preparing the Power Pit Powder, spoon 1-2 teaspoons of powder into your normal face or body wash and blend thoroughly. You can also add some of your avocado pit powder into a batch of lip or cuticle cream to give your whole body some much-needed care.
Avocado skins are rich in nitrogen, making them a great natural fertilizer for plants.
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plant growth. It helps promote healthy foliage, strong root development, and overall plant wellness.
To make your own plant fertilizer, blitz avocado skins with water in a blender before pouring it over your plants. Be careful not to use too much, as excessive nitrogen can potentially harm your plants.
Avocado skins are fantastic for encouraging plant growth. When you fill avocado skins with nutrient-rich soil and plant your seedlings in them, you create an ideal environment for the young plants to thrive.
The avocado skins act as natural and biodegradable pots, providing the perfect organic container for the seedlings to grow. All you need to do is fill the avocado skins with soil, plant your seedlings, and watch them flourish!
