555377 Sun Sep 07 10:17:04 -0700 2008 11 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 4015157 I can't seem to find good avacados lately. They're very hard and bruised up when they ripen or just bruised up. I prefer Mexican avacados and pretty much ignore the haas from California. I usually buy from El Tiempo mart on Washington or fruiterias in Spring Branch. I bought some Chilean from La Michoacan on the east side but have yet to try. Caninos had some small Mexican that seem to be good. I prefer larger ones though and have tried the US organic but have had problems with them. This seems to have happened the last two or three weeks. Are they in between crops in Mexico or are they harvested year round? Sun Sep 07 10:17:04 -0700 2008 198541 James Cristinian 1 4017711 I can't help based on your post. I live in California where the hass avocados are plentiful and perfect year round, whether grown in Mexico or here. Mon Sep 08 11:25:29 -0700 2008 4015157 109905 laliz 1 4019144 We're at our house in Michoacan now and there are plenty of avocados on the trees, Haas variatals. We aren't getting good avos in the markets here either. Small and squishy or small and rock hard. Prices are high considering that we are within 20 miles of thousands and thousands of acres of avocado orchards. I paid 34 pesos per kilo in Morelia today. That's roughly $3.40 dollars for 2.2 pounds. In the mercado they were 25 pesos per kilo but looked really bad. Mon Sep 08 19:29:54 -0700 2008 4015157 60822 Pampatz 1 4035654 I agree, I prefer the Hass avocados from Mexico. A number of chef friends insist it's the terroir - that gives them a higher oil content which accounts for a more buttery mouth feel and richer taste. In NYC there are some glorious Mexican hass right now - at Fairway got one yesterday that is picture perfect. Mon Sep 15 06:56:34 -0700 2008 4015157 223820 Fillup 2 4037857 Maybe I shouldn't tell you this... but Hass are inferior to the smaller, lower yield Criollos. I could be wrong but the gentlemen's agreement the Mexican avo growers cut with their counterparts in California & Florida involved two main points: (1) Keep prices high. (2) Absolultely no Criollos.. only Hass. Pampatz... I think its generally a low yield season right now (harvests should be up in January)... and with the bad California crops... and greater purchasing power... I think the "gringos" are buying up all the better Mexican avos... and bidding up the prices. Look for places that sell Criollos or wait until the greater yield seasons. Mon Sep 15 18:48:23 -0700 2008 4035654 42572 Eat_Nopal 3 4043884 now i want criollos, because the haas are no good around our markets. when is best season to get good criollos, eat nopal? (and thanks for the inside info...) Thu Sep 18 03:57:09 -0700 2008 4037857 105717 alkapal 3 4045444 I picked up some Criollos at the mercado this week. They were very good tasting, but looked pretty knarly. We are having some tonight in a chef salad for a light supper. Thu Sep 18 15:36:20 -0700 2008 4037857 60822 Pampatz 4 4045501 Criollos often do look knarly and don't travel well - this is the primary reason Haas is so popular in the ag industry, particularly with Mexico's export growers. Haas looks good and holds up relatively well in shipping compared to the criollos, whose rootstock is used in Mexico for grafting haas stems onto the criollo rootstock. This is performed because the culture of this variety is perfectly suited for the various climates that it is grown in Mexico, unlike the Haas which typically has a lower tolerance for extremes in temperature. This is the primary reason it is grown along the coastal belt of central and southern California. Allowed to further ripen on the vine, Haas is a perfectly good rich oily avocado. If picked early, primarily for shipping, as in export from Mexico to states whose climatic zones are nowhere close to being suitable for avocados growth, the chances obviously decline for a good haas. Thu Sep 18 16:06:30 -0700 2008 4045444 64003 bulavinaka 4 4045762 You might want to ask the local indigenous foragers... there is a cultivar of the Criollo with a light Anise-like flavor (not unlike the Avocado leaves)... they are mostly pit but finding those is comparable to finding truffles. Thu Sep 18 17:51:29 -0700 2008 4045444 42572 Eat_Nopal 5 4048816 Ooh - interesting... in SoCal? I can see those going well with barbacoa... Fri Sep 19 21:23:49 -0700 2008 4045762 64003 bulavinaka 4 4046440 I love those Gnarly avocados. Seems like some avoid them. What I hate is getting Hass that are hard and when they ripen you have the "oysters" hiding under the skin. These bruised areas are hard to detect when they are hard. I also agree that they are inferior to a more tree-ripened one. Any advice on spotting bruising when green ones are all you have to choose from? Fri Sep 19 04:13:45 -0700 2008 4045444 137946 Scargod 1 4047212 I had the most delicious avocado slices in my sushi the other day. And it was grocery store sushi too! I usually hate avocado in sushi because it turns my stomach, but this stuff was fresh, firm and a beautiful color! I wish I knew where they got it. I've never had it that firm and delicious. Fri Sep 19 09:26:28 -0700 2008 4015157 112406 Chew on That