Alligator Pears are all the Rage

If I could write an entire post about beets, I can certainly write one about avocados. I swear… I hadn’t even heard of the fruit…? vegetable…? until college when I was introduced to the twenty-something craze of guacamole.

For the record, an avocado is a fruit, and sometimes called an Alligator Pear (No, I didn’t just make that up). Since they grow on trees and are part of the seed-carrying category, avocados are biologically fruit. However, I, like most other people, think of them more as a vegetable because of the way that we use them (tossed in salads, to make cold soup, or even as a sandwich spread). Little did I know that long before college, my mom had been serving avocados to me in the form of a dip. What do you mean that green, chip dip is actually, kind of, good for me?

Whatever they are, avocados are packed FULL of nutrients:

• Monosaturated Fats. Yes, the good kind… That help lower blood cholesterol.
• Vitamin K. The “clotting” vitamin.
• Folate. It’s not just for babies.
• Potassium. Well, we all know that’s good for us.
• Vitamin E. Protection.
• Lutein. For the eyes!
• Magnesium. For the muscles and energy.
• Vitamins C and B6. Water-soluble vitamins that the body can’t store, which means you have to continually replenish them!

And the list goes on… But know one thing. Before you grab a spoon to dig in, make sure they’re ripe. Unlike other fruits, avocados do not ripen on the tree. Instead, they ripen or “soften” after being harvested. Sometimes, stores will conveniently place a “Now Ripe!” sticker on the skin. But if you’ve never shopped for avocados before, check out this chart from www.avocadocentral.com:

Have a great avocado recipe? Please share it with us! I’m always looking for new ways to use my fave fruits and vegetables.

~E

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