Looming Avocado Shortage: "There'll be a dip in the avocado supply"
Tuesday January 13, 2009
Despite the wonderful pun, this is unfortunate news, if you're as much of a fan of avocados as I am! The price of avocados is expected to rise later this year in response to a predicted avocado shortage. California avocado growers are expecting a woefully small harvest this year. According to the California Avocado Commission, the main culprit is a rash of hot and dry weather last June, which will cause a smaller crop this spring. You lucky Californians with avocado trees growing in your backyard may not be bothered by higher prices, but the rest of us will be paying more for our already pricey avocados and relying more on imported avocados from Mexico and Chile. Either that, or we'll just have to be satisfied with dipping our tortilla chips in salsa instead of guacamole.
You can, of course, stock up on avocados in advance to get you through the lean months ahead (though fresh is certainly best when it comes to avocados!). Peggy, About.com's guide to Home Cooking says that avocados will keep in the freezer for up to six months, though you do want to mash them with a bit of lemon juice first. Peggy says, "To freeze avocado, puree flesh with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice per 2 avocados, and place in a tightly-closed container with the air removed." A zip-lock plastic bag will work well for this.
In the News: There'll be a dip in the avocado supply
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Comments
Thanks for the tip! Coincidentally, I bought a bunch of expensive organic avocados last week to make guacamole for a party. They didn’t ripen in time (so I just served salsa with the chips), so I’m now stuck with a 6 avocados that will ripen any day now. I’ll have to try that freezing trick.
I would’ve done the trick with the apples in the bag, but I thought they were going to ripen in time on their own. I usually buy avocados 4-5 days before I plan to use them, but this time, they didn’t ripen in time.