How to Cut and Peel and Avocado

First, how to pick a good avocado....

1. Make sure it's firm, but not hard. If it is hard and you don't need to use it immediately, you can let it ripen on your counter for a few days.

2. Make sure the black skin is taut across the avocado. Wrinkly, sunken spots pretty much guarantee something gross is inside (although I know some people who would argue that avocados ALWAYS have something gross inside...).

3. Most grocery stores have small and large avocados at different prices. If you're not getting good results with one size, try the other, as much as it may pain you to do so. It's better to spend more money on a good avocado than to spend less on one that you're going to throw away.

4. To keep your avocado from going brown after you've cut it, sprinkle a little lime or lemon juice on it. Also, if you're only planning on using part of it, cut only what you need away from the pit; the avocado around the pit should stay relatively un-brown.


Next, now that you have found some good avocados, how do you cut an avocado...

1 Grip the avocado gently on one side with one hand. With a large, sharp knife in the other hand, cut the avocado lengthwise around the seed. Open the two halves to expose the pit.

2 At this point there are a few ways you can proceed to remove the pit from the avocado half that has the pit. One way is to make another cut, lengthwise on the avocado half that has the pit, cutting around the pit, exposing it so that it is easier to remove. You can also use a spoon to scoop out the pit.

* Another method is a bit tricky, as you'll see. This method is very popular, but you must be careful lest you cut your hand. For safety, fold up a kitchen towel and use that to hold the avocado half with the pit. Gently tap the pit with a knife with enough force so that the knife edge wedges into the pit, but not so hard as to cut all the way through it. I generally just tap it very gently a few times, each with increasing pressure, until a cut is made in the pit sufficiently to twist the pit out. Getting the pressure just right takes a little practice.

With the edge of the knife, twist the pit out of the avocado and discard.

3 At this point, you can either scoop out the avocado flesh with a spoon (for making guacamole), or slice the avocado into segments. To make it more easy to scoop out the avocado flesh, take a small dinner knife and gently make cuts in the avocado flesh in a cross-hatch pattern, careful not to break through the avocado peel. Then use a spoon to easily scoop out the avocado pieces. If you are making guacamole, don't worry about slightly discolored or brownish sections. Scoop them up with the rest of the avocado to mash.

* To make avocado slices, use a knife to slice the inside of the avocado halves into sections. Don't worry if you cut right through the peel.

4 Use your fingers to separate the avocado segments from the peel.

Now, you can either discard the pit or plant it and make an Avocado Tree...

1. 1.Cut into the avocado carefully, so as not to injure the pit located in the fruit's center. Carefully remove the pit, and set it aside. Use the avocado meat to create the tasty dip/topping known as guacamole.
2. Wash the avocado pit gently, removing all avocado flesh.
3. Holding the pit "narrow" (pointed) side up, stick four toothpicks into the middle section of the pit at even intervals, to a depth of about 5 mm.
4. In a small, slender container (preferably glass), add water until it reaches the very top rim. Your container's opening should be wide enough to easily accommodate the full width of the avocado, but not too wide.
5. 5. Set your avocado pit (with inserted toothpicks) on the top rim of the container. The toothpicks should sit on the rim of the container, while keeping the pit only half-submerged in the water. Make sure the pointed side is up while the rounder end is in the water or your avocado will not grow.
6. Set the avocado-topped container in a temperate, undisturbed place - near a window or other well-lit area - to begin the rooting and growth process.
7. Change the water every 1-2 days. Do this to ensure that contaminants (i.e. mold, bacteria, fermentation, etc.) do not hinder the avocado sprouting process. Ensure that the base of the avocado always remains moist and submerged in water.
8. Wait patiently. The avocado takes several weeks to begin to root. Over the next 2-3 weeks, the avocado's brown outer layer will begin to dry out and wrinkle, eventually sloughing off. Soon after, the pit should begin to split open at the top and bottom. After 3-4 weeks, a tap root should begin to emerge at the base of the pit.
9. 9. Continue to water the plant accordingly. Take care not to disturb or injure the tap root. Continue to allow the avocado pit time to establish its roots. Soon, the avocado will sprout at the top, releasing an unfolding leaf-bud that will open and begin to grow a shoot bearing leaves.
10. Plant the baby tree. When the roots are substantial and the stem top has had a chance to re-grow leaves (after at least one pruning), your baby avocado tree is ready to be planted in soil. Remove the sprouted pit from the water container, and gently remove each of the toothpicks.
11. Use a 20-25 cm terracotta pot filled with enriched soil to 2 cm below the top. A 50/50 blend of topsoil and coir (coconut fibre) works best. Smooth and slightly pack the soil, adding more soil as needed. Once the soil is prepared, dig a narrow hole deep enough to accommodate your avocado's roots and pit.
12. Carefully bury the avocado pit in the soil such that the top-half of pit shows above the surface of the soil. Pack the soil lightly around the pit.
13. Water your plant daily or enough to keep the soil moist. Avoid over-watering to the point that the soil becomes muddy. If the leaves turn brown at the tips, the tree needs more water. If the leaves turn yellow, the tree is getting too much water and needs to be permitted to dry out for a day or two.
14. Continue to tend to your avocado plant regularly, and in a few years you will have an attractive and low-maintenance tree. Your family and friends will be impressed to know that from an avocado pit, salvaged from your guacamole recipe, you have cultivated and grown your very own avocado tree. (Note: The fruit you get from a tree grown in this manner will almost certainly not be edible.)
15. Alternatively, plant the pit in a pot, during the warmer months and wait for 3-4 months for the plant to sprout.

* Well farmgirls, I hope that you understand what you are supposed to do. Most of my information has come from many sources of knowledge.  I did not always know how to cut an avocado, but we eat them alot here and after awhile, you get the hang of it and it's like 1,2,3 and your done.  You will become quick at these methods. Just practice and enjoy eating them, also to note ~ they are very high in potassium.

Tina

Comments

[KarenK]

Thanks for posting this!!!! Now, we just need some different yummy recipes using avocados! Got any ideas? I'll probably give the sandwich idea I told you about a try. If it's yummy I'll probably post about it!

[Karen]

I accidentally put KarenK for some reason....oops!