Giant Green Avocados

[weinoo]

I bought these avocados yesterday because they were on sale at 2 for $3. Haas are selling, at least in my neighborhood, for almost double that.

First of all, the suckers weigh over a pound each. They're huge.

In doing a little research, I originally thought they are a variety called Bacon, but upon closer inspection, no. Maybe they're Bernecker or Booth 8 - I really don't know and will try to find out more from my produce guy today.

In any event, what are the best uses of these giant, green avos? Are they as good as a Haas? Are they better for certain applications? Tell.

[JAZ]

In my (admittedly limited) experience, they're flavorless and mushy. They could be free and I'd still pay $2 for a small Haas rather than use them.

[patris]

Those look like "Florida Avocados" - at least that's what my markets call them. They lack the creaminess and full flavor of a Haas, and have a wateriness that I find unpleasant. I suspect that's because they are significantly lower in fat than a Haas.

[jmolinari]

Agree with what others said. Those avocados are huge, but have little flavor and not creamy. Imagine taking a Haas flavor and putting that "amount" of flavor in 2-3 times the flesh. It tastes "watered down" and dull. Not worth buying.

[onrushpam]

I, too, have always avoided these. But, when they were $1 each, I decided to give them another go.

The guacamole I made was pretty darn good. Not as thick/creamy as what you get from the Haas variety, but it was still tasty on our shrimp fajitas.

[slkinsey]

They are not so good for applications where the dense creaminess of a Haas avocado is wanted (e.g., guacamole). But I find that they're pretty good just in slices alongside something you're eating. My favorite use is a few gigantic slices on top of a big bowl of sancocho.

[cookingofjoy]

I've never seen these, but if wateriness is the negative, maybe they'd work well for something like Gerson's Avocado Ice Pops where you add water anyway (and just adjust the water).

[weinoo]

They are not so good for applications where the dense creaminess of a Haas avocado is wanted (e.g., guacamole). But I find that they're pretty good just in slices alongside something you're eating. My favorite use is a few gigantic slices on top of a big bowl of sancocho.

Yes, that's what I'm thinking. Or in a smoothie, soup, etc.

[catdaddy]

We call em alligator pears down here in cracker land.

[judiu]

On the east side of Fl, they're marketed as "Lite" and "Lower Fat" in the grocery stores. They're blah, but not terrible, as long as they're ripe! Very watery taste, though.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Ice cream and smoothies are good suggestions. Cold avocado soup is another good option. I usually make it by pureeing the avocado with chicken stock and something creamy, and other inspirations as the season suggests. On a hot day, avocado sorbet makes a nice garnish for avocado soup. Whole toasted cumin seeds are another nice garnish.

[weinoo]

Are they good "stretchers" for guacamole? That is, I wonder how they pair with a denser, oilier Haas?

[onrushpam]

I added a clop of Mexican crema to the guac I made the other night.

I have one of the monsters left, which I will probably slice and put on sandwiches tonight.

Or, I might try mixing it into another batch of guac with the one Haas I also need to use.

[Dakki]

I won't hazard a guess as to the variety (there's something like 500 varieties) but if they're anything like the oversized varieties we get in Mexico it'll be flavorless and watery compared to Hass or (my favorite) Criollo. The stones on these big ones are also oversized so you get surprisingly little avocado out of each one.

[andiesenji]

The smooth-skinned ones grown here in So.Cal. are almost always Fuerte during late winter and spring. The rounder Reed variety is in markets now through fall and the Bacon variety shows up in mid-winter.

These smooth-skinned varieties don't need as much water as the Hass so are popular with growers where water supplies are a problem. (I have a friend down near San Diego who grows several different varieties so as to have crops all year.)

In side-by-side tasting, I don't notice much difference between the Fuerte and the Hass, except the Fuerte is sometimes a little firmer and it keeps well. The Reed has very creamy flesh, has a smaller seed than the others and is very popular with my Mexican friends because it is usually much less expensive, especially in the Mexican markets.

I don't have any experience with fruits grown in Florida but my friend tells me that in the El Niño years when her groves got way more water than usual, the fruits that matured in winter and spring grew too large too rapidly and had less flavor and poor texture. A case of too much of a good thing.

Edited July 27, 2011 by andiesenji (log)

[heidih]

Coming from an avocado producing state, and having them in my yard, I would only add that as noted there are so many varieties, and the storage and ripening conditions can also affect the taste.

I have purchased Fuertes (I think - no label) because they were dirt cheap (6 small for a dollar) and I ripened them slowly and found them good as an add in to a taco or salad where there was lots going on, but not to my taste "as is".

It would be interesting to see a side by side of the big ones you got cut open, showing the pit to flesh ration versus a Hass. (BTW - my whole life I thought it was spelled Haas because the Easter Egg dye kits are spelled Paas and Hase is German for rabbit- but it is Hass!)

Let us know what your produce guy says about the type.

[weinoo]

I stopped at my grocer today to see if he had the box they came in so I could learn the variety, but no dice. Then the corner fruit stand guy had some small Mexican avocados at $1 each, so I bought a few of those. Experiments coming.

[SylviaLovegren]

As others have said, those big Florida/Puerto Rico avocados are watery and not as tasty. (Don't let my Puerto Rican friends hear me say that, tho...) They'll do as slightly anemic substitutes, but they're nothing like the Haas or Fuertes. Slightly crisp, slightly sweet, and watery, as opposed to buttery and nutty.

[andiesenji]

It just so happened that an email (Recipes) from the California Avocado Commission arrived in today's email.

After perusing the new crop of recipes, I found the page with the varieties.

In case anyone is interested.

[weinoo]

I actually saw that web page. This variety in my OP is not one of those, but the "lamb haas" sounds amazing!

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Nope, not my faves either. As others have said, they're weak and a bit watery (and down here, they're called Aguacatones) but quite suitable for smoothies or ice creams.

I'd have to say my faves are Santo Domingo Rojo, which are comparable in size to those giants you've posted, but have smaller pits and flesh that rivals Haas in flavour and texture.

[Toliver]

One small thing I dislike about the Bacon-type avocados (beside their lack of flavor) is that they sometimes have little fibers/strings in the meat where the Haas doesn't. The strings put me off. Call me odd but there it is.

[Katie Meadow]

http://www.willsavocados.com/index.php/avocado-varieties

Here's another site describing varieties. Will's sells avocados at the Berkeley Farmers Market and other Bay Area venues. For a couple of weeks they had an avocado called a Gillogly, which I had never seen before. It is large, with a very long gourd-like neck. It's fabulous, so if you see one grab it. Here's some info:

http://avocadotrees.com/discover.htm

Will's classifies avocados as Mexican and Guatemalan styles. The Mexican style is less fatty, and includes the Fuerte, Bacon and Zutano. The Fuertes has always seemed watery to me, but maybe I've never had a good one. The Bacon avocados have good flavor, but they aren't creamy and wouldn't work well for guac, I shouldn't think. I've never seen a Zutano.

What they classify as Guatemalan style are the higher fat avocados such as Hass, Gwen, Reed and Pinkerton. I especially love the Gwens, but they are all great.

Edited July 30, 2011 by heidih
Fix links (log)

[onrushpam]

It is apparently a bang-up year for giant green FL avocadoes... They are everywhere and cheap!

Boxes and boxes of them at the farmers' market this morning. More boxes of them at our little local grocery this afternoon. The ones I bought last week were okay... not as good as Haas, but acceptable. They were realtively creamy, no strings and only slightly watery. Not as buttery as the Haas nor as flavorful. (I bought some of each on the same day and compared.)

I do think I figured out one key to these. I bought two. One was markedly larger than the other. The smaller one was much better, less watery, more flavorful than the larger one. So, if you're going to buy these, pick the smallest ones.

[Trev]

My wife bought a couple of these on the weekend and while the guacamole was a little mild or watery even, it was still good. Just needed a little more salt than usual.I definitely prefer Haas as well.