Mexican Avocados: Best of the Best Right Now
Tara A. Spears
Avocados are full of delicious mysteries. They’re a fruit that eats like a vegetable, ripens on their own stubborn schedule, and tastes like buttery happiness. Avocados are one of nature’s miracle foods and it’s readily available throughout Mexico. Today, avocado is grown in places with tropical and Mediterranean climates with Mexico being the number one producer. With 17 main avocado types, one avocado may not be better than another; each is simply different. The diversity in shape, size, taste and texture in avocado varieties also has varying harvest times.
For those avocado lovers that live NOTB where the fruit is grown far away from the toast or taco they end up on, have you wondered when are avocados really in season?
If you feel like the avocado season never ends, you’re right, thanks in large part to the hard work of Mexican avocado growers. In Mexico, the season essentially lasts all year long, since their trees bloom and produce fruit four times per year. The state of Michoacán, with its fertile volcanic soil, is the avocado capital of Mexico, harvesting for the majority of the year, starting in the early spring. Right when Michoacán winds down its harvest in the fall, farmers in Jalisco pick up the slack and harvest until early March. It’s like a delicious relay race between trees and regions, producing a glut of avocados (not accidentally) just in time for the Super Bowl party dips.
Mexico isn’t the only country that’s capitalized on the popularity of avocados in the U.S. Today, Peru grows avocados from April to September and right when they wind down, Colombia and Chile enjoy their season from September to June. What this means for Canadian/U.S. avocado enthusiasts is that thanks to a network of growers throughout the Americas, you can eat avocados year-round. That said, depending on the time of year, it may have traveled hundreds or even thousands of miles to get to your plate. If you’re looking to reduce food miles and eat more local avocados, you’ll have to wait until the California season starts.
In California, where about 90% of US avocados are grown, the trees bloom only once, but can produce two crops in a year. This means that Californian avocados only become plentiful in the late spring and early summer.
Numerous studies have shown that avocados have potent health benefits thanks to its incredible nutrient content. Avocado is a suitable food for daily eating. In fact, studies have shown that, apart from being a satiating and nutritious food, it helps reduce levels of bad cholesterol or LDL and helps lose weight in a healthy way when included in a balanced diet. This powerhouse fruit provides monounsaturated fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids, potassium and vitamins C, E, K and B6.
There are so many benefits from eating avocado that it can be ranked as a super food: eating avocado helps regulate blood sugar, promotes eye health, aides the cardiovascular system and boosts the immune system. In addition, avocado is useful for weight loss because it contains fiber. Researchers from the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico have discovered that avocado oil is good for reducing the amount of saturated fat in the diet.
Take advantage of the constant supply of fresh avocados to enjoy this fruit daily. This incredibly versatile food can be included in almost every meal or salad, any time of day. January is the best time to savor this fruit at its peak!
