Avocados

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How Produced – California’s coastal microclimates are ideal for growing avocados. California Avocados are grown by nearly 5,000 farmers on approximately 59,000 acres. A single California Avocado tree can produce about 500 avocados (or 200 pounds of fruit) a year. However, the average tree usually produces approximately 150 fruits. Avocados are harvested from each tree by hand using avocado “clippers.” On tall trees, ladders up to 30 feet high and poles up to 14 feet long are used to reach the fruit. The fruit is then carefully placed into large picking bins, which hold 900 pounds of fruit, and transferred to a main road where large “boom” trucks pick up the fruit and haul it to a local packing house. Upon arrival, the avocados are immediately put into a large cold storage room for 24 hours to remove fi eld heat and preserve quality. The fruit is then placed onto conveyor belts for grading and sorting. The avocados are washed, inspected for quality, and placed into single-layered cartons called fl ats or doublelayered cartons called lugs. Lugs have a consistent weight of 25 pounds. Avocados are sized based on how many can fi t in one lug. The fruit is shipped in refrigerated trucks to markets nationwide. Varieties – Hass avocados account for nearly 95 percent of California’s avocado crop volume. They have thick pebbly skin that generally turns purplish-black during ripening. They are available in peak volume from March through September. A relative newcomer, the Lamb Hass, is a Hass-like variety that is generally available July through October. Other commercially produced varieties include; Fuerte, Zutano, Bacon, Pinkerton, Reed, and Gwen. These “greenskin” varieties yield to gentle pressure when ripe and are available at different times throughout the year. Commodity Value – California produces nearly 90 percent of the nation’s crop, generally growing approximately 300-400 million pounds each year. Crop value has averaged about $300 million with recent years topping $400. The majority of the crop is sold in the United States. Most California avocados are sold fresh. Top-Producing Counties – Avocados mostly grow on the coastal strip between San Luis Obispo and the Mexican border. These areas are ideal due to the rich soils and mild climates. More than 41 percent of California Avocados are grown in San Diego County. History – The avocado is a Native American plant with a long, distinguished history. Today, the most popular variety is the Hass. The mother tree of all Hass avocados was born in a backyard in La Habra Heights, California. The avocado (Persea americana) originated in south-central Mexico, sometime between 7000 and 5000 B.C. But it was several millennia before this wild variety was cultivated. Archaeologists in Peru have found domesticated avocado seeds buried with Incan mummies dating back to 750 B.C. and there is evidence that avocados were cultivated in Mexico as early as 500 B.C. Spanish conquistadors loved the fruit but couldn’t pronounce it and changed the Aztec word to a more manageable aguacate, which eventually became avocado in English. The fi rst English-language mention of avocado was by Sir Henry Sloane in 1696. In 1871, Judge R.B. Ord of Santa Barbara introduced avocados to the U.S. with trees from Mexico. By the early 1900s, growers were seeing the avocado’s commercial potential and ever since have been hunting for improved varieties. By the 1950s around 25 different varieties of avocados were being commercially packed and shipped in California, with Fuerte accounting for more than two-thirds of the production. Even though Hass was discovered in the early 1930s and patented by Rudolph Hass in 1935, it was not until large-scale industry expansion occurred in the late 1970s that Hass replaced Fuerte as the leading California variety. Nutritional Value – California Avocados provide important nutrients. One-fi fth of a medium avocado (1 oz.) has 50 calories and contains nearly 20 essential vitamins and nutrients. Avocados are sodium and cholesterol-free and provide three grams of mono, and half a gram of polyunsaturated fat per one ounce serving. For additional information: California Avocado Commission