Avocado

Who doesn’t love a rich, flavorful avocado in guacamole, in sandwiches, as a salad ingredient, or in many recipes where one might use a less healthy fat? For most Americans, avocado means Hass avocado, the small California variety that fills the grocery shelves. With its high oil content and appealing flavor, it’s a fine fruit, but Hass avocado trees are poorly adapted to Florida’s humid climate and are rarely grown commercially here. Fortunately, there are many excellent varieties that do well in Florida. Late summer, fall, and winter-fruiting varieties extend the season of locally grown avocados to most of the year.

Avocados are ripe when slightly soft over the entire surface area. Cut in half lengthwise, remove the single seed, and spoon out the delicious flesh. Alternatively, we like to cut in half, remove the seed, and peel each half.

The trees are attractive evergreens, vigorous growers, and hardy except for one Achilles heel: they are not at all tolerant of flooding and need to be on high ground or mounds to avoid perishing in wet summers. At SweetSong Groves, we have around 25 avocado trees at various stages of production. With our mix of varieties, we hope eventually to have production year-round, apart from spring.