Ripe Avocados

The last time I tried to make guacamole, the avocados were under-ripe. They took forever to peel, but because I didn’t know much about avocados, their firmness didn’t worry me too much. Except that my hand cramped up from my not-so-great paring knife technique. And when I attempted to mash them with my potato masher, it was impossible. Seriously. I even put them into my food processer and didn’t manage to get it creamy. It was more like diced vegetables, like peppers or onions.

For some reason, I still thought it was a good idea to try to make guacamole from it. Hubby and I both took about two bites before deciding to eat the tortilla chips dry. What a waste of tomatoes and cilantro.

I took pictures, but for the life of me, I can’t find them. You’ll just have to believe me.

I’ve been afraid of avocados since then. Not of eating them, but of buying them. But I was at the grocery store yesterday, and I heard them calling my name. Really. There I was, walking past the display of avocados, when I distinctly heard, “Joooooolieeeee Joooolieeeeee!” So, of course, I had to stop and say hello to the things. Looking around furtively, in case the man stocking the oranges across to me objected, I squeezed one. It was squishy. I was encouraged enough to squeeze several. All squishy.

I brought them home.

Turns out, they’re MUCH easier to peel when they’re slightly over-ripe. In fact, I didn’t even need to peel them. Just cut off the top and squish.

Sweet.

At that point, all it needed was the extras – freshly squeezed lime juice, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, and salt.

I’ll let you read the original post if you’re interested in the guacamole. I just wanted to share my avocado experience.