It's avocado season

Party with these recipes & a giveaway

Spending words on how good avocados are is like recommending naps to cats—unnecessary.

Because of the US’s obsession with avocados, the industry is growing at a ruthless pace to stock grocery stores; here’s a great article by Cathy Erway about the fruit’s evolution from regional to trendy to staple ingredient. 

Though your grocery store always has avocados, they do have a growing season, and in California, that time is right now (through summer). Like my extravagant citrus habit, I have developed a California avocado habit. It’s Primavera Avocado’s fault. The small family farm in Ventura County grows avocados that look like the avocado emoji. Their flavor is pronounced and they’re so buttery and bright green. Peeling them is pleasing, too, look:

The avocados will arrive hard and green, but they won’t stay that way like an underripe peach because avocados are one of the few fruits to ripen off the plant. Like a low-maintenance sourdough starter, you get to track their progress every day, gently pressing to assess when a slight give means they’re ready to eat.

primaveraavocados

A post shared by @primaveraavocados

Once they are ready, they’re an easy add-on—slip a little into a sandwich or salad, you know that—but I developed some recipes for Primavera where the point is the avocado. Links to those recipes are below, in addition to some other avocado-as-hero recipes that I really like. I should say I wasn’t paid to say or do any of this; just wanted to highlight one of the 40 ingredients and how to enjoy this extra-special fruit. 

---

Want to try an exquisite avocado?

[Giveaway closed.] Primavera will send a box to three folks, chosen at random. To enter, comment on this post with your favorite way to eat avocados (with a spoon counts). The deadline to enter is Monday, May 20 (open to the contiguous US).

---

Use avocado as a mild contrast to assertive seasonings:

Use avocado to make fruit salad:

Use avocado to make a creamy sauce/dip/dressing:

Also Roberto Santibañez’ guacamole and

Marissa Rothkopf

's transformation sauce

Give sweets a savory edge with avocado:

Sinh to bo (Vietnamese avocado smoothie) from

Andrea Nguyen