Welcome to our new series where we’ll let you know what fruit and vegetables are market fresh this week, give you handy storage tips and recipes to make the most of seasonal produce.
Often mistaken for a vegetable, an avocado is actually a fruit. With the Hass variety now in season, expect small and oval-shaped avocado with green skin that turns purplish black when ripe. Containing mono-unsaturated (good) fat and rich in potassium, avocados have become an essential part of the Aussie diet from the infamous café staple of smashed avo on toast to delicious wraps, salads and baking treats.
Unripe avocados have green skin and feel firm - store them at room temperature until ripe. If you are buying a ripe avocado to eat on the same day, look for those with almost black skin that yield to gentle pressure at the stem end.
Placing an unripe avocado in the refrigerator will slow the ripening process, but the same concept applies to ripe avocados – put them in the fridge to keep them at their prime ripeness for longer.
Fresh and ready avocado halves are a sight to behold, but they won’t stay that way for long. To keep them from turning brown, seal the flesh with a sprinkle of lemon juice, lime juice or olive oil, then tightly wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
You can freeze avocado, but make sure you use ones that are just-ripe and not super soft. Scoop the flesh from the skin in chunks and arrange on a baking paper-lined tray. Freeze the avos for about 30 minutes, or until firm; then transfer to a freezer bag and expel the air. You can keep avocados in the freezer for up to a month.
Just be aware, when you thaw them they will lose most of the delicious flavour they have when they are fresh; they can also be mushy and brown in colour once thawed, due to the oxidation process.
Here are three recipes to use avocados in ways you probably haven’t thought of:
Subtly sweet and totally delicious, this chocolate tart is perfect for parties - plus, it’s made entirely from plant-based ingredients! Pure maple syrup serves as the key ingredient in this deliciously decadent vegan tart recipe.
A perfect starter for a seafood feast, these crab cakes are fried until golden brown and served with avocado and corn salsa and an easy passionfruit aioli.
Forget smashed avo…this is a match made in heaven - mushies on sourdough toast, teamed with miso, avocado and crunchy nuts to make the perfect breakfast.
