Background and Identification

The avocado is a tree thought to be from south central Mexico. The fruit from the tree is called an avocado pear, which is technically a large berry with a seed inside. The avocado tree is surprisingly low maintenance. It is recommended that you plant your tree in an area that gets 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight. The avocado tree can be planted indoors and outdoors. With proper care and watering, soon you’ll have your own home grown super food.

While there is no science to back this up, people who eat avocados seem to get obsessed and have an uncontrollable urge to put avocados on everything. This is probably due to the avocado’s sweet and subtle flavor and smooth texture. Avocados can be eaten as is, but it's also normally used in dips, like guacamole. Lately however, the avocado has been branching out to different foods and drinks such as smoothies, toast, salads, sandwiches, desserts, and countless amounts of vegetarian meals. You can find numerous recipes that include avocado or simply ask almost anyone who loves avocado and they'll happily talk to you for an hour about what avocado dishes they love.

The avocado is a star ingredient, and not surprisingly, also a diva. It has a slim window between not ripe and too ripe, and spoils quickly. The flesh of the avocado can quickly turn brown after exposure to air.

Technical Specifications

  • Green outer peel
  • fleshy inner body
  • round pit
  • Avocados, raw
  • Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
  • Energy: 670 kJ (160 kcal)
  • Carbohydrates: 8.53 g
  • Sugars: 0.66 g
  • Dietary fiber: 6.7 g
  • Fat: 14.66 g
  • Saturated: 2.13 g
  • Monounsaturated: 9.80 g
  • Polyunsaturated: 1.82 g
  • Protein: 2 g
  • Vitamin A equiv.
  • beta-Carotene
  • Thiamine (B1) 6%0.067 mg
  • Riboflavin (B2) 11%0.13 mg
  • Niacin (B3) 12%1.738 mg
  • Pantothenic acid (B5) 28%1.389 mg
  • Vitamin B6 20%0.257 mg
  • Folate (B9) 20%81 μg
  • Vitamin C 12%10 mg
  • Vitamin E 14%2.07 mg
  • Vitamin K 20%21 μg
  • Calcium 1%12 mg
  • Iron 4%0.55 mg
  • Magnesium 8%29 mg
  • Manganese 7%0.142 mg
  • Phosphorus 7%52 mg
  • Potassium 10%485 mg
  • Sodium 0%7 mg
  • Zinc 7%0.64 mg

Additional Information

Wiki: Avocado

Fast Growing Trees