What's green, delicious and good for you?  Why the avocado of course!  Gather some knowledge of this fruit and dazzle your friends!

In 1619, Hernando Cortz, Spanish soldier of fortune, set foot in Mexico City and discovered the most versatile fruit of the New World, the avocado.  In 1626, Oviedo, historian to the conquistadors, wrote the following descriptiong of the avocado and gave the first directions for eating it..."In the center of the fruit is a seed like a peeled chestnut.  And between this and the rind is the part which is eaten, which is abundant, and is a paste similar to butter and of very good taste," Oviedo speaks of the avocado of northern South America, but the fruit seems to have originated in the lands to the north...Central American and Mexico.  Here the Aztecs named the fruit ahuacatl, and the avocado tree that flowers today in the United States was yesterday growing wild in the ruins of the Aztec and Mayan temples. 

From Mexico the avocado spread into Peru, where in the pre-Incan city of Chanchan archaeologists have unearthed a double water jar in the shape of an avocado, dated around 900 A.D.  The fruit appears next in the West Indies, where new varieties developed.  It was in these tropical islands that many travelers first encountered avocados, among them the young George Washington, who wrote in 1761 that "agovago pears" were abundant and popular in the Barbados.

The California avocado emerged in Mexico City, Puebla, and Atlixco in 1911.  IN came a 21-year old American, Carl Schmidt who was employed by the West Idian Nursery in Altadena, California.  His task was to search the Mexican marketplace for avocados of outstanding quality and to locate the trees from which they came.  He cut budwood from the best trees, numbered each, and shipped them by Wells Fargo to Altadena.  Many budgs refused to adapt to the soil and climate of California; but number 16, which Schmidt had cut from a tree in the garden of Alejandro Le Blanc, flourished.  When it survived, its strength was officially recognized and was given the name Fuerte...Spanish for vigorous and strong.  The Fuerte tree that Schmidt found in Atlixco created California's avocado industry.

AND WE CAN ENJOY ALL THE GUACAMOLE TODAY!

GROW YOUR OWN AVOCADO

After eating your avocado, save the seed and try this fun project.  My grandkids have really enjoyed watching the seed grow into a tree.  The avocado trees flourishes here in Southern California as the kids proudly show them off.

• Wash an avocado seed.  Suspend it (broad end down) over a water-filled glass using three toothpicks.  The water should cover about 1" of the seed.
• Place the glass in a warm location, out of direct sunlight.  A mature seed will crack as roots and stem sprout in about two to six weeks.
• When a stem grows to 6" or 7", cut it back to about 3".
• When the roots are thick and the stem has leafed out again, plant it in a rich humus soil, leaving the seed half exposed.  Use a terra cotta pot with a 10-1/2" diameter.
• Water your avocado houseplant generously, but let it dry out somewhat between waterings.

PROPER CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR CALIFORNIA AVOCADO HOUSE PLANT

• Be sure your avocado houseplant is planted in rich humus soil with half the seed exposed.
• Give it frequent, light waterings with occasional deep soakings.  Generally, soil should be moist but not saturated.
• The more sunlight your houseplant gets, the better.
• If the leaves turn yellow, this is an indication of over watering.  Let your houseplant dry out for a day or two.
• If the leaves become brown and fry at the tips, too much salt has accumulated in teh soil and leaching is required.  Let water run freely into the pot and drain out for several minutes.
• When the stem grows to 12" high, cut it back to 6".  This will encourage growth of new shoots.

Don't expect your houseplant to bear fruit!  Although this does occur occasionally, commercially grown avocados require grafting.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• California is the number-one producer of avocados in the United States and home to 95% of the nation's crop.
• Most California avocados are harvested on 60,000 acres between San Luis Obispo and the Mexican border.
• Seven varieties of avocado are grown in California:  Hass, Bacon, Zutano, Gwen, Pinkerton, Fuerte and Reed.  Hass, which rhymes with pass, makes up 85% of the volume.
• San Diego County, the nation's "avocado capital," produces 40% of all California avocados.  The county hosts the annual ceremony for the industry's "First Pick" of the new avocado crop in early December.
• About 6,000 California growers harvest California avocados.  Avocados are grown YEAR-ROUND in California thanks to the state's coastal microclimate.
• Avocados belong to the genus Persea, that is a member of the Lauraceae family.
• 10 acres is the average size of an avocado farm
• A single California avocado tree can produce up to 60 lbs. of avocados every year or approximately 120 pieces.

NOW THAT YOU HAVE THE INFORMATION, GO OUT AND "WOW" YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY!