Nature is magical. And when it is in a symbiotic relationship with humans, it is not only powerful but also generous. The history of the Hass avocado has a lot to do with this relationship... It was an American postman who, in the 1920s, invented the Hass variety , which is today the most widely traded variety in the world.
In this article we will tell the story of the birth of the Hass variety and we will see some of its characteristics. It is worth clarifying that at Campos del Abuelo we declared ourselves fans of avocados quite some time ago.
Not only do we have our own production so that you can buy the best Hass avocados you will ever try, but we are also part of the process from sprouting to harvest.
We consider this variety to be one of our jewels . What makes the difference is that we do not harvest the avocados until they reach the right fat content.
We will explain this in more detail below. The words of Eduardo, farmer and founder of Campos del Abuelo, and Javier, fellow avocado farmer, will accompany us to learn more about the Hass variety.
But now we go straight to California, United States, to learn the story of Rudolph Hass and his avocado tree…
The story of the postman who gave life to the Hass avocado
Rudolph Hass settled in Pasadena with his wife and young daughter. They traveled from Milwaukee to the outskirts of Los Angeles, United States, in search of a better life.
What they didn't know was that they were settling on the land where an avocado was going to change their lives . Rudolph worked several jobs until he found a steady one: mailman.
One day, while he was doing his usual work, he came across a picture on the cover of a magazine that caught his attention: avocado trees, with bags with dollar signs hanging from them instead of fruit. The picture looked something like this, but of course, with money bags instead of fruit:
Thus, the postman heard the call and pulled strings to be able to buy a plot of land of almost 8,000 square meters, where there were already avocado trees .
Determined to continue planting avocado trees, he bought seeds of the Lyon and Fuerte varieties and planted them in boxes. Once he had small trees, he transplanted them into the ground.
Until the roots of baby avocado trees are able to firmly attach themselves to the ground, they require a lot of attention and also a lot of water. But Rudolph had been taking care of his avocado trees from seed and they managed to establish themselves . In these images you can see the size of a newly planted avocado tree in the ground.
The next step was to graft these new varieties onto the avocado trees that already existed on the land he had acquired. But he was not able to do this, it was as if the trees refused to accept these grafts.
Let's take a moment to explain. Avocado trees, like orange trees , need to be grafted to bear fruit . Farmers have trees that we call foot trees or borders that need to be grafted with an avocado variety to bear good fruit.
It's not as simple as planting a tree or plant . You don't usually realize it, but when you buy a small tree or plant to grow fruit, the graft is already done.
This graft is what will later make the cultivated fruit of the variety that you desire. What Rudolph Hass was trying to do was to graft the Lyon and Fuerte varieties onto an avocado tree.
There are several ways to perform a graft , for example, by making a T-cut in the bark of the rootstock tree. Then you must find a strong stem of the tree with the variety you want, cut a small piece of the stem and insert it into the T-cut that was made in the border tree.
In these images you can see how a lateral graft is performed.
Let's continue with our story. The problem that Hass had was that grafts can only be made in spring. And the third time the tree grafted by Rudolph did not bear fruit, he wanted to give up and even uproot the tree. But he didn't do that, luckily...
The following year, the same plant produced three avocados, and the year after that, 125. At first, Hass described them as strange: too dark, with rough skin, he even said they looked like they were rotten. But when he tried them with his family, they discovered that the flavor and creaminess of the fruit were incredible .
Mr. Hass began selling them at retail, until a colleague who knew the business encouraged him to send a box of avocados back to Chicago. He was pleasantly surprised to see that they had returned in perfect condition.
In 1935 , Rudolph patented the name of the mother avocado tree with his surname: Hass . The curious thing is that, despite having decided to enter the world of avocados because of the image of the tree with bags of money, Hass did not become rich. He retired as a postman and, although he made money with avocados, it was never his main source of income.
All Hass avocados come from the tree that Rudolph grafted . Until 2002, this avocado tree was open to visitors, but then it became sick and had to be cut down. The legacy of the postman and his tree is still present throughout the world: wherever a Hass avocado arrives, this story is there.
The Hass variety not only has a very interesting history, but also has a series of characteristics that make this avocado the most popular internationally and the most cultivated in the world…
Characteristics of the Hass avocado with our farmers
The Hass avocado tree is a vigorous grower , has horizontal branches and forms a kind of inverted crown with a semi-open appearance. One advantage of this avocado tree is that it is resistant to temperature variations. However, there are some points to keep in mind that our farmers will explain to us.
When the fruits set and ripen, several of them hang from the tree. Although, of course, the best is when they are ready to make a delicious guacamole... In these images you can see the avocado trees: they are the three that appear in a row first. Also their fruit when it is almost ready to be harvested and an avocado ready to eat .
To learn more about the temperature at which it is best to grow avocados, it is important to bear in mind that frost will slow down the growth of the avocado tree or even kill it.
Regarding temperature, Eduardo, an avocado farmer, tells us:
If the temperature drops to 1ºC, the tree will die. But it depends on other circumstances, for example, if the tree has enough humidity, it will be more resistant to the cold .
It is often worse for the temperature to be -1º for an hour than -5º for about 10 minutes. Another point is that if it is windy, the tree will hold up better because the cold does not sleep in the tree.
For all these reasons, it is important to keep it in warm areas, in areas where it does not freeze . Even if there is frost (that ice that is produced in the mornings, the dew that freezes), production also disappears.
You have to be very careful with the temperature . Another example that can affect the avocado tree is the hot air from the west… It is not good either because it dries it out and sheds the leaves.
Hass avocado trees are very generous and begin to produce 2 or 3 years after planting (just the time that the postman Rudolph had to wait to see his first avocados).
According to Eduardo, they produce approximately 1,000 kg per hanegada when they are in full production, that is, about 10,000 to 12,000 kg per hectare.
They flower in spring, between March and April. As farmers, we consider it an advantage that the fruit can remain on the tree for a long time without deteriorating , since when it is time to harvest it is not necessary to collect them all at the same time.
One of its characteristics is that it has a long harvest period. In the case of this variety, the harvest lasts from December to May.
Avocados have a type of pollination called “ cross-pollination .” This means that for pollination to occur, two different types of avocados are needed.
The Hass , for example, is a type A variety , so it needs type B pollinators, such as the Bacon or Fuerte varieties. If you want to know more about cross-pollination of avocados , we invite you to read the article on the history and cultivation of avocados .
In any case, Eduardo told us from his avocado field that the best are always natural pollinators: our beloved bees . He explains: you have to put honeycombs . The pollinator is usually put there because the air takes the spores, but it is more effective if the bees themselves do all this work. There are already many people who do not plant pollinators for this reason.
What are the fruits of the Hass avocado tree like?
The fruit is green in color, but when it is ripe and ready for consumption, its skin turns dark violet , almost black. Its skin is hard, thick and somewhat rough. Its pulp is yellowish , and it has a flavor that makes us think of nuts such as walnuts or hazelnuts.
The fruit is smaller than the rest. In fact, its seeds are also smaller, but if we look at them in the whole fruit, the pulp that is used is greater. A Hass avocado usually weighs between 200 and 350 grams . Another of its characteristics is that it does not have fiber, unlike other varieties.
As we saw at the beginning, in the story of the creator of the Hass avocado, its thick and rough skin makes it highly resistant to transport . This is also one of the reasons why it is the avocado that travels the most around the world.
Since we had the opportunity to ask two avocado farmers about their cultivation, we asked them the same question: Why is the Hass variety the most popular?
Javier answered as follows: it is the most popular not only for its flavour, but also for its strong, rough skin that protects it during export. Unlike, for example, the Bacon avocado, which has a thinner skin, this is the king of exports due to its protective layer.
And, in addition to the fact that it can be exported without being damaged, to this day there are still practically no pests, the tree gives a good yield and the fruit has a magnificent flavor . For these reasons it is the most commercialized…
Eduardo said: “ The marketing takes a long time, there is a significant production volume, the size of the fruit is also good … Well, the consumer does not want large pieces to then leave half of them in the fridge.”
And last but not least, they are amazing to eat, they have that rich nutty flavour and just the right amount of fat. Also, Hass avocados ripen easily.
What is the right time to harvest Hass avocados?
Avocados do not ripen on the tree and must be harvested when they have reached the right fat point. Once harvested, they finish ripening off the tree.
Unfortunately, they are often harvested before they reach their ideal fat content. The problem is that these avocados harvested too early will not reach their optimum level or ripen.
Javier, from the field, explains it very clearly: the avocado is a climacteric fruit , which means that it does not ripen on the tree, but rather it finishes ripening (that is, it becomes softer) once it is harvested. The most important thing is to pick it when the avocado has the right amount of fat .
It is not picked earlier simply because the fat is not well developed. If you pick it earlier it does not finish ripening off the tree. This is what happens in many countries. It is picked for export, it may arrive here hard and never ripen... and, worst of all, when it ripens it turns black.
At Campos del Abuelo we respect the cycles of nature and that is why our avocados are harvested at the exact point of fat content. Therefore, to be eaten at their perfect ripeness they must go through the ripening process. In this article we explain how to ripen your avocados naturally .
And just in case, we share this video, in which Eduardo, an experienced farmer, gives you a very wise tip about avocados and their ripening, since -as he says- you have to be patient:
Just as the Hass avocado has its own history, so do other varieties . The Bacon, Fuerte, Pinkerton and Lamb Hass are the result of crosses between breeds and varieties and generally bear the surname of their creators. It is very likely that not all of them will have a postman as their protagonist, but they will certainly be just as interesting.
For now, at Campos del Abuelo, we are comforted to know that we are part of the history of one of our jewels: the Hass avocado .
Remember that in our online store, you can buy Hass avocado and fruits and vegetables directly from the farmer and without post-harvest chemicals .
Until the next story and thanks for reading!
