If you're wondering when an avocado is ready, or how to ripen it, you've come to the right article. From Campos del Abuelo we'll give you the keys to ripening an avocado naturally . And at the same time, ensure that it maintains all its properties .
It often happens that avocados are picked too early and superficial heat is applied to them, forcing them to ripen . This causes the fruit to lose many of its properties.
Now, that being said… To eat an avocado at its best, you have to be patient .
To better understand each step, we at Campos del Abuelo recorded some videos with Eduardo, farmer and founder of Campos del Abuelo . He talks to us directly from the field about very important points in the avocado ripening process .
But first, let's clarify some notions about this delicious fruit.
Avocado ripening
The first thing to keep in mind is that the avocado is a climacteric fruit . Climacteric fruits are those that continue to ripen once they are removed from the tree . Such as tomatoes or apples .
The curious thing about avocados is that they are part of this group, but they need to be harvested to ripen. That is to say, their ripening begins once they are harvested.
This has to do with the fact that it should be picked when it is at its right fat content. This process is explained better in this article about avocados .
Now we can go to the videos we recorded with Eduardo in Campos del Abuelo, to better understand the maturation process.
In this first video you can see an avocado when it is not yet ripe . It is a Hass avocado variety and Eduardo is also going to show you why we should wait for it to ripen to eat it when it is just right.
As Eduardo says, an avocado has to be ripe, otherwise it is impossible to eat because the pulp is too hard . Another characteristic of an avocado that is not ripe is that the skin peels off the stone and remains in the pulp. That does not happen when it is ripe.
Well, in this second video, direct from the field, Eduardo gives you the keys to distinguish at a glance whether an avocado of this same variety is ripe or not :
As we can see, in the case of the Hass variety it is easy to know if it is ready because the skin of the avocado turns black. If it is dark it is ripe , if on the other hand it is green it is not yet ready. And the infallible thing is the “cotton test”, touch it a little with the fingertips and if it gives way it is ready.
Okay, now let's continue because in addition to these tips, we are going to learn the natural way to ripen your avocados and eat them at their ideal point.
The role of ethylene in avocado ripening
To understand how fruits ripen, we have to talk about ethylene .
Let's think of the avocado as a living being that, even though it is no longer on the tree, continues to breathe. When it breathes, it produces carbon dioxide, water and ethylene .
The latter is an organic chemical compound that is produced in all plant organisms. We will not go into chemical terms because at Campos del Abuelo we are dedicated to crops, but we will tell you that ethylene is very important because it regulates the ripening process.
As we said above, you have to be patient. We will give you the key to ripening avocados in a healthy and natural way through the natural release of ethylene.
What we are going to do is increase the presence of this gas. How? By putting the avocado inside a paper bag . If you don't have a paper bag, you can wrap it in newspaper or some paper you have at home.
What we will achieve is that the ethylene - which emanates in the form of gas - does not escape and concentrates around the avocado.
Something that speeds up the process even more is placing an organic apple from Campos del Abuelo in the paper bag next to the avocado, since these fruits also release a lot of ethylene.
However, you will not use plastic bags because plastic, not being porous, generates mold and can rot your avocados.
How long does it take for an avocado to ripen naturally?
After two or three days, it may be ready. Sometimes it takes longer, but once the ripening process begins, ethylene production increases very quickly .
Also, as the avocado season progresses, it ripens more easily. At the beginning of the season, it is normal to wait longer, so remember to check it daily .
You will know that your avocado is ready if you do, as Eduardo says, “the cotton test” , that is, if it gives way when you apply a little pressure with your fingertips .
A little trick is to also touch the stem , if it comes out easily it is ready. It is important to look at the color when removing the stem, if it is a light yellow, it means it is ready to eat.
In this video we will see the stages of the avocado , so you can see when it is green, ripening and ready to eat . However, keep in mind that in this video, we are still talking about the Hass variety of avocado:
So, to review: the Hass avocado is greenest when it is freshly picked from the tree , and when it begins to ripen, the green gradually turns darker . As Eduardo explained to us at the avocado tree, the fruit is fully ripe when the color is very dark .
We explain this process through the variety called Hass, because it is the variety that is most cultivated around the world.
In the case of other varieties of avocado, what never fails, as we said, is to do the cotton test. They do make you want to try these avocados, don't they?
Are there other ways to ripen avocado quickly?
There are ways to make a hard avocado soft in a short time, but they have nothing to do with the ripening of the fruit…
The “magic recipe” of putting it in the oven wrapped in aluminum foil, or even putting it in the microwave, makes the avocado soft, but this is due to contact with intense heat, not because it ripens. In addition, by doing this you alter the flavor, smell and color of the fruit.
At Campos del Abuelo we harvest the avocado when it is at its perfect fat content, to send it to your home freshly harvested in less than 24 hours. That is why, in order for you to enjoy the delicious and real flavor of our avocados, you must be patient and go through the ripening process.
Remember that at Campos del Abuelo, you can buy fruit and vegetables directly from the farmer. You choose it, we harvest it and send it without any post-harvest chemicals.
So now you know, with a paper bag, an apple and Eduardo's advice you already have all the steps to ripen your avocado naturally .
Until next time and thanks for reading!
