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Do you know how to know an avocado is ripe? This is very important if you’re trying to eat more of this nutritious food. Whether you’re trying to slim down or simply wanting to lead a healthy lifestyle, eating avocados will do a lot of wonders for your body.
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How to Know an Avocado is Ripe
What makes avocados different from most fruits is that their fruit won’t ripen on the tree. The fruit only becomes ripe after it is picked. This makes it quite tricky to identify a ripe avocado.
But don’t you worry as I have listed down several tips to keep in mind so that you would know if an avocado is ripe or not:
Look at the Skin Color
Most avocado varieties will have a dark outer peel, but there are subtle differences in the skin color.
For example, Hass avocado, which is one of the more common varieties, has a deep green to purple color when it is ripe. You don’t want to get a Hass avocado that is colored black because it will likely be overripe.
The same goes for green Hass avocado, because it will surely be unripe.
If you are to buy Gwen avocado, check that the skin is dull green. If it does, then the avocado is ripe.
Ripe bacon and Fuerte avocados have smooth green skin. Gwen avocados, on the other hand, have a dull, pebbly green skin.
Pinkerton avocados are like Hass avocados as its color becomes dark green when it ripens. The same goes for Pinkerton avocado—a ripe one is usually deep green.
Finally, Zutano avocados are yellow-green in color when they are ripe.
You should also avoid buying avocados with dark blemishes as these are likely to be overripe.
Check the Firmness
Aside from checking the color of the skin, you can tell if the fruit is ripe or not by checking the firmness of the avocado.
Start by placing the fruit in the palm of your hand. Don’t grab it with your fingertips. Then gently squeeze it, with the base of the fingers and your palm applying even pressure to the avocado.
You would know that the avocado is ripe when it yields to firm pressure. Its skin must give in slightly to the pressure, but it must not remain indented.
In case the avocado you get feels too firm, then the fruit is not yet ripe. If it feels mushy, then it is overripe.
You can also try to put gentle pressure in several places.
Flick off the Stem
The stem of the avocado will also give you an idea of the ripeness of the fruit. You can simply flick off the stem. If the stem did not come off easily, then the fruit is not yet ripe. But if you were able to remove the stem quickly, the fruit is ripe enough.
After flicking off the stem, you can also check the color beneath the stem. If you see brown underneath, I can tell you that the fruit is too ripe. You want the color beneath the stem to be greenish yellow, because this means that the avocado is ripe.
As in most things in life, practice makes perfect. It might take you a while before you master the skill of picking a ripe avocado.
Here’s one suggestion I can give you- purchase an unripe avocado, and then check it every day as it softens. The fruit should be ripe in 2-3 day. You will eventually learn what to look for in a ripe avocado by doing this trick.
How to Ripen the Fruit Quickly
But let’s say you can’t wait to put the avocado flesh in a blender to make a smoothie. Or you want to mix the fruit with milk, so you need it to become ripe soon. What would you do?
Here are some tips to solve this dilemma:
- Place the avocado in a bag with ripe fruits like bananas or apples. Why? Ripe fruits emit a gas called ethylene. This will help in stimulating the ripening process.
- You can also place the fruit in a spot where sunlight can get in. It would take around 3-4 days for the avocado to get ripe if you try this trick.
Now what if you bought a ripe avocado but you’re not yet ready to serve or eat it? That would not be much of a problem, either. I simply put it in the refrigerator, where it can remain in its stage of ripeness for a week.
Conclusion
They say that picking a ripe avocado is a hit-and-miss thing. I disagree with that. As you have learned, there are several things that you can look into when you are buying avocados.
And once you have learned how to pick a ripe avocado, you’ll have a skill for life that you can pass on to your family members and friends.