Freeze Your Avocados for Year Round Flavor

We love our avocado grove here at The City Farm – from the shade of the trees to the bees it attracts, to the delicious honey we harvest, the trees provide for us.  And we took note as the 2013 / 2014 winter’s polar vortex wreaked havoc on most of the U.S., and snowstorms and ridiculously cold temperatures raised the costs of heating homes, snarled traffic and travel, and caused Chipotle to issue a “guacamole warning.”

It sounds like a bad joke, like when it starts to sprinkle in Southern California and the local newscasters use terms like “Storm Watch, 2014.”  But when it comes to losing the side of guacamole on your lunch-break burrito?  Things are getting serious. Fast.

According to NPR, who covered the restaurant chain’s threat to abandon the avocado due to the drought in California, as well as the reported freezes in Mexico that made prices for the fruit skyrocket, Chipotle “goes through a staggering amount of avocados to make its fresh guacamole – 97,000 pounds of avocados every day. That adds up to 35 and a half million pounds of avocados every year.”

It’s hard to wrap one’s mind around that many avocados. (Yummm.. wrap … burrito…) But. For most of us who enjoy a daily slice on piece of toast with goat cheese, the rising cost of avocados is disconcerting news.  Especially as we’ve learned of late how great the healthy fats are that we get from them: from adding shine to your hair, a glow to your skin, the healthy omega-3 fatty acids and the insoluble fiber that keeps your colon regulated.  Avocado oil is also great to cook with, as we learned from Prevention.com, it is high in mono-unsaturated fats that help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and increase “good” HDL, as well has having a high smoke point (520°F), which makes it a great oil for stir-frying, sauteing, roasting, and even baking.

How does an avocado nut prepare for the higher-priced off season? First step: check your freezer.  Do a little (late) spring cleaning, and make some space for frozen avocados.  That’s right.  Like bananas, you can freeze your fruit, and have it ready for guacamole on game day or – really? Just chips & guac night, is all you need to celebrate with the tasty treat.  While avocados are in season, typically in the summer, make some room in your freezer, and then follow these steps from the Huffington Post to save some for those winter months when you’re craving guacamole, or even ice cream.

Wash the avocado, skin still on.

Cut the fruit in half, and peel.

If you are opting to keep them as halves, put them in a Ziploc bag and freeze.

If you’re pureeing, either mash the avocados with a fork or in a food processor with a little bit of lime or lemon. Store in a re-sealable bag and freeze.

As the HuffPo author notes – frozen avocados will fade, so don’t expect them to be party-friendly for display in slices. But they will perfectly blend into your guacamole, or with a frozen banana for the texture and taste of ice cream. Lauren Conrad’s site features a face and hair mask made of avocado and apple cider vinegar, and a promise that “both of which will make your hair shiny and soft and add a glow to your skin.”  The facial includes honey, so be sure to order your City Farm Avocado Honey, to make the cycle complete!

Will you freeze your farmer’s market avocados, so you can pack your own guacamole, in case the condiment situation grows dire?  Share your favorite recipes with us in the comment section or on Twitter @TheCityFarm.