I love eating avocados, but they can be tricky to pick out when you buy them. Oh and you have to store them correctly so they last longer, or you can have super ripe avocados that are any good anymore. That’s money down the drain, right?? Well I am going to share some great tips to help you pick, ripen and store your avocados so you can enjoy longer. I have found that it depends on where you buy your avocados as well. We have a little local grocery store here in town that it is hard to buy avocados that are not super ripe there. I am sure that they have to shipped from far away and by the time I get to the store to buy them you have to eat them that day or toss them. I like to buy mine at Costco. They come in a big bunch and are rock hard when you buy them. This gives you plenty of time to store them and eat them without them being ruined.
Checking your avocados for ripeness:
Place the avocado in the balm of your hand. Gently squeeze the avocado without squeezing to hard, because you don’t want to bruise it.
If the avocado yields a firm gently pressure it is ripe and ready to eat right away. If it is hard and is not give a slight pressure to it, it will ripen in a couple of days. If it mushy and super soft it’s too ripe and not good to eat.
How to ripen your avocados:
To ripen your rock hard very green avocados place them in a brown paper sack for a couple of days. Or I like to just stick them in a window that has lots of sunlight coming through it. If I do that my avocados are ripe enough to eat withing 2-3 days.
Storing avocados:
To store whole, not cut avocados to keep them fresher longer, stick them in the refrigerator.
To store halved avocados sprinkle them with lemon or lime juice and place them in a tightly sealed zip lock and stick in the fridge.
To store avocados made into guacamole, place it in a tightly sealed container with the avocado seeds in it. The lemon juice and salts plus the seeds will keep it fresh. Also it will help it from turning brown on you.
Check out our great Guacamole recipe to use your ripe and yummy avocados. Hope these tips are helpful so you can enjoy your avocados longer. I would love to hear any more tips and hints to picking, ripening and storing avocados. Please share your comments in the comment area below. Enjoy!