My are Shoprite stores having been selling avocados every week for only $.89/ea so I've been buying a number of them. I've left some in a bowl with other fruits like bananas, apples and tomatoes and others I deposit in the fridge to ripen later.
None of the avocados on the counter have ripened and these ones are two weeks old. The skin turns dark but they stay rock hard. Normally it would take 2-5 days average to get them buttery soft in the summer but these ones don't seem to ripen. I already opened two to make guacamole, a little rotten on the stem end but the rest was ok, just hard and not ripened with softer parts here and there. The skins of these avocados are thicker than normal and they don't thin out over time.
I've had that happen a few times over the years, and nothing I did to encourage ripening worked. Apparently it can happen if they're picked too young and/or refrigerated too early/wrong; they just stop developing. They shouldn't still be selling these things, and I'd suggest returning them.
You could try placing a banana next to them to promote ripening, but it's likely there's nothing you can do. Bad fruit, picked too young.
A colleague who has an avocado orchard once told me that stringy avocados come from young trees; growing international demand means fruit is picked from trees that are not fully mature. Uneven ripening in small fruits probably has the same cause.
The same colleague also told me not to refrigerate avocados until they are ripe. Ripen on the counter, then store in the fridge. This has worked well for me for years now. Ripe avocados last surprisingly long in the fridge.
I once did a side-by-side comparison between paper bag with banana and burying it in flour. The latter ripened quicker/better.
However, it sounds like these are are hopeless. That's a cheap price. I go to a hispanic market and buy large ones that are already ripe. Not cheap, but perfect, and no spoilage.
If perfectly ripe avocados are your wish, consult your favorite, high-caliber sushi restaurant. Maki / rolls with ripened, tender, distinctive-tasting avocado are the rule at our place, just wish I knew the sourcing and method. Too many that are green on the stand, turn dark a few days later, soften nicely, but go stringy and brown and inedible soon after. Also prefer origin Mexico over Peru.
I try to pay attention and make sure they're not from Peru. A few years ago we were getting Peruvian ones and week after week after week they were horrible, wet, hard, some tasted like ass, I do remember that period and the discussions on this board. I try to make sure they're from Mexico but these ones I'm not sure.
They're big avocados, they just stay hard as a rock. This is about a week and a half with a bowl of bananas and oranges. I opened another one yesterday that felt a little soft, yet still hard, yet managed to mash pretty well so I made my usual guacamole but the guac turned brown very quickly, and not just the top but brown throughout. It tasted fine though.
I've run into this too. If I cut into one that seems like it ought to be ready (and these are all labeled as Hass, btw), and they have ripened unevenly, I can kind of hack the issue by microwaving the halves for about 30 seconds on high. Take the pit out first. It's not perfect, but it salvages it enough for guac.
similar problems:
avocado would go bad (with this black thing developing inside it once cut open) with dry texture inside without ripening.
the weird thing is that I think grocers know this bc its only discounted avocados at a good price that does this.
I wonder how grocers can tell - just bc the veg didn't ripen yet or go bad yet but they know what happens next
Avocados that stay hard and rubbery were likely picked too early. While they don't ripen (soften) on the tree, they must stay on the tree long enough to reach a certain maturity (I think it's a matter of having the requisite oil or fat content) before being picked. If harvested prior to the minimum maturity, they will never soften and will be inedible.
California state law requires that growers test their harvests to meet a minimum oil/fat content, so a "California grown" sticker will increase the chances that the avocado will transform to a buttery softness in time. Avocados grown elsewhere? Who knows.
The last two visits to my local Costco and Trader Joes had really great avocados. I don't know what's going on with the ones sold at Shoprite but I knew the fruit was probably going to have some wonk because of the cheap $.89 price. I won't buy them from there anymore. The funny thing about the SR avos is that they looked great. They were big and roundish and looked like they would ripen well but nope.
by Jen Wheeler | Need a spring vegetable guide to what's in season? Consider this your spring produce cheat sheet—complete...
by Rachel Johnson | Whether the kids are still distance learning or returning to a classroom, with school back in session...
by Kelly Magyarics | You’ve sprung for a gorgeous piece of enameled cast iron cookware; protect your investment by cleaning...
by Debbie Wolfe | Home chefs love wood cutting boards because they are durable and reliable. Wood boards are attractive...