One Hawaii avocado is large enough to produce an entire batch of guacamole — and a pretty big surprise when it falls from the tree!

 

Rick bought this avocado at the People’s Open Market this week.  I put it next to a medium sized egg to give you some idea of scale.  A regular mainland avocado fits in my hand – this one is like an oversized softball.  It is actually smaller than the ones we usually get, but this is not really avocado season.  When in season, avocados are some of the many surprises that drop from trees in Hawaii, as @ rhythm7a told us on Twitter:

 

" An avocado almost killed me!  Actually it wasn’t THAT close, but close enough to make me realize how much it would hurt. They get so big there (in Hawaii)."  I asked for more details.  "I was walking home one night and heard a loud crashing sound in the tree above me then a loud thump about two feet away.  I never knew there was an avocado tree next to our apartment building.  From then on, when we heard that sound outside our window, we raced the other neighbors to find the tasty treat.  It would really hurt to have one of those hit you though.  They were huge and heavy."  This was while living in the Punchbowl area of Honolulu on Oahu.  "I can’t believe I never took a picture of them. I’m sure the mainland people thought I was exaggerating."

 

I believe you!  My trusty Farmers Market cookbook says the peak season for avocados in Hawaii is November through February.  I’ll keep an eye out for the really big ones and post a photo then to illustrate your story.

 

Related post: Tree hazards in Hawaii

 

 Posted by Cindy Scheopner  Follow me on Twitter @Scheopner