How can you miss the delicious, soft, and flavorful taste of avocados in summer? Avocados contain antioxidant vitamin E, a rich source of dietary fiber, monounsaturated fatty acids (rich in Omega-9), and polyunsaturated fatty acids, making them a good source of fat.

Some avocados don’t darken when ripe, making it easy to cut an unripe avocado. What should you do?

How can you tell if an avocado is ripe?

How can you tell if it’s ripe if it hasn’t changed color?

You can usually tell by the color of the avocado’s skin turning from dark green to dark brown, or by the color of the stem at the top. If it’s golden brown, it’s ripe and ready to eat! If it’s a dark brown, it’s overripe, while a light green is underripe and needs more time.

Hall and Choquette avocados typically don’t turn a deep purple-black when ripe; the skin changes from a light green to a dark green. At this point, you have to rely on the feel of the skin to tell the ripeness! If dark spots develop, the avocado begins to soften to the touch, and doesn’t spring back when pressed, it’s ready to eat.

What if I accidentally “killed” an avocado?

How should I store unripe avocados?

Sometimes, I buy avocados that don’t change color when ripe, or I simply misjudged the ripeness and find they’re still underripe after cutting. What can I do to save them?

You can wrap the cut avocados and cover them with plastic wrap (or aluminum foil) to prevent oxidation on the cut surface. They typically continue to ripen at room temperature for 2-3 days, but the cut surface may slightly oxidize and discolor. This doesn’t affect the taste. If you’re concerned about the color, you can seal them and refrigerate them (don’t freeze them).

However, they will take longer to ripen, about 3-6 days. If you’re not bothered, you can also add a few drops of lemon juice to the flesh and cover with plastic wrap. This can slow down the browning caused by oxidation.

How should you store a ripe but cut avocado?

If you have a ripe avocado that you can’t finish, you can cut it into pieces and freeze it in the refrigerator. This will extend its shelf life by about 3 weeks to 1 month.

If you’ll be eating it within a few days, drizzle lemon juice on the cut surface or lightly coat it with olive oil to slow oxidation. Cover it with plastic wrap (or place it in an airtight container) and refrigerate. This will extend its shelf life by 3 to 5 days.

But the best advice is, of course, to eat it while it’s fresh! You can make avocado sauce or avocado milk for a quick fix!