You know how you look at yourself sometimes, and can't help but give a little mental smile when thoughts of earlier life intrude? It's been a long time since
I made the big move to Canada from South Africa. We’re very fortunate here...when you go into a supermarket there’s a wealth of different food items on the shelves, everything and surely even more that anyone could want is displayed in beautifully presented perfection in the aisles. |
Once upon a time
It's ironic, isn’t it? Now I'm in a place where apples grow easily, and the only place where the subtropical fruits abound is at the supermarket. Berries of all kinds grow wonderfully here, and have just as many healthy vitamins as those exotic fruits of my past. But there's a far away echo always...something so deep inside me makes me long for those homegrown, not always perfect, but beautiful fruits first tasted in far off days.
As a child, I would climb the special lemon tree in our yard. I remember the smooth trunk and branches, covered with a web of the tiniest little orchid plants with white flowers. They survived in spite of my clambering. The mango trees were huge, and in season covered with the perfumed wonderful fruit that had to be eaten just at the perfect stage of ripeness. The bananas were commonplace, with their enormous red flower emerging through the top of the plant, and then forming the distinct hands of delicious fruit.
Back to the future
How to love an avocado
- Don't buy soft ones. You don't know what stage of ripeness they've achieved. The oil in the ripe ones goes rancid when they're overripe, and doesn't taste good.
- Buy hard ones, and leave them to ripen for about two or three days, just until they start to give a little when you press them gently. This does take a little planning, but it's worth it.
- When your avocado is perfectly ripe, eat it as you prefer.
- If you have more than you can handle, store them in the fridge when they are at the perfect stage of ripeness. They'll keep just fine for a week or more.
- And if you're able to pick them straight from your tree, and you read this, just know my thoughts are with you, and you have a treasure in your hands.
Vicki