avocados, bananas and more in puerto rico

“You want some avocado with your eggs this morning?”, she said, smiling. “Yeah, I guess I should have some”, I drearily replied.

I spent the last few weeks back at my friend’s little finca in the hills of Rincón again and avocados were in season. Every morning I woke up to find a handful of freshly fallen avocados on the ground underneath one of the trees. These were the gorgeous green-skinned Puerto Rican avocados I would have eagerly snapped up at the farmer’s market just a few weeks back.

However, as the days progressed, each additional avocado I encountered was worth less to me than the one before. It was a real-life lesson of the law of diminishing marginal utility as one can only eat SO much guacamole! I valiantly used (and gave away) as many as I could though. 

puerto rican avocados

Seriously though, “too many” fresh and free avocados isn’t a bad problem to have. Especially once I learned more about the special characteristics of the avocados that grow here. They hold their shape better when sliced and cubed than the Hass avocados common in the states. This makes them particularly well suited as a garnish with breakfast or as a salad or sandwich topper.

One of the knocks on Puerto Rican avocados is that they are less creamy (read: have less fat) and are more “watery” when mashed. While generally true, I understand that if you get an exceptionally watery one, it was likely picked too soon. Apparently, the oil content goes up and water down the longer they ripen on the tree.

They also are reputed to have a less rich flavor than the Hass variety. Again, perhaps, but this can be a good thing when you are inundated with them as I was. Their more neutral flavor make them an excellent base for smoothies and puddings. Take for instance chocolate avocado pudding which is a personal favorite of mine, every avocado season. (see recipe below!)

Now that I am back at the condo, I’m good without avocado for a bit. That said, I truly do appreciate the abundance here.  I planted persimmon, figs, pomegranates, and blackberries in our yard in Texas and the output of ALL of them combined for a WHOLE YEAR didn’t come close to what I harvested at my friend’s place in the THREE WEEKS I was there. In addition to the avocado, we also gathered mangoes, grapefruit, Barbados cherries, and coconut during our stay.

bananas

And let’s not forget the bananas.  I collected a colorful bounty of bananas of four different types while there.  The first bunch were what looked like slightly smaller versions of standard Cavendish bananas. Of course, since they were ripened on the tree, they were significantly more flavorful and likely more nutritious than what you typically find in the states. A few days later, I found some plump, ripe, and delicious apple bananas which are probably the most flavorful variety. Finally, near the end of our stay, I found a bunch of beautiful red bananas and my personal favorite, baby bananas.

What’s amazing to me is that all this (and much more!) is produced by the land without ANY human effort required. In general, there’s no need to water, fertilize, or apply pesticides. These plants just thrive here. The biggest challenge is harvesting some of the fruit that is very high or accessing trees that are perched on impossibly steep hillsides. While I love the comfort and convenience of my condo, I could definitely potentially see a little finca like this of my own at some point in the future.

Chocolate avocado pudding recipe and videos taken during my stay below: