prepare an avocado
After Penelope Middleton published her latest book on Amazon, “Exotic Cooking,” she received a series of emails asking her how to grow an avocado easily and safely. She did the “honest” thing and sent me the emails! So rising to the occasion as a hungry bass chasing down a tasty meal, this is my suggested way to prepare an avocado. Watch out… my path involves a big, sharp knife!
Releasing the Avocado Seed (Hole)
First place the avocado on a suitable cutting board. Using an 8-inch or similar chef’s knife, score the avocado from the stem end the entire length of the avocado. Make a cut deep enough that you feel the edge of the blade touch the single, large seed. After surrounding the avocado, hold it with both hands and rotate it along the cut line. The avocado should be separated into two halves. One half will contain the large brown seed.
Place half of the avocado with the seed on the cutting board, without seeds. Keep your fingers off the avocado. Use the edge of your chef’s knife and hit hard at the center of the seed. Sink the blade into the seed. Then, holding the avocado half in one hand, gently twist the seed counterclockwise. The seed will come free from the middle of the avocado.
remove the seed from the knife
I remove the seed from the leaf by gently pulling the seed from the leaf using the stainless steel edge of the sink. After washing the seed to remove any residual avocado pulp, I prepare the seed for rooting.
avocado slices
To make avocado slices, take the dull edge of a butter knife and score the flesh of the avocado at ¼-inch intervals, cutting up to but not through the skin. With the back edge of the butter knife, run it around the inside of the shell, loosening the slices. The slices should slide out of the shell and onto a waiting plate.
And there you have it: an avocado pitted, sliced and ready for your use!
Starting an avocado seedling
I take an empty half-liter plastic water bottle (I used an Arrowhead™ water bottle) and with a sharp utility knife, cut the bottle in half just above the flare in the center. I drilled four holes around the pointed end of the seed with my trusty electric hand drill and a 1/16-inch drill bit. After firmly seating a toothpick in each of the four holes, I place the seed in the bottom half of the plastic bottle. I fill the bottom half with enough water to almost submerge the seed. I then place the seed in its initial container on a sunny windowsill. When the seedling has developed a stem about a foot tall, I transplant it into a clay pot filled with soil. And that’s my new avocado tree, it started from a seed.
