September 13, 2013

Avocado: Hass vs Florida

I love living in Northern USA! I love the four seasons and welcoming each season with joy. I enjoy basking in the sun and then sledding & skiing in fresh powder, all in my own backyard.

There are a few things that I don’t love about living in Pennsylvania though. Not being able to grow our own Avocados is one of those reasons. If I were to ever choose to move to a warmer climate – the ability to grow things like avocados and lemons/limes AND longer growing season for other things would be one of the main reasons for the move! Because I do not ever plan to move south, I will just have to deal with imported produce and snagging these yummy fruits & veggies when they are in season and on sale!

Whenever Avocados go on sale, it is motivation for us to have Mexican (not like we ever need much motivation to have Mexican Food). Avocados are a great fruit for tons of other uses besides Mexican Cuisine, but we love Mexican food so much that I hardly ever stray far from the Mexican-Avocado Route!

I started to wonder though… which is “better” the Hass Avocado or the Florida Avocado!?!

The only way that I could think of to solve this dilemma was to do a good old fashioned side-by-side taste test! SO, we purchased one of each, measured, and tasted, and discussed. Here, we have our results for you.

Hass Avocado VS Florida Avocado

HASS AVOCADO

Easier to Cut
Yield: about 3/4 Cup
Harder to remove your pit
Even (buttery) Texture throughout the fruit
“Traditional” Avocado – flavored more like what I think of when I think “avocado” – almost like pure guacamole without the spices/flavorings of course, very deep flavors – almost nutty

FLORIDA AVOCADO

Hard to Cut & even harder to scoop out of the skin (without breaking through skin)
Pit is larger & Easily comes out of fruit
Yield: just over 1 cup
Sweeter/Fresher – almost an Earthy Flavor to it, somewhat tropical flavor – very fresh with some citrus undertones to the natural flavors, more of a light flavor
“Oily” Texture: it is almost like there are 2 textures to this one (kind of a squash-like texture)

SO, which one was better?

… it is a toss-up!

I preferred the flavor and texture of the Hass Avocado. Rich preferred the different flavor/textures that were going on in the Florida Avocado. Technically, you are getting a better bargain with the Florida. So which one do you buy… I say you go ahead and do a taste test & let me know what you think!!!