Blog: Hass Avocados and Beyond

The Avocado Diva is all about the "other avocados," 99 percent of the time.

Let me explain. Most people only know about Hass, as it is the most commercially grown and most commercially available avocado. However, California has over 500 varieties of avocados and the diva loves all of them.

She finds those rare and unique avocados all over California and sells them over the Internet.  They make great gifts too. So usually, the Avocado Diva is all about those other 499 varieties.

Right now, July is the best month for Ventura County Hass. The Hass are in full season here, right now. You know how a peach is just right at a certain part of the summer? Well, that's how the Ventura County Hass are now - full of oil, very nutty and with an excellent texture.  

San Diego's Hass were great a few weeks ago. In August-September, the Hass from San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay will be the best. The season kind of travels up the coast as the summer wears on.

So that's my tip for you right now: Buy some Hass, as fresh as you can get it. For goodness' sake, if you see a kid with a wagon full of avocados on the side of a road or an "honor stand." Stop and buy some avocados. Pay extra and help that kid get to college (probably Cal Poly). 

There is also another kind, a descendant of the Hass and it's called a Lamb or sometimes Lamb-Hass.

This local avocado was "created" and patented by the local Lamb family, who are descendants of the Don Camarillo family. So if you can find Lamb right now, you are in for a real treat.  

Lambs are wonderful - huge, meaty, very nutty and full of oil. They are kind of pyramid-shaped with a distinct, five-sided ridge-shape - but otherwise look like a big Hass with green, bumpy skin that turns black. They make for excellent guacamole. 

Sometimes you can find Lamb at our local grocery stores and often at the farmers markets in July and August.  I have them in stock at AvocadoDiva.com and it's also what we ship to our Diva Club members (people who have us ship them a box of avocados each month).  

If you want us to find and deliver the best-in-season avocado each month, visit us at www.AvocadoDiva.com or email diva@avocadodiva.com. We do free local deliveries.  

So enjoy local Hass and Lamb Hass. Now is the time!