Learn all about the varieties and uses of avocados

Avocados are usually eaten raw and are an excellent source of healthy fats and creamy, buttery flavour. Avocado add richness to salads, wraps, or sandwiches, and form the basis for many dishes. We'll tell you more.

• When checking for ripeness, use the toothpick test. Stick a pick into the stem end of the avocado: if it moves in and out with ease, it's ripe and ready to eat.
• Use mashed avocado to bind a sandwich of sprouts and chopped vegetables, seasoned with salt and pepper and tucked into a whole-wheat pita pocket.
• For a salad dressing that's creamy and tart, mash an avocado with low-fat plain yogurt and add lime juice, salt, and Tabasco sauce to taste.
• To make an avocado smoothie, purée the flesh of an avocado with milk, a touch of honey, and a couple of ice cubes.
• Try avocado for dessert. It is a fruit after all! Purée fresh avocado with some sugar or honey and lemon juice for an easy mousse. Top with toasted almonds.

1. Using a sharp knife, cut out a quarter of the avocado.
2. Pull off the skin with your fingers. It's easily removed if the avocado is ripe.
3. Slice the flesh with a paring knife. Sprinkle with lemon juice to stop the fruit from discolouring.

• Between California and Florida, there are over twenty varieties of avocado. Each seems to depend on unique growing conditions and doesn't transplant well to other locations.
• California's most abundant variety is Hass, a medium-sized avocado that has a pebbly skin that turns from green to a purplish black as it ripens. More California varieties include Bacon, Fuerte, and Zutano.
• Florida raises larger and less expensive avocados than California, that ironically contain about half the fat and two-thirds the calories. The texture of Florida avocados is therefore less creamy.
• Florida avocados don't keep as well. Among the most popular Florida avocado varieties are Booth, Lula, and Waldin.

Avocados can add character and taste to nearly any meal, all while packing a nutritious punch that's sure to be appreciated. Try using avocado instead of mayonnaise or other calorie-rich spreads. You'll both be making a healthier choice and enjoying a richer, more complex flavour.

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