The skin of an avocado ranges from green when not ripe yet to a dark green, dark purple, or even black color. Darker skin often reflects the ripeness of the fruit, but not always.

The flesh of a ripe avocado is light green.

The best indicator of the ripeness of an avocado is how it feels. Hold the avocado in the palm of your hand and gently squeeze with your whole hand. A ripe avocado should have a little bit of give. Generally speaking, the color of the avocado will darken in color to a dark brown almost black when it is ripe. This isn't always the case, though, so combine the look of the avocado with how it feels when you squeeze it.

Some also say that you can remove the little piece of stem at the top of the avocado. If the color inside the little whole is creamy green and the avocado passes the squeeze test, you're good to go.

If it is squishy, it has already passed its prime. If it's still hard, just let it sit out on the counter and keep testing it.

Cut the avocado in half: Using a sharp chef's knife, slice through the avocado lengthwise until you feel the knife hit the pit. Then rotate the avocado, keeping the knife steady, to make a cut all around the pit. Twist the two halves apart.

Remove the pit: Holding the half of the avocado with the pit in the palm of your hand, tap the pit with the blade of your knife so it enters the pit and sticks, it doesn't have to be very deep. Twist the knife and remove the pit. Use a paper towel to grab the pit and remove it from your knife.

Slice or dice the flesh: Holding half of the avocado in the palm of your hand and slice longways making sure that the knife does not go through the avocado skin and cut your hand, you can cut as thin or thick as you'd like. If you want your avocado diced, then do a quarter turn of the avocado in your palm and cut across your slices to the desired size.

Scoop out the flesh: Using a spoon, scoop the avocado out of the skin, inserting the spoon as close to the skin as you can to not lose even a little of this amazing fruit.

Avocados are a subtropical plant that need a climate without frost where there is little wind.

The largest producers in the world are in California, Mexico, Florida, Peru, Chile, New Zealand, the Dominican Republic, and the mediterranean coast of Spain.

Avocados are rich in vitamin K, folate, vitamin C, potassium and B vitamins.

100g of fresh avocado contains:

• Calories: 167
• Carbohydrates: 8.6 g
• Dietary Fiber: 6.8 g
• Total Fat: 15.4 g
• Vitamin C: 15% of the RDI
• Vitamin K: 26% of the RDI
• Folate: 22% of the RDI
• Vitamin B6: 14% of the RDI
• Potassium: 14% of the RDI

Typical avocado growing season is from February through September.

There are several different varieties of avocados, including Bacon, Fuerte, Gwen, Hass, Pinkerton, Reed and Zutano.

Hass Avocados are a pear-shaped fruit with a bumpy dark green skin. The Hass avocado is smaller on average than the reed, usually weighing around a half a pound. These are the most common avocados grown in the U.S. and Mexico.

Reed Avocados are more round than hass avocados and their skin is smoother and less pebbled. Reed avocados are much bigger as well, ranging from half a pound to a pound and a half on average. Their growing season picks up right when the Hass season ends, from September to October.

Avocado is a versatile fruit that compliments both sweet and savory dishes. Avocado toast has become increasingly popular with brunch goers. And, no doubt, you've tried them in guacamole. They also go great in salads, burgers, and sandwiches. Adding avocado to your smoothies is a wonderful way to make that smoothie even more healthy and hold you over longer.

Avocado can be used as a fat replacement in recipes as well.

Ripe avocados have a slightly sweet and mildly nutty scent. If an avocado has a sour smell, this means it is likely starting to rot. The more chemically rotten smell you experience, this means it’s time to throw it in the trash.

A ripe avocado is creamy with an almost buttery texture. It has a mildly earthy, nutty flavor. If the avocado is not yet ripe, it will be less creamy in texture and have a bitter aftertaste. A rotten avocado will have a flavor of mold and chemicals. Do not eat an avocado if it is rotten.

If your avocados aren't quite ripe yet, simply store them on a shelf or counter where the temperature is neither too cold nor too warm.

Once ripe, you can store your avocados in the refrigerator for a couple of extra days.

Avocados protected by Apeel will actually last longer on the counter or shelf without the need of refrigeration.

Cut avocados will begin to brown very quickly. Sprinkling a bit of lemon or lime juice over the exposed flesh will slow down the browning process and also tastes great.

If you want to eat half of your avocado and save the rest for later, fill a plastic or glass container with water. Place the avocado flesh-side down in the container, cover, and place in the refrigerator. Your half avocado will last up to two more days.

The skin, seed, bark, and leaves contain a compound called Persin, that can be toxic to dogs but the exact amount is unknown. In large quantities it can cause gastrointestinal issues and myocardial damage. Whole avocado seeds are choking hazards for dogs, if ingested, and can also lead to intestinal blockages.

While the flesh is nutrient rich, its high fat content can upset your pup's tummy and lead to pancreatitis in dogs that already have sensitive stomachs. And, due to the caloric content, avocado can lead to weight gain in your dog.

The general consensus is to avoid giving your furry friend avocados. With that said, if a little avocado flesh happens to fall on the ground and your dog scrambles to lap it up, there shouldn't be a problem.

Make sure to dispose of the seed and skin in a way that even a garbage-raiding dog won't have access to them while you're not around.

Yes, and how. Avocados contain natural oils and will leave a brown, difficult to remove, stain on your clothes. It is important to treat any spills quickly in order to effectively avoid these stains.

HOW TO CLEAN AVOCADO STAINS FROM CLOTHING

If your clothes are dry-clean only, remove any residue with a dull knife or spoon and be careful not to rub the avocado into the fabric. Then take your clothes to the cleaners or follow the instructions on your at-home dry-cleaning kit.

For all other clothing, try these steps:

• Remove any residue with a dull knife or spoon carefully so as not to damage the fabric.
• Gently rub liquid detergent into the stain then let stand for five minutes.
• Soak the stain in cold water for 10-15 minutes until the stain loosens, gently rubbing the stain every 5 minutes.
• Rinse the stain and repeat the above steps.
• If the stain persists after this, treat the stain with a stain removal product, let it sit for 5 minutes, then wash as hot as is recommended for the fabric.
• Do not put the clothing in the drying machine until the stain is completely gone.