When I make avocado toast for breakfast, I can usually fit half of a large avocado on one large slice of sourdough bread. It takes a little engineering and a little artistry to arrange those slices perfectly on the bread. I’ll admit that it’s easier to eat if you mash it up a little because the avocado sticks to the bread much better. Those slices just look so pretty on top of the toast. Add a little fruit and you have a picture-perfect avocado toast.
What about the other half of the large avocado? What happens to it? In our house, half of an avocado is always in demand, so we rarely have any leftovers. It must be a problem for other people though, because I’ve seen several different kinds of “avocado holders” for sale in kitchen stores. Really? People think they need to buy something to store their leftover avocado half?
Today I’m going to share a deep dark secret with you. Are you ready? (leaning in to whisper in your ear) It’s okay to leave the seed (or pit as we like to call it) in the 2nd half of the avocado and just leave it out on the kitchen counter. Overnight. (Okay this is where I admit that I sometimes have a piece of avocado toast for an evening snack. So there might be half of an avocado available in our house after all.)
Oh sure, the avocado will darken when it’s exposed to the air. You can wrap it tightly with plastic wrap if you want to try to keep it from darkening…but it’s completely unnecessary.
When I remove the pit the next morning, I can see that the fruit is perfectly beautiful under the seed. Hmmm. Looks good enough to eat!
Slice off a very thin piece of the avocado (just enough to take away the brown part) and voila! Fresh, perfect, amazing California avocado! It’s like when we clapped to bring Tinker Bell back to life!
See, when I turn the thin brown piece of avocado over, it looks just as nice as any avocado should appear! (Nevertheless, I discard that thin slice.)
Who would know that the avocado sat on the kitchen counter all night? Or all day? And who would care? The flavor is wonderful because it hasn’t been stashed in the refrigerator. (I really prefer mine at room temperature, don’t you?)
So there you have it. Perfect slices…just peel away the skin and make yourself a piece of toast. Or a burger. Or a nice salad.
If you’re one of those people who always buys little bitty avocados because you can eat the whole thing by yourself, I hope you will no longer be afraid to get those spectacular large avos that are available from California growers during peak season…now!
If you wish you could get them where you live, just visit the website for our family farm and order a box! If you’d rather order by phone, give us a call at 844-286-7447…chances are that Mimi Avocado will even answer your call herself!
June 5, 2014 at 8:38 pm
Thanks for that tip, Mimi! I always get so carried away karate chopping the pit with a large knife that I never think of saving it. I will try this the very next time I have half an avocado.
June 5, 2014 at 8:46 pm
My avacado tree is 3years old. The tree loaded with fruit but it’s starting to drop some . why is this? -Don Farrell—-It’s a dwarf tree
June 5, 2014 at 9:08 pm
Usually the trees set more fruit than the tree can support. Every year I see little baby avocados on the ground, but plenty of them still left in the tree. If too many of them fall off, you might be under watering them, or the tree could be stressed from previous under watering…or could be in need of nutrients. It’s hard to say for sure. But it is normal for the tree to drop some of the babies.
June 18, 2014 at 5:12 pm
Mimi- I hate to keep bugging you about my duarf avocodo tree ,but, I’ve got major problems of the tree dropping approx. 60 avocados. Most are 60 0% mature.The watering is good and the tree is fertilized. The tree is a 3 year year old and looks very healthy.I only have about 10 avocodos left on the tree. The fruit that has dropped is very healthy. Maybe I’ll have to wait until next year. Thanks for any information. Don Farrell
June 19, 2014 at 9:49 pm
So sorry to hear about your avocados! We did have that horrible heat spell…maybe the tree got stressed? Sometimes lots of babies do fall off the trees…and the bigger the tree, the more babies fall off! Your tree is fairly small…maybe it only can support 10 avocados? It’s hard to know without being there to see the exact amount of water, care, etc. And the soil conditions, and the micro-climate where the tree is growing. Farming is complicated. And sometimes frustrating. So sorry I’m not much help on this one.
June 6, 2014 at 5:58 am
What an awesome tip! Great post, Mimi! Thanks for sharing!
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June 6, 2014 at 6:47 am
Love this tip! I usually just put the “empty” shell of the other half of the avocado over the unused portion. This seems to work very well too. BUT I put in the refrigerator. I’ll try leaving it on the counter next time!
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June 6, 2014 at 7:15 am
Sounds like you have a good way to save an avocado too! Some people don’t mind eating a cold avocado…so it’s fine to put it in the fridge. AND if the avocado is very ripe, you’re probably better off putting in the fridge. We tend to use ours when they’re firm…not mushy…so one night on the kitchen counter isn’t a problem.
Mimi Holtz recently posted..The Secret for Saving Half of an Avocado
June 6, 2014 at 8:19 pm
That’s exactly what we do!! But like you mine often doesn’t make it to the next morning… 🙂
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June 9, 2014 at 11:45 am
This is so helpful for people! You are such a font of avo-knowledge. 🙂 I was given one of those avocado “bras”… which I love. But I didn’t realize I could leave it on the counter instead of the fridge. (It was a gift, I wouldn’t have bought it for myself.)
June 16, 2014 at 1:44 am
ahhhh Mimi! Something I didn’t know! No more discarding the pits immediately in this house! : )
June 17, 2014 at 8:38 am
Fabulous tip, Mimi! We usually eat 1 1/2 avos so this is super helpful!
April 14, 2021 at 12:38 am
Thank you so much Mimi for sharing this great tips. sometimes I confused to safe half avocado. I love your article, Mimi ! XO 🙂