All About Pinkertons

The Pinkerton Farm's mail box - of course its green!

The Pinkerton avocado kind of makes my heart warm. It was hybridized by a local Ventura County family (the Pinkerton family -- duh).  Back in the "day" everyone was trying to "create" a fruit that would be the "it" fruit. Tasty, grew all year around, had a good flavor, great flesh, would sell nice, etc. Many, many farmers and ranchers tried. That's one of the reasons we have so many varieties.

3 classic Pinkertons - YUM!

The Pinkerton is not a commercially successful avocado for several reasons:

• It's too long and pear shaped (doesn't work so well for the packing houses machinery to wash, store, ship it). 
• The poor fruit ripens from top to bottom (as it has a long, skinny neck and a fat bottom... the Diva can kind of relate...)
• Because of its elongated neck -- if you cut it like a typical Hass -- (from top to bottom) - you often get a stringy mess of over ripe avocado (at the top) and a not quite rip portion (at the fat bottom).  But there IS a solution -- read on...

The Pinkerton IS a good avocado for eating for these reasons:

Peel it to get ALL the nutrients!

• It is very yummy - full of rich oils and a strong, earthy, very "avocado-y" taste. 
• It has a pretty tough skin, so it doesn't rip easily.
• Its a winter fruit - ripens in Jan - March 
• The skin peels easily - so you can get to the nutrient right, very "green" flesh. 
• It has a fairly small pit - so lots of flesh for the money
• It turns black as it ripens - so you know its ready (in fact, it turns quite ugly! but tastes good)

So to overcome the "not commercially viable" parts of the Pinkerton -- 
the Diva suggests you eat it this way: 

 Cut it AROUND - not top to bottom. Simple!

Cut the top off when it is soft and ripe. You may have to throw away the first one or two slices. You can see they are brown and the "strings" are quite easy to identify. The next 3 or 4 slices are pretty, soft and delicious! The fat bottom is NOT ready (still hard) and needs another day or two to ripen.

 You can save the bottom half like this: rub the exposed part with a lemon (or any acid - lime, orange, grapefruit, even vinegar will work!) and then wrap it tightly. I often use plastic wrap (right against the flesh - very tight) and pull it over and tighten it with a twisty tie. It will stay nice until it ripens on the counter for another day or two.

So if you are lucky enough to GET a Pinkerton -- just treat it RIGHT and know how to eat it -- and you'll add a brand new, delicious variety to your avocado list. Knowledge is power!

(Check out Avocado Diva Recipes for more ideas on how to cook with the Pinkerton!)