Ventura County STAR newspaper Article

The Diva was quite honored and flattered all at the same time - to be on the cover of the Ventura County STAR newspaper - that lead to an article in the LIFE (lifestyle/food) portion of the paper.

Lisa McKinnon wrote all about the heritage avocados that grow here in our beautiful county - how the Diva got started, and how we can ship avocados right to you.

Ventura County STAR newspaper article.

It was "avocado day" at the Ventura County Fair -- so...

It was "Avocado Day" at the Ventura County Fair -- so... the Diva took one of her Mac Arthur avocados TO the fair. It had a good time.

Here are some of the things "Mac" did at the fair. If you'd like to see pictures - visit his photo album on the Diva's FaceBook page here.

1. Went on the "monkey maze" with the little kids. (Almost got thrown out by security-dude with no sense of humor nor idea of how blogs work).

2. Saw award winning avocados (tried not to be intimidated).

3. Looked at the cotton candy, decided against it when he saw the ingredient's list.

4. Skirted around Mike Nunez from Calavo - who was passing out free guacamole (shuddered at his close brush with fate).

5. Saw some varieties he had never seen before (Nabals!)

6. Learned of a new variety (Dickerson). (Diva must now find some).

7. Went on the "Zombie" tunnel of love - cuddled with his Diva. ;-)

8. Perused the award winning wines (made a wish list).

9. Checked out the "top 10 list" of crops for the County (avocados are #6!)

10. Looked at the 4-H pigs - and found one that started out as a piglet that the Diva's son helped "birth. (The Diva's son is in 4-H).

All in all - Mr. Arthur had a good time. He did not want to leave. So at the end of the day - we left Mac Arthur on the tire hub of a super-cool looking 1940's, restored, green truck - outside of the concert arena. He was last seen rocking out to the oldies.

5 Secrets from the Avocado Grove...

Did you always wonder how they get those avocados from WAY, way up in the tree? Or when does the grower know it's time to pick? How does an avocado ripen?

Read on for some "secrets from the grove" - (cue music that sounds like "secrets from beyond the grave").

TOP SECRETS:

1. GREEN: Avocados do not ripen until picked. That's right, they stay hard as rocks and bright green until picked.

2. NOT TILL I TELL YA! The growers are TOLD by the USDA when they can start picking (Hass at least...it's called a release date). Often growers want to be "first to market" -- but if they jump the gun, there are super secret ways (involving chemicals and science) for the USDA to tell if they picked early -- and then they get punished (e.g. - can't sell their avocados).

3. 499 AVOS ON THE WALL, 499 AVOS! (SING IT CHILDREN). Non-Hass avos aren't usually regulated (no release date). Since all the other 499 varieties only make up 5% of the market - the growers have to keep track of those "ripening" periods themselves (usually in a very weather-beaten little notebook -- from my experience). The Diva has a spreadsheet - so she know which farm/ranch has what variety and when I can contact them to DEMAND (uh - I mean request...) the BEST and FIRST fruit for my monthly customers.

4. Cool Tools: See the nice, friendly guy with the yellow picking tool? (Photo). He is using a special cutter that reaches WAY, way up into the tree. The metal ring usually holds a little bag to catch the avocados. The tool has a super sharp, nasty little cutter I like to call "don't cut my fingers off PLEASE". The pickers use this tool for those high up, remote avocados. This guy (doesn't he look happy?!) had to take the bag off - because the avocados he was cutting for the Diva were WAY too big to fit into the normal bag. They just got caught by the ring. Then he would plop them down to me (or some youth-group kids -- this is a church orchard! Holy Guacamole!) and we would put them in a wheelbarrow.

5. Keep it Short: Most trees are kept pretty short (topped) so that the pickers don't have to climb ladders. Avocado trees are often planted on hills - because the root systems like good drainage - which a slope provides. And slopes make for danger on a ladder. Also -- by keeping the trees short and stubby - the tree puts it's energy into make fruit, not growing taller.

6. Bonus Secret: The pickers carry big bags (they would make a cool purse for a Diva!) and clippers to snip the fruit off and throw into the bag (often held on their back - over their shoulder, with a big canvas strap). Those bags can carry 50, 60, 70 lbs of avocados! They can strip a tree of 400 to 500 avocados in less than 30 minutes. (Pirana of the orchards!) You can only imagine how hard working and strong they must be to carry that much fruit and move that fast.

So now you know more than 99% of most people about avocado picking and orchards! Share your wealth -- and raise a chip filled with guac to those hard working growers and pickers.

Avocado Martini

This little beauty was made just for the Avocado Diva (the martini, not the man...). ;-)

We went out to a fancy - schmanzy dinner to celebrate birthdays AND the fact that a friend from England had come to visit. He really wanted to go out to dinner at Cafe Firenze (Top Chef Fabio's restaurant here in little 'old Moorpark).

So we went -- enjoyed the "Chef's Table" and a special menu. Imagine our delight and surprise when Executive Chef John Paolone (he is also the EC for Firenze Osteria in Hollywood) had the "mixologist" team make the Diva an avocado martini!

Here is the recipe they posted on their FaceBook page:

ORA FELICE … 1oz Mango Rum 1oz Mango Vodka 2 Basil leaves 3 Lime wedges 3/4 oz simple syrup 1/2 avocado 1 slice of orange

This drink would make an excellent "palate cleanser" between courses. It was light, kind of creamy, full of exotic flavors of the tropics (mango, citrus, and of course, avocado). I can't wait to try it again!

Why not head on over to Cafe Firenze or Fabio Viviani's FaceBook page -- LIKE them -- and tell them the Avocado Diva sent ya?!

New Recipe Alert! Cool, creamy pie for summer

Are you FRYING in this summer heat?! Try this easy, cool, protein filled dessert! It's from my mommy - The Diva

AVOCADO PIE

2 ripe avocados

1 can Eagle Brand milk

2 oz lemon juice

1 graham cracker crust

1 carton Cool Whip

Blend avocado, milk & lemon juice in blender until smooth.

Pour into crust and top with Cool Whip. Refrigerate.

(Can be frozen.)

The Winners of Avocados for a Whole Year Are...

Linda Wetter of Virginia and Staci Cook of California!

For everyone else - the Diva (who was in Santa Barbara all day...) authorized the IT staff to set up a special 24% off coupon code for 24 hours (starting now - 9pm PST).

Buy anything and everything you like at www.AvocadoDiva.com and get 24% off! Use the code 300LIKES at checkout - but only for 24 hours.

And for everyone who wants a little someth'n someth'n mailed to them - email your snail mail address to "diva@avocadodiva.com" in the next 10 days and we'll get those out to you too.

Congrats to Linda and Staci - and THANKS to ALL of you for being our FB Friends!

Winners of Avocados for a Whole Year will be posted later today!

Thanks to all of YOU - we have reached almost (almost!!) 300 fans on our FaceBook page - in less than a month of being operational!

The Diva will hand pick 2 winners to get avocados for a WHOLE YEAR later today - and we'll post the announcement.

She has also said - if we DO get over 300 on FaceBook today - she will allow us to ship a free little "something-something" to each and everyone of the people who entered.

So help us get to 300 today please! And keep an eye on the blog and FB page.

Diva Staff

To Grow An Avocado Plant

Did you always want to grow an avocado from the pit? Wish you had your own avocado tree? Me too!

So the only challenge is -- its pretty easy to grow an avocado "plant" - but very hard to get it into a tree, let alone a tree that actually produces avocados. Some people do - but it is the exception rather than the rule.

So today - let's just get started - and in the next blog we'll explore getting it to a tree.

This is pretty simple and fun - a great project to do with your children or grandkids!

After you eat your avocado (yum!) - take the pit and carefully stick 3 or 4 toothpicks into the giant seed. Then set it over a glass of water (see photo). Make sure the pointy side is up and the rounder side is submerged in water. That's it! Keep the glass filled with water - and with some luck you'll see roots start to grow (big, ugly, white roots). Eventually, the pit will split - and a green shoot will start growing out of the top.

If you are lucky enough to get an avocado that is really, really ripe - many times the pit is already sprouting and split. I've had the best luck with those rooting out.

Come back for the next blog (or two) and the Diva will tell you how to pot it - and then try and get it into a tree form.

Have you already done this?! Did you have any luck?! If you did - send us photos to diva@avocadodiva.com.

Compare and Contrast "store" avocado to the Diva's AVOCADO

Twice this week I had a "skeptical" avocado discussion. These 2 people I know are dear friends and family (here in California) and each were wondering why anyone would buy an avocado online. So here is my response. "Size matters!" (Tongue in cheek). The avocado on the left (with the label) is a typical grocery store avocado. You can see that it is MUCH smaller - about 1/3 the size of the heritage avocado (a Bacon variety) on the right.

Now not ALL of the Diva's avocados are this huge -- some varieties (like a Bacon or a Lamb) are always very large, while others (organic, Mexican variety (from Cali - but a Mexican varital)) are always small. But the point is - the Diva's avocados are premium - large, robust, bright, right from the tree. You definitely get what you pay for.

Here's a list of other reasons that people might buy our premium avocados. Can you add yours too in the comments?! The Diva wants to know...

1. You can get unique avocados you won't find in the store.

2. They come right from the tree to your house.

3. We can get real California avocados - in season - (not from storage or foreign countries) all year round, because we source many kinds (not just Hass).

4.... what do you say?!... please comment.

Avocado Quiz

Hey Avocado Fans -

Here are three California avocados - do you know what varieties they are?

Post your answer in the comments and I'll send a treat to the person who answers correctly first.

Hint - all three are in season NOW.

I can source these all on Fridays from a local rancher (and 2 are organic!) - so place an order by Thursday and they could be yours to try.

New Recipe Alert - Avocado Butter on California Sourdough Bread

This is an easy and delish recipe for breakfast (loads of protein!) or as an appetizer.

Basically - you toast some San Francisco style sourdough bread.

In a bowl or platter - you mash up a creamy style avocado or two (Bacon, MacArthur, Edrinol, or Hass all work well). Squeeze a lime, sprinkle with Diva salt - and then spread on the toast.

For breakfast - this is quick and powerful. Keeps you full and satisfied until break time - because the avocado is full of "good" fats that keep your tummy full and happy. Avocados are a great way to keep your blood sugars level - because of the high protein levels. (Doctors even recommend them for diabetes patients to help them keep their sugar levels stable).

For an appetizer - it truly is delicious with bread straight from the grill - and using an avocado instead of garlic butter can save up to 75% of the calories! But they are so delicious - you might want to eat 75% more... so be careful!

Eat Like a Cave Man (Cave Diva) Week

All Diva's seem to be constantly watching their figures ... and wanting to eat divine food at the same time, right? If you are a Diva - you probably have a fine man - and some beautiful children as well. So here's a tip from the Avocado Diva for YOU!

Establish a summer week to "Eat Like A Cave Man!" - your man will love it. Your kids will too. And YOU will secretly be including a lot of raw, yummy foods into their diets while improving your Diva curves for a week.

How? - Here's the basic plan. When we have "Cave Man Week" - we eat lots of foods that are in their most original form possible. This means loads of avocados (of course - remember that they are very high in protein and make for an excellent replacement of meat). We also eat lots of other fruits and veggies. We eat things like sunflower seeds, honey, grains, water (made into tea or infusions with simple leaves), etc.

Caveman week makes for an interesting discussion with the kids. They constantly ask the Diva-cave-woman "Is this raw? Is this processed? How could a caveman make that?! No way we can eat that!" It also opens your eyes to what kind of proteins a "caveman" would have had access to - more fish, less beef. More rabbit - less pork. Protein and fat from a fruit (like an avocado) would have been precious indeed! (No life threatening chase! No loss of arrows to get one!) Meat from a large animal would have been very rare indeed - saved for festivals - not daily consumption.

If you are lucky enough (like the Diva) to live near farms, the ocean, orchards and/or other fields - or very lucky - and grow some of your own food - these make for excellent discussion points all week. The kids and the Diva will drive out to the "pick your own" farm and select some veggies and herbs. We talk about how precious this food would REALLY be if we had to grow it ourselves for weeks and months before we could pick it and eat it.

We might go fishing at the ocean or clam digging - and eat those foods - and really appreciate the work that went into a small fish or handful of clams! (The "cave-son" really likes this part of caveman week...). We've been known to harvest a bit of kelp to put in a soup to add saltiness. Plus - my man likes it because we grill a lot (Fire! Cavemen love fire.)

So the Diva wants to know - what clever ways do you use to get your kids to eat a wide variety of foods? How do you help them connect to their "inner cave man". Leave us a comment or idea. Inquiring cave-women want to know!

(PHOTE NOTE: These are ancient "molecajetes" or grinding stones/bowls from local Chumash indians - the photo was taken at the San Luis Obispo mission museum.)

FREE: Avocado leaves to make your own tea!

Who likes iced team in the summer?! Raise your sweaty hand.

[Read the whole blog for a special offer at the end!]

If you are from the south, you like "sweet tea" (note: not "sweetened" tea - as I have been so kindly told by a friend from the south. Bless her heart.)

So here's a super interesting twist on ice tea for this summer - you can make it from avocado leaves! Yup! The Diva brewed up this pitcher for a pool party this past weekend. You need to use leaves from the Mexican variety (Persea drymifolia) NOT the cultivars from a Guatamalan type (Persea Americana). The easiest way is to get them from the Avocado Diva (here).

Anyway - you boil up a handful of leaves in a pot (5-7 minutes) - let it cool. Strain it out - and pour over ice. If you want to - you can add avocado honey (order here). The Diva likes to do this when the tea is hot - so it will dissolve well and mix in. Then serve with a wedge of orange. The flavor of orange mingles great with the avocado leaf taste, which is reminiscent of anise.

I made two pitchers of iced tea for the party - one with traditional black leaf tea bags and one with the avocado leaves. By the end of the party - all the avocado tea was gone! The other pitcher -- it was still full.

So here's a special offer for YOU -- order anything from the Diva in July and she will ship you FREE dried avocado leaves with your order. Try out a delicious ice tea for FREE!

5 secrets to a GREAT guacamole

Actually, there are probably about 500 secrets to a great guacamole. I bet YOU have a great guacamole! Why? Because avocados are SO versatile, bland and creamy that you can add almost anything to them and make a delicious, nutritious dip.

Did you know that there are over 500 varieties of avocados? And some are better for making guacamole than others! Some are more creamy, and have a more mild flavor than others. Personally, I really like the Bacon variety - late in it's season - because it is quite creamy and very full of oil. (Avocados get more oil in them the longer they stay on the tree - kind of like grapes get more sugar the longer they stay on the vine.)

Another "chef" favorite for making "moles" (or sauces - in Spanish) is the MacArthur. This particular avocado variety is super luscious and very creamy - it makes for a delicious guacamole. You can't beat an Edrinol either. Buttery and smooth!

Anyway - the Diva could go on and on and on about heritage varieties of avocados. Check out our webpage and read all about the different varieties here! Then order something that is in season.

As for the list of 5 secrets - here it goes:

1. Use a heritage variety that is super creamy and smooth (Bacon, Edrinol, MacArthur).

2. Use lots of garlic powder.

3. Cut up a purple onion super fine.

4. Salt with sea salt - pretty liberally (sea salt makes a big difference!)

5. Taste, taste, taste as you season. (remember that if you will be serving with chips to undersalt, as the chips will be salty too).

Won't you share your favorite way to make guacamole? Leave a comment - we love to hear from you.

200 FaceBook Fans = 200 FREE Avocados!

We've blasted through this past week to almost 200 fans. If we reach 200 fans on our FB page (by 7/20) -- the Diva has promised to give away ANOTHER free YEAR of avocados to someone! Woo Hoo.

Here is how...

a. Comment below to AUTOMATICALLY be entered into our YEAR of FREE avocado drawing! Make sure you are also a "friend" (like) our Avocado Diva page on FaceBook (so we can let you know if you win.)

b. If you want to get a free MONTH of avocados - go to www.avocadodiva.com and sign up for the Diva Club - and we'll REFUND your first month! We only have 3 of these offers left. Order here now.

Thanks again for all of your kind support! Please pass along this info and let's get eating some heritage avocados!

www.avocadodiva.com

* Here's the fine print - you knew there had to be some...right?! But SOME of it is GOOD news! ... read on...
A. There is NO purchase required to enter the free YEAR contest (yeah!) - just comment below AND be a FB friend. (FaceBook link)
B. To get the FREE MONTH of Avocados, well - we need you to sign up and BUY a month - and stay with us for at least 3 months. We'll refund your third month. Requires you to sign up for the monthly Diva Club ($24.95, includes shipping!) - go here for all the info
C. The Diva would really appreciate it if you also sign up for this blog - but its not required. ;-)
D. We'll do the drawing and alert the winner (via FaceBook) on July 20, 2011.
E. Winner must be 18 - live in the USA . No substitutions or cash value. Just avocados. That's it.

Which is Your Favorite Farm Animal?

Do you love animals? Comment what is your favorite please!

One of the best parts of being the DIVA is driving around and talking with folks - about avocados (of course!). Invariably - there are also some farm animals about. The kitty who slinks up and winds herself around your leg. (I'm allergic to cats - so they ALWAYS find me and try to wrap around my body or sit on my head... what is UP with that?!). The dogs who might snarl and growl - and the rancher who always says "Oh, he's fine. He's really nice." (Uh huh... )

My favorites are the chickens and roosters. The rooster likes to strut around his hens and look very "cocky" (get it?!) They are all about the "chicken swag". Flashy feathers, big red comb, walk'n like they are the KING. And totally say'n "Do NOT mess with my chicks! These are MY babes." They crack me up.

Then sometimes there are UNUSUAL animals. The pigmy goats, the high-rise goats, llamas, alpacas too! Alpacas seem to be very chic and popular in the back hills of Ventura County for some reason. I think they are like "purse puppies" for avocado ranchers! Just bigger. And fluffier. And stinkier.

Finally - there are usually some of the "typical" farm animals - pigs, cows, sheep, regular goats, horses. Goats seem to be a big choice for keeping the weeds down between the trees. I see lots of horses too - often tail to nose - helping keep the flies off of each-other's faces with a swish of their tails. The sheep were out in force in spring - beautiful white dots in green pastures. They are gone now - must be in other pastures or something now - I don't see much sheep now that its hotter and summertime.

Soon it will be time for the Ventura County fair - and we'll see a LOT of these animals - with their 4-H kids showing them off. This is always a great time of year here in our farm area. So -- what is YOUR favorite farm animal? Leave a note in the comments and we'll see which animals is the most popular.

New Recipe Alert - Tomatillo & Avocado Dip

Here's a link to a recipe that one of our "fans" sent it. Looks great. Send us your ideas or links about avocados. The Diva loves to hear from YOU!

Tomatillo & Avocado Dip Recipe

Note: The Diva would recommend a creamy avocado to make dips with. This includes: Hass, Lamb, Edrinol, Santana, Pinkerton and/or a Fuerte.

New Recipe Alert

Do you need some new ways to eat your avocados? So do we! Share your ideas and you could get posted AND win a free box of heritage avocados! We'd love that.

Today -- there is a NEW recipe -- go check it out here

If you want to receive our recipes and newsletters via email, please sign up on the website!

Don't forget to send us your recipes too or leave them in the comment section. (Be sure and LIKE us on FaceBook so we can get a hold of you to send you a prize if your recipe is used!)

100 Face Book Friends = 100 Free Avocados!

THANKS to YOU - we reached 100+ friends in about 2 weeks! Thanks to YOU we have shipped out 44 orders already!

THANK YOU!

To celebrate - the Diva would like to give away a YEAR's worth of our "Avocado of the Month" club (we send out 6 x 12 = 72...Oh rats, the Diva is NOT that good at math...)

So I guess we better figure out a way to give away another (counting fingers here) -- 26, erm, I mean 28 avocados! (Can you guess that the Diva is blond?!)

So to celebrate FURTHER -- she will give away a free MONTH of avocados to the next 5 people who sign up for the "Diva of the Month club".

To get your goodies -- do this now!

a. Comment below to AUTOMATICALLY be entered into our YEAR of FREE avocado drawing! Make sure you are also a "friend" (like) our Avocado Diva page on FaceBook (so we can let you know if you win!)

b. If you want to get a FREE MONTH - go to www.avocadodiva.com and sign up for the Diva Club - and we'll REFUND your first month!*

Thanks again for all of your kind support! Please pass along this info and let's get eating some heritage avocados!

The Diva
www.avocadodiva.com

* Here's the fine print - you knew there had to be some...right?! But SOME of it is GOOD news! ... read on...
A. There is NO purchase required to enter the free YEAR contest (yeah!) - just comment below AND be a FB friend. (FaceBook link)
B. To get the FREE MONTH of Avocados, well - we need you to sign up and BUY a month - and stay with us for at least 3 months. We'll refund your third month. Requires you to sign up for the monthly Diva Club ($24.95, includes shipping!) - go here for all the info: Diva Club Details
C. The Diva would really appreciate it if you also sign up for this blog - but its not required. ;-)
D. We'll do the drawing and alert the winner (via FaceBook) on July 20, 2011.
E. Winner must be 18 - live in the USA . No substitutions or cash value. Just avocados. That's it.