Quick Tip: Peeling Thin-Skinned Avocados

So this Quick Tip post is inspired by my husband’s enthusiastic recommendation and our shared love of avocados.

Living here in Zichron Ya’akov we are fortunate that most of our fruits and vegetables are grown locally. I am old enough to remember eating mainly what was in season in my childhood. And we enjoy following the rhythm of the local growing seasons here. Of course it is made easier by the climate and our location, living in the midst of organic farms and wineries.

Avocados are one of our personal favorites. They are delicious in salads, with Mexican food, added to a pita or crumpet, or on their own with balsamic vinegar or just a squeeze of fresh lemon. They are nutritional powerhouses. And we have a surprisingly long avocado season.

At the moment we are enjoying avocados that look like the Haas variety with wonderful flavor, texture and thick skins. They are very easy to peel and store well (refrigerated) when ripe.

Israel has a number of different avocado types – who knew? Some of the time we find thin-skinned varieties in the market, and they are more difficult to peel without waste.

Some weeks ago, that was the situation. The avocados were ripe, thin-skinned and difficult to peel without making a mess. Without thinking I picked up my ceramic peeler and found that it made peeling ripe thin-skinned avocados a breeze.

A day or two later, my husband walked in on me peeling a thin-skinned avocado with my vegetable peeler like I had been doing it my whole life. He was surprised and even fascinated by my small innovation.

My personal spouse of over 36 years is not easily impressed. “You have to share that on YouTube,” he declared, “or wherever it is that you put things online.” (That is the most attention he has given the Second Middle Age blog, and it was my turn to be surprised.)

Sometimes I find myself just doing something that seems obvious to me – without any thought or preconceived notion that it may be a novel approach. This was one of those times. If you get a chance to try it, I would love to hear how it goes!