How to Ripen Avacados

Avocados, a fruit grown throughout Mexico and Central and South America for centuries, are a favorite ingredient for Southwest cuisine. Brought to the U.S. from Mexico and Guatemala in the late 1800s, avocados are grown primarily in California and Florida. Unlike most other fruits, avocados begin to ripen only after they have been picked. Depending upon the season, avocados can be rock-hard when you buy them. While an avocado will ripen on its own from one to three days after being picked, there are several ways to speed the process.

Four ways to ripen avocados

• 1
  Avocados don't tipen on a tree. avocado fruits on a wild avocado tree image by Lars Lachmann from Fotolia.com

  Put the unripened avocados in a brown paper bag. Store the bag with avocados in a dry, dark place such as a cupboard or oven. Allow to ripen for one day. An avocado is ripe when its skin turns from green to a dark brown-green and "gives" slightly when it is gently squeezed.

• 2

  Put the avocados in a brown paper bag with an apple, a tomato, or a banana. then allow the ethylene gases emitted by the fruit to ripen the avocados. Check the meat of the avocado periodically with a fork to determine if it is ripe.

• 3
  Avocados and lemons are used to make guacamole zitronen und avocados image by ATLANTISMEDIA from Fotolia.com

  Puncture the avocado's skin with a fork two or three times, then wrap the avocado in a towel and place it in a microwave oven. Heat for 30 second on medium setting. Check the meat of avocado to determine softness. If necessary, repeat for another 30 seconds--but no more than 90 seconds in total.

• 4
  Avocados ripe and ready to eat avocado image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com

  Bury avocados in a bag or cup of flour, then add a banana, apple, or tomato to speed up ripening. Check every four hours until the avocado is ripe.

• 5
  avocado image by Simone van den Berg from Fotolia.com