Most avocados sold in Canada are grown year-round in sunny Mexico, so it’s always the right time to stock up. And there’s so much more to “alligator pears” (as they were called 100 years ago) than guacamole. Delicious on their own with a sprinkle of salt, these smooth, buttery fruits will also boost the flavours of any dish they’re added to, from salads to sides to chocolate cake.

How to Buy

Look for avocados with smooth, dent-free skins. Ripe ones will give slightly when squeezed. Rock-hard fruits are also fine—they will just take a little longer to ripen. Also check that the stem is intact: It keeps out oxygen, which can discolour the fruit or cause uneven ripening.

Is It Ripe?

Keep unripe avocados on the kitchen counter until they’re ready to eat, from two to seven days. The skin on popular Hass avocados will darken as they ripen, but other varieties, such as Fuerte, will stay green.

How to Speed Ripen

Grab a paper bag and a few apples—Red or Golden Delicious are best, as they produce more of the ethylene gas that helps ripen fruit. Pop the avocados and apples into the paper bag, fold over the top and let it stand on the counter. Check on them later that night or the next morning; if your avocados started out really hard, they may need a couple of days.

Even if you’ve cut into an avocado and found it’s too hard to eat, there’s still hope. Squeeze lemon or lime juice onto the flesh, put the avocado back together, wrap it tightly with plastic and refrigerate it until ripe. It will be ready to go in three days or less.

How to Store

Hit the pause button on ripe avocados by popping whole uncut fruits into the fridge. They will stay delicious for up to five days.

Just like an apple, a cut avocado browns quickly when exposed to oxygen. Sprinkle the flesh with lemon or lime juice, wrap the avocado with plastic or seal it in an airtight container and eat within one day—any longer and the texture won’t be as nice. You can also peel, purée and freeze avocados in an airtight container, adding 2 tsp (10 mL) lemon juice per avocado to prevent browning, for up to six months.

Tip: If you stored an avocado half with the seed intact and it developed an orange tinge overnight, don’t panic. That’s just the pit reacting to oxygen; this red-orange tannin is natural and not harmful. Your avocado is perfectly safe to eat.