Stop Buying AVOCADOS and Start Growing Them at Home: Here's How!
The demand for avocado is higher now than ever. So how about saving a bit of money and growing this delicious superfood in your own home?
Not only is avocado a trendy fruit right now, but it's also very popular among healthy eaters. And for good reason.
This green fruit contains many beneficial properties and nutrients, with a hearty amount of vitamins (A, C, D, E, K, and B), minerals, and omega-3.
But did you know that other than tasting good and being healthy, avocado is also easy to grow and maintain at home?
Everything begins with its seed. Remove it and clean it gently, being careful to wash away not the thin brown coating, but only the fruit residue.
Then place 4-5 toothpicks along the circumference of the seed, at around the halfway point.
Now place it in a glass of water so that only half of the seed is submerged. The toothpicks will hold it in place and keep it from sinking.
Note: The part of the seed that is submerged must be the pointed end. It will be from there that the new roots will grow.
Now set the plant in a very sunny place so that it can absorb a lot of light (it's a tropical plant!). Change the water once every week, and continue this for 8 weeks.
After all this time has passed, the seed will begin to crack open and slowly grow its first roots: never let the cup run dry!
Now you get to enjoy watching your plant grow!
When the roots are about 6-8 inches long, trim it down to about 3 inches. This will strengthen it and encourage it to grow once more.
Once the roots reach about 6-8 inches long again, it's time to move the plant to a pot. Select one that's about 10 inches tall and fill it with humus rich soil. Be sure to leave the top part of the seed exposed to the sun.
Keep the soil damp and the plant exposed to the sun as much as possible.
When the plant gets to be about 12 inches, you'll need to trim it down to encourage the growth of new branches and leaves. Cut the top-most leaves first and continue to do so whenever they reach about 6 inches.
Following these simple steps, you'll soon start to see new fruits appear – new avocados ready to be plucked off and enjoyed!
Looking for something new to do with this delicious fruit? <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BZv8OWelYaN/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Cornelius Sprout is living up to his name!! We couldn't be more proud of our little avocado seed ???????? ???????????? After one month of bathing in his emerald pool, we noticed the seed splitting, and last Friday, a small root. Today we saw even more growth! Hopefully we'll see a shoot growing from the top soon! Stay tuned... ???? . . #corneliussprouttheavocado #avocadosprout #avocadoseed #urbangardening #growyourown #greenthumb #officepet #plants #houseplantclub #1month</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Gourmandize Official (@gourmandizeofficial) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-10-02T14:31:39+00:00">Oct 2, 2017 at 7:31am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>Here are 10 unusual things you can make with avocado!
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Chef Tips and Tricks
These fun Tropical Salmon Sushi Cups make the perfect warm-weather appetizer!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 cups cooked sushi rice
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tbsp seasame oil
- 1 tsp chili paste
- Salt
- 1 mango, diced
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 lb salmon, diced
Method
- Combine the rice vinegar and sugar.
- Stir though the cooked sushi rice, and with wet hands, shape into balls.
- Press the balls into ramekins lined with parchment paper, and press the rice up the sides of the ramekins into cup shapes.
- Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, combine the soy sauce, cilantro, sesame oil, chili paste and salt in a bowl.
- Combine the mango, avocado and salmon.
- Pour the soy mixture over the salmon mixture, and stir through until evenly coated.
- Remove the rice cups from the refrigerator, and peel off the parchment paper.
- Distribute the salmon mixture between the rice cups.
- Garnish, serve and enjoy!
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