Friday, December 30, 2011

Your Purchases Help Small Farmers

Your purchases through the Avocado Diva helps in more ways then one:

  1. You help the small farmers and ranchers that we source from - who often cannot sell their rare and unique avocados (the big packing houses only buy Hass - in general).
  2. Many of these small farms rely on their own family members to pick, weed, water, and do the daily labor - the Diva buys direct from many small farms - and has personal relationships with these families, their kids, the dogs, chickens, cats, etc. ;-)  
  3. Some of the smaller farms cannot afford to top-off and convert their old trees to Hass - (thankfully!) - but there is not many ways for them to sell the old-types of avocados - they are delighted when they find out the Diva buys the fruit and ships to you. 
  4. You help save old and rare avocado trees.
  5. Your purchases help keep the biodiversity of the trees going.
  6. You bring Christmas hope -- read on...
This Christmas the Diva bought avocados from 12 small farms and ranches all around the area of Moorpark. Two of the families she purchased from are facing severe financial hardships. One farm is run by a lady rancher who went through a divorce - I honestly don't know how she will hang on to her ranch all by herself -- but she is trying. 

How can you tell a ranch is in distress? You can tell - by the cars and trucks parked on the road with "for sale" signs. By the weeds between the trees. By the fading color on the house/barns and out-buildings. By the fact that they are out hand watering trees (meaning they can't afford to repair the hoses that they coyotes chew through). 

You can tell because the kids are out picking fruit, and raking leaves, and swinging hoes to knock the weeds down. Usually you would see field workers (often Hispanic men) doing these jobs - but if there is no money -- its mom, dad and the kids (who often look like they are having a lot of fun - actually!).  

Twice I went back to one specific farm to buy delicious, huge, beautiful Bacon avocados. The father and (adult) son were very happy to get the phone call from the Diva that she needed MORE avocados (the orders just kept pouring in!).  They were SO proud of their fruit -- and took the Diva and her 2 helpers way back into the orchard to see more weird and unusual trees -- with some AMAZING fruits that I hope we can buy in January or February when they are ready! 

They are so excited (the farmer and his son) that we appreciate and want their old style fruit. They have been told they need to top these old trees and graft them with Hass -- but they don't have the money to do that.  I am glad to get this unique fruit -- and appreciative that the money might help them.  

It is pretty humbling to buy the avocados - and hand the men an envelope of cash -- which they quietly pocket. I hope it helped them have a little bit more peace on their Christmas day and sparked hope for the coming new year.

Best wishes to YOU and to YOUR family during this holiday season. Thanks for helping. 

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Happy Holidays -- Eat Your Cake and Enjoy It Too!

Yummy Goodness - at less than 1/2 the calories of butter, cheese, mayo...
It's almost Christmas - it's already Chanukah, soon it will be New Years - so Happy Holidays everyone! Why not celebrate with some delicious, healthy, nutritious California winter avocados? Here are some AMAZING statistics on how you can indulge - and still reduce the calories!

This is from the California Avocado Commission's web site (www.Avocado.org)
The Avocado Diva has a BUNCH of recipes on her website too -- using beautiful winter avocados in fruit salads (with pomegranates, persimmons), a darling Christmas Tree made out of avocado slices and ideas on how to bake using avocado as a substitute for some of the butter, oil and eggs.

Please visit here to check them all out: www.AvocadoDiva.com Recipes

Happy Holidays friends and enjoy your avocados!!!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Winter Avocados Make A Light Fruit Salad

Winter Fuyu Persimmons and Winter Avocados (Bacon featured here) along with
California nuts make a unique and delicious fruit salad. 

In California - we are lucky enough to even have farmer's markets in the winter. In December - we can get beautiful fruits - like winter avocados, Fuyu persimmons and all kinds of nuts. With the Diva's basket full of these delicious items - she "tisket - a - tasket-ed" home last night from our local farmer’s market and put a beautiful salad together. 
This would make an AWESOME salad for your Christmas, holiday or New Year’s party!
This is a unique way to make a real “FRUIT” salad using the lighter tasting avocados. The sweetness of the persimmons goes so well with the creamy taste of the winter avocado – and the crunch of the nuts. Then top with a light vinaigrette made of champagne – YUM! Unique and delicious! So colorful too.
These are ALSO the same items she shipped out to some of our lucky customers during this past week. Diva club members are getting winter avocados (that are often lighter, more fruity than the oil-filled summer varieties). They make GREAT fruit salads. She often ships our customers "rancher's freebies" - like lemons, grapefruits, pomegranates or in this case, persimmons! 
If you’re still looking for a unique holiday gift – why not send avocados, a gift certificate or (best of all) – sign up for our “Avocado of the Month” club (the Diva Club) and get ALL of our avocados and California fruits through out all the seasons.

I hope your holidays are full of green – green avocados!  Merry Christmas from the Avocado Diva. 

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Cute 'Cado Christmas Tree


Are you busy at this time of the year?!  Yes?!  So is the Avocado Diva! We are shipping out heritage avocados ALL over the country. Love that people are so hungry for our Moorpark (and Somis and Santa Rosa Valley) avocados. 
So while we are busy shipping -- here's a recipe from the Hass people -- seems pretty easy and fun too. 
So excuse our lack of blog posts -- and for this "cheater" blog - of simply reposting their recipe -- but we gotta get back to shipping. 
If you want avocados for the holidays or wish to ship some sunshine love - please visit the Diva's elves at www.AvocadoDiva.com NOW to place your order. It's almost the "big day".