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Valley boasts several avocado varieties

Not all of these tasty fruits are green and bumpy.

Published online on Tuesday, Sep. 29, 2009

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Thanks to farmers in Selma and Kingsburg, fans of unusual avocados can have their fill of Mexicolas, Del Reys, Topa Topas and more.

With black, edible skins, many of these avocados don't look anything like the common Hass variety, that bumpy-skinned fruit that starts off green and turns purplish-black as it ripens. The Hass, and others like it, are common in Southern California, home to the state's commercial avocado industry.

Instead, the Ramirez family of Selma and K.M.K. Farms in Kingsburg grow avocados suited to the central San Joaquin Valley's hotter summers and cooler winters.

"Most of these are very delicate when they get ripe," says Kyle Reynolds of K.M.K. Farms in Kingsburg. With their thin skins, they "don't ship well."

To find K.M.K.'s avocados, head to the Vineyard farmers market at Shaw and Blackstone avenues. There's the fingerling (or cocktail avocado), a smooth, black-skinned fruit that looks like a pinkie finger. Or the Mexicola long avocado, which some mistake for a small, black-skinned Chinese eggplant. With 11 different varieties on the farm, K.M.K. can sell avocados until March, depending on the weather.

Or go to the avocado stand at the Ramirez home, 8592 E. Rose Ave., Selma. Before you go, call (559) 896-2093 to check on available Mexicolas and Del Reys. Jesse and Dorothy Ramirez also pack lots of boxes for swap meets.

The Ramirez family will sell these varieties for about two or three more weeks. They generally keep the other varieties for themselves.

"I wish we had three acres more," Dorothy Ramirez says. "We can't produce enough of them."

The two avocado farms are linked. Jesse and Dorothy Ramirez sold avocado trees to a previous owner of K.M.K.'s land.

More than 40 years ago, the Ramirez family started growing avocado trees. "I picked up a few here and there to make houseplants," Dorothy Ramirez says. "Next thing I knew, I was growing thousands of them in an old barn."

Because of the cool Valley winters, others thought they were strange.

"Our neighbors, they laughed at us," Dorothy Ramirez says. "They said, 'You can't grow avocados in the San Joaquin Valley.' "

Tending avocados here isn't always easy. In the past 13 years, K.M.K. lost its entire crop four times because of the weather. But the flavor, particularly of the Mexicolas, inspires K.M.K.'s owners.

With tangy and nutty characteristics, "the little Mexicola has the most unique flavor," Reynolds says.

It has a big pit, resulting in a thinner layer of flesh, but that makes it perfect for stuffing with crab salad, says Kyle's wife, Michele Reynolds.

She slices the thin-skinned varieties and places them on sandwiches, skin and all. Or she'll cube them for salads or a chunky salsa.

When the larger avocados come in, she'll smash them and spread them like butter on toast. And as for guacamole, Michele Reynolds likes to use the Bacon variety.

"It's got a real sweet meat and there's a lot of meat to it," she says. And its high oil content gives it a nice, creamy texture.

The trick is to pick them early, but not too early. They have to mature on the tree before harvest. "They're like pears and bananas," Kyle Reynolds says. "You pick them mature and then they ripen."

If you buy ones that aren't quite ripe, place them in a bowl on a countertop. Or place the avocados in a paper bag with a pear or apple, Kyle Reynolds says. These fruits release ethylene, a hormone that triggers ripening. Once avocados are ripe, they'll keep in the refrigerator for about three days.