Guacamole ... in the making.

Avocados in my back yard.

I've been busy today doing a range of tasks and chores, not least of which has been preparing some guacamole.  Well, not really.  I just noticed the fruits on the tree and as you can see by the colour, I may need to wait a wee while before I harvest them all.  One fruit looks ok and will make a nice spread, but the guacamole will have to wait until I get a few more fruits.

Known to the Aztec's as the fertility fruit, although I'm not sure why.  I had heard that Marks and Spencer introduced avocados into the UK under the name "Avocado Pears" back in the 1960s.  M&S customers purchased the "pears" and served them with custard as was the trend with other types of pears at the time.  Needless to say these customers complained to M&S saying the fruit was inedible.  M&S then dropped the pear off the name.  Can't say I'd fancy avocado and custard, would you?

Amazingly the avocado is poisonous to some birds (our blackbirds, silver-eyes and thrushes seem ok on the fruit by the way), as well as cats dogs and horses.  Even so, the avocado is under research for possible uses against cancer.  Amazing what grows in one's garden isn't it ;-)