Our Prolific Avocado Tree: Grown From a Pit in the Compost Pile

Our mystery avocados are getting ripe

And they said it couldn't be done. But it's almost mid January and our avocados are just about ripe for picking. This was not supposed to happen, according to conventional wisdom regarding growing  your own avocado trees. I guess we got lucky! Our tree is now about 13 years old, and about as many feet high. It was planted in the ground after my Belgian husband spotted the sprouted pit in our compost pile. For him, avocados are a bit exotic and growing one was just too tempting to pass up.

It's a beautiful tree now in our front yard, with lush foliage and actual edible fruit.

The pit may have originally come from a Haas - grocery stores don't seem to stock anything else, for many years now. I remember other types that were offered regularly in the past, for example, the Fuerte. But the Haas is a hybrid, and hybrid seeds don't breed true, so it's difficult to match up our tree with a known type.

The skin of a ripe Haas turns black (left) our mystery avocado remains green

The California Rare Fruit Growers web site has some good facts about growing avocados and the many varieties that are available.

It's a Good Thing I Quit My Day Job

I recently left my career in biomedicine to devote my time to writing and gardening, and wow- I'm excited. Until I look at my neglected backyard. I've got my work cut out for me!

The frost has finally soundly killed off anything that survived into the fall.  I've got to get all that dead material into the compost pile, and the herbs surrounding the planting box need trimming.

In the foreground you can see I've heaped some dry plant matter ontop of my lemon grass to protect it from frost- it will come back in the spring.

Here's how it looked during the summer:

A season for everything- happy new year!

Eat and Play Organically at Bumble, A New Family Friendly Cafe

My neighbor Alexander happily assisted me in scoping-out Bumble

Bumble's ambitious goal is to be a family’s dream come true - a cozy, comfortable, kid friendly cafe that not only goes all out to make children and their parents feel welcome, but that also focuses on providing the healthiest food possible.  

I visited Bumble recently with my two-and-half-year-old neighbor, Alexander, and his mom, Margie, to meet with Bumble's director, Emily Richard. I wanted to learn more about how they manage the sourcing for local organic products for this unique cafe, which would be a significant undertaking for any new restaurant.

My Bumble breakfast of oatmeal with beautiful local berries

It turns out that finding and procuring various locally grown, organically produced food items is made possible by a specialty distributor called GreenLeaf.   They provide access as well as distribution of numerous specialty goods, including organic produce and local dairy products, to businesses like Bumble.  And it's logical that this supports small farm and dairy operations by simplifying and reducing the time and effort they spend getting their products to market. 

It is an elegant example of a local food network that benefits all parties involved, and in the process enables small businesses to make their dreams a reality while growing the local economy.

All this and healthy food too! 

Bumble is located in Los Altos, California.

Read the full post at Eat Drink Better

  Photos: Urban Artichoke