Amazing Legendary Avocados Featuring Catalina and others!!!

[ggpalms]

Hello folks,

I have heard that Wurtz really is a poor quality avocado. Does anyone know a little about it's origins? From what I hear it's not very tasty. Some say this  avocado is good in time of war. Makes a great weapon for a slingshot!

Let me share with you some of my favorites and a bit of history:

Oro Negro is amazing black skinned with great texture and flavor. Good production.

Day is a little like a Hass but more pear shaped and olive drab skin. Good production and flavor.           

Lula is to me a really nice avocado with a very sweet flavor. Anyone else detect that it is quite sweet?

Catalina is my absolutely favorite. What's not to like about it? "This amazing avocado floated across from Cuba, 60 years ago just before Fidel Castro took over the Island Nation. Wise Cubans jumped into the ocean to escape the Castro regime and tossed in some favorite scions for us to enjoy here in the States. We owe a great debt to poor old Don Miguel Cruz de la Santa Maria Espinoza Sanchez Alvarez Jr. who sadly was lost at sea. His amazing scion wood, wrapped in cellophane and aluminum foil floated over, washing a shore on Miami Beach. His shiny little package was miraculously picked up on the shoreline and immediately grafted and cared for by keen eyed avocado lovers in Miami." So be sure to think about this story every time you eat a Catalina! Well the story may be full of you know what, but the avocado is not! Catalina is the real deal and one hell of an awesome Avocado!

Monroe is another great avocado and related to Oro Negro. "Legend has it that Oro Negro was found in Homestead, Florida on a cool dark rainy night after a meteor crashed into an abandoned papaya plantation." It is from out of this world but not quite as tasty or nearly as huge as my Cuban favorite Catalina. 

Can you smell the BS yet? Well okay just trying to have a little fun. After all I am a Cuban and we like to stir things up from time to time!

Russell is a real dandy looking long necked avocado that chefs in particular like for preparing fancy salads. You can get little round cuts from the neck and other shapes as well for presentation on a plate. "You can also start your car in an emergency by sticking the long end of the neck into the gas tank and squeezing really hard. Awesome biofuel"

Jason "Pepe" 

What good is living if you can't raise hell and have some fun?

http://www.pepesplants.com

[jcaldeira]

Thanks for the assessment of the avocado taste comparisons and the history.  You Florida avocado eaters are so fortunate to have 'varieties'.   Are those varieties suited to grow in Florida's humid wet environment?

In Fiji now, we only have 'avocado pear'.  Some are better than others, but no varietal distinction in the markets.  I'm hoping to change that in a few years.  I've grafted using a few of the best local trees.  Haven't yet tested dry matter/oil content of any fruit, though.

John

[bsbullie]

As you may have read, the Wurtz I have had, and they are from a specific tree, have been excellent.  Rich, creamy, and full flavored.  Not sure why some have claimed it is not good or why this specific tree seems to produce fruit that are so good.

Lula - my favorite though I would not call it "quite sweet".

Day - best of the early season cados...

Cataline - meh, nothing to write home about IMO (no pun intended)...maybe you like it so due to its history?

Monroe - can be very good but since it fruits at the same time as the Lula, it takes a back seat or second fiddle.

Marcus Pumpkin - another Monroe-like cado that is very good.  I would also put Choquette in this category.

Wilson Seedless is a very good mid season cado.  Not as full flavored as Lula but edible none the less, especially considering its ripening time.

Have not tasted Ore Negro though would very much love to...

[HMHausman]

As you may have read, the Wurtz I have had, and they are from a specific tree, have been excellent.  Rich, creamy, and full flavored.  Not sure why some have claimed it is not good or why this specific tree seems to produce fruit that are so good.

Lula - my favorite though I would not call it "quite sweet".

Day - best of the early season cados...

Cataline - meh, nothing to write home about IMO (no pun intended)...maybe you like it so due to its history?

Monroe - can be very good but since it fruits at the same time as the Lula, it takes a back seat or second fiddle.

Marcus Pumpkin - another Monroe-like cado that is very good.  I would also put Choquette in this category.

Wilson Seedless is a very good mid season cado.  Not as full flavored as Lula but edible none the less, especially considering its ripening time.

Have not tasted Ore Negro though would very much love to...

Can't comment on many of these as I have never had them.  Day was an "almost tried" variety but the tree died in my yard just before fruit maturity. I agree that Lula is excellent and I do also agree that it has one of the more sweet flavors that I have experienced in the avocado world.  At my house, Lula did not begin to mature until at least November. Monroe, also an excellent avocado, has some variability as to when it begins maturing but was most often a full month ahead of Lula, begining to mature in early to mid October. Monroe also can carry fruits much longer into the new year.  I have actually had some Monroes still on the tree in early February.  Funny, looking at the Pine Island Avo viewer.....they have Lula as the one that bears on October. Not at my house has that been the experience. Perhaps my different experience came about as the result of my Lula being on a multi-grafted tree. That tree has long since died and I have replanted a new Lula with no other gratfs on the tree.  It hasn't fruited yet, so we'll see how this affects the fruiting season.

[bsbullie]

Last year I was eating Lula well into the new year, possibly into Februay but since I have no notes I have nothing to back it up with.

Funny you say that about Lula and the PI Viewer...I actually just ate a Lula two nights ago that was picked on Sept. 29.  While it did ripen up to be edible, it was not as good as when picked much later in the year.  It also had a slight diluted taste, most likely from all of the rains over the past 1-2 months.  Hopefully this will change with them sitting on the tree for the next 1-2 months.

[zands]

Last year I was eating Lula well into the new year, possibly into Februay but since I have no notes I have nothing to back it up with.

Funny you say that about Lula and the PI Viewer...I actually just ate a Lula two nights ago that was picked on Sept. 29.  While it did ripen up to be edible, it was not as good as when picked much later in the year.  It also had a slight diluted taste, most likely from all of the rains over the past 1-2 months.  Hopefully this will change with them sitting on the tree for the next 1-2 months.

I ate a Lula yesterday that was picked 7 days ago. Took 7 days to ripen. It tasted full and had good oil/fat content. The tree that it comes from has held Lulas on it through January, even a few in early February making for a possible 3½-4 month season. Today I will eat Lula with some high quality canned salmon. For my purposes Lula is as good as Hass. Lula fruits seem to reach one pound maximum which is fine by me. I have small Brogdan tree and Lula tree coming along

Another cool thing about Lula is the green fruits blend into the branches and leaves. Fruits are green and stay green until you pick them. Sitting long enough on your kitchen counter it will darken. The fruits (on the tree) are hard to spot quickly and steal loads of them. The tree I get them from (I know the owner) is in the front yard and literally on the street with branches extending up to the asphalt. The Lula fruits do not get stolen according to the owner!

[Jack, Nipomo]

Here's a pretty extensive list of avocado varieties, mainly CA.

http://www.avocadosource.com/AvocadoVarieties/QueryDB.asp

[Tropicalgrower89]

Hello folks,

I have heard that Wurtz really is a poor quality avocado. Does anyone know a little about it's origins? From what I hear it's not very tasty. Some say this  avocado is good in time of war. Makes a great weapon for a slingshot!

Let me share with you some of my favorites and a bit of history:

Oro Negro is amazing black skinned with great texture and flavor. Good production.

Day is a little like a Hass but more pear shaped and olive drab skin. Good production and flavor.           

Lula is to me a really nice avocado with a very sweet flavor. Anyone else detect that it is quite sweet?

Catalina is my absolutely favorite. What's not to like about it? "This amazing avocado floated across from Cuba, 60 years ago just before Fidel Castro took over the Island Nation. Wise Cubans jumped into the ocean to escape the Castro regime and tossed in some favorite scions for us to enjoy here in the States. We owe a great debt to poor old Don Miguel Cruz de la Santa Maria Espinoza Sanchez Alvarez Jr. who sadly was lost at sea. His amazing scion wood, wrapped in cellophane and aluminum foil floated over, washing a shore on Miami Beach. His shiny little package was miraculously picked up on the shoreline and immediately grafted and cared for by keen eyed avocado lovers in Miami." So be sure to think about this story every time you eat a Catalina! Well the story may be full of you know what, but the avocado is not! Catalina is the real deal and one hell of an awesome Avocado!

Monroe is another great avocado and related to Oro Negro. "Legend has it that Oro Negro was found in Homestead, Florida on a cool dark rainy night after a meteor crashed into an abandoned papaya plantation." It is from out of this world but not quite as tasty or nearly as huge as my Cuban favorite Catalina. 

Can you smell the BS yet? Well okay just trying to have a little fun. After all I am a Cuban and we like to stir things up from time to time!

Russell is a real dandy looking long necked avocado that chefs in particular like for preparing fancy salads. You can get little round cuts from the neck and other shapes as well for presentation on a plate. "You can also start your car in an emergency by sticking the long end of the neck into the gas tank and squeezing really hard. Awesome biofuel"

Jason "Pepe" 

What good is living if you can't raise hell and have some fun?

http://www.pepesplants.com

Wow. I didn't know the story behind catalina. I just knew that it was popular among Cubans. Thanks for sharing. 

[ggpalms]

Hey guys,

I guess Trying to be a comedian here just won't work. The stories, legends etc... JOKE.

Info on taste etc. Real world!

Okay I get it this is no place to be a wise guy!

Yikes!

[CTMIAMI]

Pepe it was a good story, i like it.

[ggpalms]

Pepe it was a good story, i like it.

Thanks Carlos.

By the way I love your web site, it gets better all the time! Keep up the good work.

http://www.myavocadotrees.com/

Jason "Pepe"

[cuban007]

Oye Pepe de donde sacastes esos cuentos. And Carlos, I agree with Pepe, your website is awesome. Keep it up!!!

[ggpalms]

Oye Pepe de donde sacastes esos cuentos. And Carlos, I agree with Pepe, your website is awesome. Keep it up!!!

You mean you never heard about the Famous Cuban Catalina story? You need to hang out with Cubans from Miami. Man they got all kinds of stories!

See you soon.

Peace,

Jason "Pepe"