AVOCADO
THE PERFECT FOOD!?
What do a mild-mannered postal carrier; beauty treatments and social
media have in common? The answer may surprise you- it’s the wildly
popular “Super Food” -the Hass Avocado.
In 1925, Rudolph Hass had to leave his job, at a California post office,
after developing bad back from carrying large bags of mail. With a family
to support, Hass pondered what to do next, until he saw a photo in a
magazine, of an Avocado tree sprouting dollar bills. At the time, there
was tremendous commercial potential for growers, which began when
the first Avocado tree was brought to California, from Mexico in 1871.
The California Avocado industry was becoming like a 2nd Gold Rush,
but this time is was a “Green Rush”. Growers were experimenting by
combining one strain with another; doing their best to create an ideal
variety to market. Several types of Avocados were born, but the most
predominant was the Fuerte. It had an easy-to-peel skin and a rich nutty
taste.
Hass decided to combine some of his savings with a small loan from
his sister, to purchased an acre of land with a small Avocado grove on
it. After a few years of planting new seeds and grafting the seedlings,
Hass wasn’t getting the results he was hoping for. In his frustration, he
was ready to take an axe to one of the few remaining trees, but his son
convinced him to jus