Gem avocados

[Jenise]

I love avocados. I often eat a half or whole one for breakfast like I did this morning. I do this while frequently mourning the bolder flavor of the avocados I knew in my California childhood. Fuerte are my favorites, but I also love Reeds and the original Haas I found growing on the hillside of the hospital I was born in when my then-best friend (first grade) lived across the street. Getting from Joyce's house to mine via the community stairways over a large foothill was a quick shortcut on foot, but the trip was over a mile and a half way up then way down by bike or car. Nonetheless, that's how I got my first little red wagonload of those weirdly nubby black Haas avocados home to my astonished mother. We had never seen them before.

Unlike today's bland commercial Haas (original correct spelling which has been bastardized to Hass), they were deeply yellow and buttery inside. I continue to buy the commercial ones because what choice do we have, but I have never been able to pass up a new or different avocado, though rarely does that occur. It did once though about a year ago at a Gelson's in Southern California, and it was called Gem. Greenish purple and smooth with gold dots, they were like $5 ea but I bought one anyway. Best avocado I've eaten in years!

I've only seen them one other time since until two days ago, at Costco, I noticed that the bagged avocados were actually labeled 'Gem'. That's what I ate this morning and that avocado more closely resembles the rich buttery flavor of my childhood Haas. They're a little less oily than those but in a good way and without being watery and sweet like Bacon or Florida avocados.

Here's an article about them:

https://californiaavocado.com/avocado10 ... -treasure/

Hass avocados have always been spelled "Hass". They are named after Rudolph Hass, a Southern California postal worker who accidentally grew the original mother tree from a planted seed and patented the variety in 1935.The misconception that the name changed from "Haas" is largely attributed to a widespread instance of the "Mandela Effect" or common misspelling.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hass_avocado

Thanks for the note, Jenise. I'll see if I can find any around me.

[Jenise]

Hass avocados have always been spelled "Hass". They are named after Rudolph Hass, a Southern California postal worker who accidentally grew the original mother tree from a planted seed and patented the variety in 1935.The misconception that the name changed from "Haas" is largely attributed to a widespread instance of the "Mandela Effect" or common misspelling.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hass_avocado

Karen, thanks so much for pointing out the error. I know I checked on this a few years back and obviously didn't get the right source. But this is extra fascinating because of the locations--the Hass tree in La Habra Heights and the nursery in Whittier. THAT'S WHERE I GREW UP! The hospital with the hillside covered in Hass trees was Murphy Hospital in Whittier (which is now a mens dormitory for Whittier College). So wow, I actually grew up in Hass Avocado Ground Zero!