San Diego Avocado Groves: Comparing 1978 to 2026 and Why We Are Replanting
San Diego County avocado groves once defined the agricultural identity of Southern California. Decades ago, rolling hillsides throughout Escondido, Fallbrook, and Valley…
Ahuacatl: The Aztec Word Behind Avocado, and Why the Fruit Grows in Pairs
Why are avocados called avocados? The word goes back to ahuacatl, from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. And in the Aztec…
Is Your Grocery Store Hass Avocado Real? Mislabeling in the Produce Aisle
Most avocados sold as Hass in US stores are Hass, but growers we have talked with say other dark-skinned varieties sometimes get…
San Diego Avocado History: Why Escondido Needs Avocado Trees on City Property
Escondido has no avocado trees on city property, even though, as we found in our research, the first avocado tree in San…
Why Fuerte Lost California to Hass: Alternate Bearing and a Mail Carrier’s Tree
Why does everybody grow Hass? It was not always that way. For a long stretch, the avocado California growers planted was the…
The History of California Avocados, From Escondido to Today
How California avocados got here: the early introductions, the varieties that won, and the growers who are left.
Mexican Avocado Inspection Freeze: Impact on US Prices and Local Farmers
When the USDA pauses its inspections in Mexico, Mexican avocados cannot be cleared for export to the United States, so supply tightens…
Fuerte vs Hass Avocado Growing Season: Why Bloom Dates Do Not Predict Harvest
Fuerte and Hass can bloom in the same spring weeks and still ripen months apart, because each variety’s genetics, not its bloom…
California Avocado Growers: Why Only 1,700 Commercial Farms Remain (1982 vs Today)
Only about 1,700 commercial avocado growers remain in California. Where the figure comes from, what 1982 satellite imagery shows, and what pushed…
Cost to Start an Avocado Farm in California: Why Legacy Land Matters
Starting an avocado farm in Southern California from scratch is one of the most financially daunting ventures an entrepreneur could pursue today.…
San Diego Agriculture: Why San Diego County Leads California in Value Per Acre
San Diego County holds a surprising title in the world of farming: it is the number one county in California for agricultural…
Farm Gate Pricing Explained: Why Family Farmers Receive 10% of Grocery Prices
The farm gate price is what a grower actually receives for a crop after packing, shipping, marketing and retail markups are taken…
First Avocado Tree in San Diego County: The Surprising History of Escondido Avocados
According to San Diego County Farm Bureau records, the first avocado tree in San Diego County was planted in Escondido in 1892.…
Hass Avocado Patent 139: The History of California’s Most Famous Fruit
The Forgotten History of Plant Patent 139 The Hass avocado was patented as U.S. Plant Patent No. 139 on August 27, 1935,…
The Rise and Fall of the Avocado Co-op: From Calavo to NAFTA
California’s avocado industry was built on a grower-owned cooperative: the California Avocado Growers’ Exchange, incorporated in 1924 and later renamed Calavo Growers…
