AVOCADOS

The overall California avocado harvest season starts in late December in San Diego County and may continue through early July in and around Ventura and Santa Barbara. Mature avocados can remain on their trees for 4–5 months before spontaneously dropping, so farmers don’t have to harvest them all at once. However, avocados don’t store well off the tree, so once the domestic harvest is complete, imports become the only option.

While avocados harvested in December and January taste and ripen adequately, they haven’t yet developed the oil content needed for a superb eating experience. That is why Brokaw Ranch Company doesn’t begin its harvest until February. A disappointing characteristic of less mature avocados is that they transition from being too firm to too soft very quickly, hurrying through that ideal ripeness “sweet spot.” In contrast, Brokaw Ranch Company avocados, allowed to mature for an additional couple of months, ripen to an ideal softness, linger at the “sweet spot,” and maintain it for several days when refrigerated. They’re tastier, easier to use, and can be held and eaten when desired, with perfect results.

Brokaw Ranch Company is also fortunate to grow the Gwen variety on the Central Coast. The Gwen is a Hass-like variety that matures and is harvested later than the Hass. Additionally, Soledad avocados, by virtue of their more northern location, are harvested later than those in Santa Paula. The combined result is a much later harvest window. The Gwen harvest doesn’t even begin until August and can continue into early November. This allows for the availability of what is arguably the best-ripening and best-tasting avocado during a time window crowded with imports and almost no domestic production. The Gwen avocado is the most beloved by Farmers’ Market retailers, direct restaurant clients, and distributors, providing a great and positive finale to the avocado season.

CARMEN AVOCADOS

Also known as Carmen Mendez, this Hass-like variety has dark, pebbly skin and matures a little earlier than the Hass. Grown in Santa Paula, it is usually the first variety to be harvested at the beginning of each season. Carmen avocados ripen beautifully and have a buttery texture with great flavor.

Interestingly, they tend to produce off-blooms, where a small percentage of flowers set fruit before the rest, allowing them to mature early. These early fruits are easy to distinguish, as they are bigger, rounder, and have a comparatively dull sheen. Though off-blooms might make up less than 5% of a Carmen’s crop, they can be harvested as early as January with excellent ripening and flavor results. When available, Brokaw Avocados purveys these at our Farmers’ Markets as early as mid-January.

HASS AVOCADOS

This is the world’s staple avocado—over 99% of commercial avocado grove acreage is dedicated to the Hass variety. Interestingly, it was patented in 1935 by La Habra Heights postman Rudolph Hass and my great-uncle, nurseryman Harold Brokaw. It started as an ungrafted volunteer seedling in Hass’ backyard. When it bore fruit, Hass really liked it, and together with my great-uncle Harold, they patented it.

Fruit variety patent royalties aren’t collected on fruit sales but rather on nursery stock sales, which is where Uncle Harold played a role. Ironically, green-skinned avocados were heavily favored over dark-skinned varieties well into the 1960s and 1970s. By the time the Hass became the dominant variety, the patent had long since expired.
Each avocado season typically begins with the harvest of either the Hass or the Carmen variety in February, depending on the Carmen crop. Brokaw Avocados purveys the first ripe fruit at Farmers’ Markets before the end of that month.

Santa Paula Hass avocados are harvested intermittently from mid-February through early July. This is because other varieties, such as the Gem, are often harvested within the same time period. Additionally, about four acres of Hass are grown in Soledad, with the harvest beginning in August and continuing well into September. It’s incredibly fortunate to have an eight-month harvest window for such an iconic and superb avocado variety.

GEM AVOCADOS

While many commercially produced fruits, such as apples, come in numerous variety options, the avocado industry has consistently put all its eggs in one basket with the Hass. The reason for this is no mystery to industry insiders—getting retail avocado customers to even consider trying a non-Hass variety is like pulling teeth. Additionally, the cost for a farmer to switch from Hass to a “competitive” variety is enormous. Established Hass acreage, which took 5–6 years to mature and produce profitably, would have to be removed or top-worked, replanted, and then allowed to mature for another 5–6 years. Other than UC Riverside avocado researchers warning that our lack of variety diversification puts us at risk of a catastrophic blight—similar to the one associated with the Irish Potato Famine—there is almost zero support for non-Hass variety introduction.

While the Hass is a great variety for many reasons, it does have downsides from a grower’s standpoint. Firstly, it tends to alternate bear—producing heavier and then lighter yields every other year. To make matters worse, all California production tends to follow the same heavy/light cycle, leading to significant year-to-year variations in domestic supply. This results in cash flow and staffing issues for farmers, as well as major price swings for consumers. Secondly, Hass fruit tends to grow at the tree’s periphery, making it more vulnerable to sun, heat waves, and extreme cold damage.

The Gem Avocado was developed by UC Riverside professor Grey E. Martin, who named it after his initials. It is literally a granddaughter variety of the Hass. In a university trial, a Hass seed was planted, resulting in a tree that produced what they named the Thille Avocado variety. Then, a Thille seed was planted, and its tree produced the Gem variety. Researchers favored the Gem for its promising production characteristics and decided to patent it.
The Gem has a dark, pebbly skin like the Hass, is larger in size, and harvests at about the same time. Thus far, it has enjoyed more consumer acceptance than any other competing variety introduced. Unlike the Hass, it produces more consistently year-to-year, without major production swings. Additionally, it tends to set fruit within the leaf canopy, offering better protection from sun exposure and temperature extremes.

The Gem is exceptionally high in fat, ripens beautifully, and has outstanding flavor. The vast majority of Gems are produced in Santa Paula, with a few trees in Soledad as well. Brokaw Avocados typically purveys them from April to June.

 

REED AVOCADOS

What do most people envision when they hear the term “tropical avocado”? Personally, I picture a large, bright green, round, thin-skinned fruit that doesn’t ripen reliably, has a watery texture, and lacks bold flavor. The Reed Avocado, an heirloom California variety, can be misleading because it mirrors some of these characteristics. It is large, green, and round, giving the impression that it might offer a mediocre eating experience. However, once it ripens, expectations are completely overturned.

First, despite its appearance, the Reed has a thick, protective skin. Second, the flesh separates cleanly from the skin and slices beautifully—like butter. And finally, biting into it reveals an immaculate texture and a superb flavor. In fact, the experience feels even more blissful because the initial expectations were so low.

At the beginning of every Reed season, many Farmers’ Market customers hesitate to transition to them due to their size and appearance. But within a week or two, after hesitant buyers have had the chance to ripen and taste them, the variety becomes unanimously accepted and highly coveted.

Brokaw Ranch Company grows all its Reeds in Santa Paula, harvesting them from June through August. Most of the acreage is still young, but once the trees reach full production, they will bridge the supply gap between the end of the Santa Paula Hass harvest and the start of the Soledad Gwen season.

 

GWEN AVOCADO

The Gwen avocado is another variety developed by Professor Grey E. Martin at UC Riverside. As you may recall, a tree grown from a Hass seed produced the Thille variety, and a Thille seed later grew into the tree that produced the original Gem. However, in the same university seed trials, another Thille seed produced the tree that gave us the Gwen avocado—named after Professor Martin’s wife. This makes the Gwen a literal granddaughter of the Hass and a sister to the Gem.

The Gwen is like a green-skinned Gem, with thick, pebbly skin and fruit that is slightly larger and rounder than the Hass. Unlike the Gem, however, it was ultimately deemed unsuitable as a potential Hass competitor. In fact, the variety has nearly disappeared, as no nurseries seem to be propagating it anymore.

Fortunately, thanks to the innovative nature of Hank and Ellen Brokaw, eight acres of older Bacon and Zutano trees in Soledad were “top-worked” to the Gwen variety in 1991—just before the Gwen faded into obscurity. Since then, the Gwen has proven to be the most beloved avocado variety among Farmers’ Market shoppers, direct restaurant buyers, and distributor clients alike.

The Gwen ripens ideally, has a pleasingly smooth texture, and boasts a superb flavor. It also oxidizes more slowly than other varieties, meaning it stays bright green longer after being cut—making it an excellent choice for home and food service use.

Because it matures later than the Hass and is grown in Soledad—approximately 250 miles north of California’s primary avocado-producing region—the Gwen can be harvested from August through October. This extended season allows Brokaw Ranch Company to offer high-quality avocados long after most California-grown fruit has been harvested and consumed. Soledad Gwens stand as a beacon for avocado lovers when the only alternatives are under-mature imports, aged and degraded by the industrial supply chain.