The Easy Trick for Keeping Your Avocados Fresh for 6 Months—Really!

Becky Starsmore/Shutterstock

Everyone’s experienced the dreaded brown avocado. It might be from cutting one open that’s been sitting on your counter a few days longer than it should have or from half of an avocado that you attempted to store in your fridge for your next meal. It hurts to throw out food that you let go to waste, especially when it’s pricey. Do you know the dirty origin of the word avocado?

There’s an easy trick that lets you keep avocados fresh and edible all the way from Valentine’s Day to the start of school in August, and it’s as simple as throwing them in the freezer.

If the avocado is ripe and you want to store it away to make guac at your party next week—or in six months—start by washing the fruit with the skin still on. Cut it in half, peel the skin off, and wrap the halves separately (without the pit) in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Next, pop it in a resealable plastic bag and throw it in the freezer—just be sure to write the date on the bag so you don’t forget about it!

You can also store avocados in the freezer once they’ve been puréed. Squeeze some lime or lemon juice on it and store it in a resealable bag or airtight container for storage.

There is a little bit of a catch to storing avocados for this long. Once you take them out of the freezer they won’t be as firm as when you first bought them. Therefore, you won’t be able to cut it into slices to snack on or add to your sandwich, but you can still mash it up for guacamole or for a dressing or spread. By the way—here’s how to ripen avocados in just two minutes.

Now that you know how to keep your avocados around for a while, try these delicious recipes that will make your mouth water. And while we’re here, is avocado a fruit or a vegetable?

[Source: mindbodygreen.com]