Florida Avocado Delivery or Pickup

Creamy, tasty, and versatile, the Florida avocado is a popular fruit commonly used for making zesty guacamole and avocado toast. You can also add it to sandwiches or just eat it by the spoonful.

Florida avocados are in the Lauraceae, or Laurel, family and classified as Persea Americana. The Florida avocado has bright yellow-green skin, an elongated body shape, often weighs over a pound, and measures up to 13 inches long. Compared to the popular Hass avocado, the Florida avocado has thinner skin, a lower fat content, and more flesh to pit ratio.

Avocados come from either Mexico, Guatemala, or the West Indies. Common Mexican avocados, including the Hass variety, have dark, mottled skin when ripe. Thin-skinned Florida avocados come from the West Indies variety or as a hybrid of West Indies and Guatemalan varieties. Florida avocado trees can grow up to 60 feet tall and don't lose their leaves, making them an evergreen tree.

Florida was the first state in the United States to cultivate West Indies and Guatemalan avocados, and in 1833, the first Florida avocado was successfully grown. The Florida avocado variety has been growing wild in the Caribbean islands, Central America, and South America for over 13,000 years, and to this day, it continues to be a staple food for indigenous people in these regions. The Mexican varieties of avocado thrive in the drier highland regions, and the West Indies and Guatemalan varieties, which the Florida avocado descends from, enjoy growing in lush subtropical lowlands similar to Florida's environment.

Because the fat content is much lower in Florida avocados, they tend to hold up better to oxidation, meaning they don't turn brown as quickly as Mexican avocado varieties. Florida avocados are ideal to use diced in salads, as a topper for tacos, or for making dips. Florida avocados have a mild, light, nutty flavor that shines with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a dash of salt added to them.

When you need a couple of Florida avocados for your breakfast toast, to add to your lunch salad, or for guacamole on Mexican cuisine night, let an Instacart shopper deliver them to you. Browse the Instacart website to find a store nearby that offers Instacart delivery, or download the Instacart app to place your Florida avocado order from your smartphone. Once you place your order, an Instacart shopper will bring them right to your door!

When shopping for Florida avocados, look for ones that have blemish-free, bright-green skin. When you pick the avocado up, it should feel heavy and firm to the touch. Refrain from buying Florida avocados that have bruises, mushy spots, or a pit that rattles when you shake it.

When you bring your Florida avocado home, place it in a bowl on the counter where the fruit can slowly ripen. Check on the avocado a few times a day for firmness. As soon as you feel the fruit begin to give when you squeeze it, place the avocado in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. Uncut, a Florida avocado can stay in the refrigerator for several days.

Once you open the avocado, it's important to keep the leftover flesh from oxidizing. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on the flesh of the fruit to help prevent the avocado from turning brown. Then, wrap the avocado tightly with plastic food wrap or a plastic bag, and store it in the refrigerator where it can keep for two to three days.