In fact, the Bay of Plenty is responsible for more than half of NZ's avocado crop. Why our interest in avocados all of a sudden? Well... there are some avocado trees on the steep garden that slopes away from the lawn and yesterday we decided to pick some- the garden is a mass of plants and trees and getting to the avocado trees is somewhat hazardous ( we have the scratches and cuts to prove it!).Tom impersonated Tarzan as he shimmied up the dense trees to pick the avocados which hide under huge green leaves, and Lynn risked a serious head injury trying to catch them as they were dropped down from at least 5 metres. Neither of us were keen on the idea of being airlifted out with injuries that we would not be able to describe as "Sweet as".
So..what do you know about avocados, or alligator pears? We bet you didn't know that the name comes from the Aztec word "ahuacati" which roughly translates to "green testicle". For centuries they were believed to induce sexual prowess and weren't bought by those wishing to hold on to a respectable reputation. Thankfully we don't need to buy them so no worries about our reputation! There are other good reasons to eat them too- they have the highest fibre content of any fruit, contain monounsaturated rather than saturated fats, have large amounts of vitamin B, and contain no cholesterol.
What can you do with them apart from serve them with prawns and make gaucamole? Apparantly they make excellent ice cream too, can be mashed with lemon or lime juice and frozen ready for when you can't find any ripe ones, made into a pie to serve with cream, used in the production of oil for cooking and made into a whole range of skin care products.
So as we continue to be captivated by the view of the Pacific Ocean, Mount Maunganui and Tauranga itself we have started to include the lush green alligator pear orchards in the valley below. The Bay of Plenty??? Definitely!!! and we haven't even mentioned the Kiwi fruits yet.
More to follow soon........................................................................
Mauao is steeped in history. The scientific community believes it was formed as a result of volcanic activity but we prefer the Maori legend........unrequited love drove an un-named hill (now called Mauao) to ask the fairy people (the patupaiarehe) to haul him overland and into the sea. With the first rays of the sun the fairies fled, leaving Mauao paralysed where he stands today, caught by the dawn as the sun rises over the Pacific Ocean. Mauao was later renamed Maunganui, "the big hill".
