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Recipes

min

Published March 2026

Avocados: How do they ripen and how to preserve them?

The avocado (Persea americana) is a fleshy  fruit of the berry family from the tropical and subtropical regions of Central America, with a great capacity to adapt to Mediterranean regions. 

It must be taken into account that depending on the time of the season when we receive the order, the avocados may arrive more or less ripe. For example, if we are at the beginning of the Hass avocado season (December-January), they can take up to 15 days to reach their optimum point of consumption. However, if we receive the same variety in March or April, we can probably consume some the same day we receive the order. 

Here is the organic avocado “baticate” recipe to use your organic avocados for a smoothie!

How do I know if the avocado is ready to eat?

As a climacteric fruit, it continues to ripen after being harvested, which means that your avocados might arrive at your house a little green or hard, which means that they were hanging on the tree only a few days ago! It depends on the variety, But unlike the bright green of unripe avocadoes, if the skin is slightly dark and gives way when gently pressed, it may indicate that it is ready to eat. Another trick is to carefully remove the small stem at the top of theto ripen. If the area underneath is green and easily removed, the avocado is ready to eat. If it is brown, the avocado is probably overripe. If the stem does not remove easily, the avocado is not yet ready to eat.

How to ripen green avocados faster at home? 

  • Keep it in the box with the rest of the avocados or store it in a paper bag at room temperature. 
  • You can also put it next to other climacteric fruits such as bananas or apples to accelerate their ripening process thanks to the ethylene they release.


How to preserve and store an avocado at home?



Keep it in a cool and dry environment. It is not necessary to keep them in the fridge. It is important to consider that tropical fruits, such as avocados, are more sensitive to cold. Exposing them to very low temperatures for a long period of time can compromise their structure and flavour.



How can you make the most of a ripe avocado at home?



You have many options to keep enjoying your avocados! 

What if my avocado is mouldy or damaged? 



If your fruit has arrived overripe or in poor condition, please contact our customer service team or report the issue to us via your private area in your CrowdFarming user account. By clicking on “report a problem” and submitting a complaint, we will be able to notify the farmer and work with them to find a solution.

If you want to know how to preserve and ripen other fruits, click here

Written by Fran Aparicio

Fran Aparicio

Fran Aparicio coordinates Regenerative Agriculture at CrowdFarming, which mostly means he spends his days trying to make farmers, scientists and data people agree on what “healthy soil” actually means. He lives somewhere between muddy boots and research papers, translating field reality into something you can measure (and hopefully improve).

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Recipes

40 min

Apple walnut tart recipe

With the holidays just around the corner, our farmer Kathrin Wiest from Biohof Hund has shared one of her favourite seasonal recipes: an apple walnut tart passed down through generations in her family.Kathrin grew up spending weekends on her grandparents’ farm, where she helped with the hay harvest, milking the cows, harvesting vegetables, and discovering early on the importance of knowing where your food comes from. “Good food doesn’t begin in the kitchen,” she says, “it begins in the field.”This profound appreciation for the land followed her through her career in gastronomy and now into her work at Biohof Hund, where she combines her diverse background in gastronomy, organic farming, and horticulture.For Kathryn, working on the farm is more than just a job: “It’s a return to my roots,” she says, “a conscious choice for sustainability and regionality, and a step toward a future that truly makes sense – for my family, for our farm, and for society as a whole.”For Kathrin, this recipe captures values she grew up with: simplicity, seasonality, and a meaningful connection to the land.In this simple and delicious recipe, apples are arranged on top of a rich walnut cream and soft buttery crust: the perfect dessert to have around this winter.Save this recipe for your next holiday gathering!Apple & Walnut TartIngredients:  300 g spelt flour (plus a little extra for dusting) 120 g soft brown sugar Pinch of salt 2 medium eggs 200 g butter (130 g cold, 70 g softened, plus a little extra for greasing) 1 kg tart apples 2 tbsp lemon juice 150 g walnut halves 1 sachet vanilla sugar 50 g honey 80 ml double cream 1 pinch ground cinnamon Preparation:Place 250 g of the flour, 70 g of the sugar, a pinch of salt, 1 egg and the 130 g cold butter (cut into pieces) in a bowl. First mix with the dough hooks of a hand mixer, then knead briefly by hand until you have a smooth dough. Shape into a disc, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.Peel the apples, quarter them, remove the cores and slice into thin wedges. Toss with the lemon juice.For the filling, finely grind 50 g of the walnuts in a food processor. Beat 50 g soft butter, 50 g sugar, the vanilla sugar and a pinch of salt with a hand mixer until very creamy. Beat in 1 egg. Add the ground nuts and 50 g flour and mix briefly.Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Roll out the chilled dough on a floured surface to about 30 cm in diameter and line a greased 28 cm tart or springform tin. Press the dough up the sides and prick the base several times with a fork.Spread the walnut cream over the base and arrange the apple slices on top. Bake on a rack set directly on the oven floor for 25 minutes.Meanwhile, for the nut topping, roughly chop the remaining 100 g walnuts. In a small saucepan, heat the honey, cream, cinnamon and 20 g butter, bring to the boil while stirring and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the walnuts.After the tart has baked for 25 minutes, spoon the nut mixture over the apples and bake for a further 10 minutes on the middle shelf.Leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack. Carefully remove from the tin and serve with whipped cream.

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