Latest news with #avocado
News24
7 hours ago
- Health
- News24
Vetkoek breakfast bun
This traditional South African fried dough bun is given a breakfast twist, filled with layers of eggs, mince, and avo. Want to make this later? Tap on the bookmark ribbon at the top of your screen and come back to it when you need to shop for ingredients or start cooking. Ingredients 250ml - water — tepid 6g - Superbake Instant Yeast 1 1/2tsp - sugar 750ml - flour — cake 3.7ml - salt sunflower oil 30ml - bobotie spice mix 10ml - turmeric — ground 500ml - beef mince 30ml - chutney — peach salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 - sweetcorn — on the cob 1/2 - red onion — finely chopped 1 - large avocado — finely chopped 10ml - lemon juice 4 - eggs — fried basil leaves — optional For the vetkoek, combine the water, yeast and sugar. Set aside, 5 mins until foamy. Combine it with the cake flour, salt and olive oil to form a dough. Knead for 8-10 mins. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with a clean cloth and set aside in a warm place to rise, 30-40 mins until doubled in size. Heat the oil for deep-frying to 180°C. Divide the dough into 8-10 portions and roll each piece of dough into a ball. Fry the dough balls off in batches for 3-5 mins until golden and cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper. For the bobotie mince, heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the bobotie spice mix, turmeric and beef mince and fry, 10-12 mins until browned and cooked trough. Stir in the chutney and season to taste. For the salsa, char the corn over medium coals on the braai for 10 mins or in a smoking hot griddle pan for 3-5 mins. Slice off the corn kernels and toss with the rest of the ingredients. Season to taste. To serve, slice open each vetkoek and fill with the mince mixture. Top with the salsa and serve each portion with a fried egg. Garnish with some basil leaves, if preferred. TIP: Leftover vetkoek can be served as a sweet treat with salted butter, strawberry or apricot jam and cheese.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
California avocado growers feared Mexican imports would harm their trade. Instead business is booming
A California avocado grower who lost his home and a significant portion of his orchard to a wildfire last year remains optimistic about his farm 's recovery. Despite the challenges California farmers face, such as high labour costs, water restrictions, and overseas competition, many avocado growers believe they have a lucrative business. Surprisingly, Mexican imports play a crucial role in their success. Initially, California growers feared that lifting the ban on Mexican avocados in 1997 would harm their production. However, the consistent supply of avocados from Mexico has boosted sales by ensuring a year-round availability to markets and restaurants, thereby increasing demand. Previously, avocados were considered a seasonal specialty item, and industry officials had to actively promote them to generate interest. Now, that is no longer the case. Avocado consumption has been booming in the United States over the past two decades. The amount of fruit available per person tripled to more than 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) between 2000 and 2021, federal statistics show. Avocado toast and guacamole are regular offerings not just in culinary hubs like NYC but at cafes around the Midwest and the South. Avocados are in demand On a steep, sun-soaked hillside northwest of Los Angeles, Tompros is replanting nearly 300 avocado trees with the belief that Americans' hunger for the fruit — and his orchard — will continue to grow. 'It will come back, and I believe it will become better than it was,' Tompros, who previously ran a software company in Hollywood, said of the orchard he took over five years ago in the tiny community of Somis. Avocado demand has also been buoyed by consumers' growing interest in healthy fats, said Emiliano Escobedo, executive director of the Hass Avocado Board. A 2000 US law created the board that collected 2.5 cents for every pound (0.5 kilograms) of avocados imported or produced in the United States. The board used the money to market avocados and conduct nutritional research, an effort that has been widely credited with making the fruit ubiquitous in supermarkets and on restaurant menus. 'It's been really wildly successful. It generates way more money than most of these other industry boards do,' said Richard Sexton, distinguished professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California, Davis. 'When you look at the growth rate in avocado consumption relative to all fruits, the difference in growth rate is dramatic.' A successful crop Escobedo said about 60 per cent of US households currently buy avocados, and about half of these are responsible for the overwhelming majority of consumption, which means there's still room for the market to grow — especially in the Northeast, where the fruit is less common. 'There is a lot of opportunity for certain groups of people to increase their purchasing of avocados,' Escobedo said. While the Trump administration has threatened tariffs on a spate of Mexican goods, avocados have so far been spared. California growers said they want Mexican avocados to keep flowing into the country, though they also want robust US inspections of the imports to keep out pests to protect their crop. 'If you are going to farm in California, avocados are about the best deal right now,' said Ken Melban, president of the California Avocado Commission. California farmers grow about 10 per cent of the avocados eaten in the United States, Melban said, and account for nearly all of the country's domestic avocado production. The fruit is largely grown in California from April through September, and Mexican imports arrive year-round to meet nationwide demand, which exceeds what the state's farmers grow, he said. In Southern California 's Ventura County, many growers have shifted to avocados since lemon prices were walloped by cheaper imports from Argentina. As recently planted trees start bearing fruit in a few years, the region's avocado production is likely to rise, said Korinne Bell, agricultural commissioner for the county northwest of Los Angeles. A booming market, despite wildfires Avocado trees do not come without risks in a region prone to wildfires. Still, demand for the trees has jumped due to interest from lemon growers — and since the November 2024 fire charred Ventura County avocado orchards, said Rob Brokaw, whose family-owned nursery has supplied avocado trees to California growers for 70 years. 'Right now we are sold out essentially for this year,' Brokaw said. 'And we're mostly sold out for 2026.' Tompros debated whether to plant the more fire-resistant lemon trees or another crop after the fire ripped through Somis, but he decided to replant due to the soaring demand for Super Bowl guacamole and avocado toast. 'It's the super food, and it's still growing in popularity,' Tompros said. He's taking precautions to not plant the trees too close to what will eventually be his rebuilt home, because the dried-out leaves that help nourish the orchard's soil can also fuel blazes. It may take a few years, but Tompros hopes it won't be too long before his newly planted trees bear fruit that he can sell to a local packinghouse or in seasonal gift boxes with citrus and passionfruit that he ships directly to customers.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
California avocado growers say Mexican imports have helped their sales
Andreas Tompros lost his home and at least a third of his avocado orchard to a wildfire last year, but the 47-year-old grower is not worried about his farm making a comeback. While California farmers often rattle off a list of challenges they face including high labor costs, water restrictions and overseas competition, many avocado growers say they have a good thing going. A key reason may come as a surprise to some — Mexican imports. When the United States lifted its ban on Mexican avocados in 1997, California growers worried at first that the imported fruit would displace their production. But the steady flow of avocados has wound up helping, not hurting, their sales by allowing for a year-round supply to markets and restaurants that has fomented demand, farmers say. Before the influx, most American consumers considered avocados to be specialty items — and when they came into season in California, industry officials had to work to rev up widespread interest in order to sell them. But not anymore. Avocado consumption has been booming in the United States over the past two decades. The amount of fruit available per person tripled to more than 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) between 2000 and 2021, federal statistics show. Avocado toast and guacamole are regular offerings not just in culinary hubs like NYC but at cafes around the Midwest and the South. Avocados are in demand On a steep, sun-soaked hillside northwest of Los Angeles, Tompros is replanting nearly 300 avocado trees with the belief that Americans' hunger for the fruit — and his orchard — will continue to grow. 'It will come back, and I believe it will become better than it was,' Tompros, who previously ran a software company in Hollywood, said of the orchard he took over five years ago in the tiny community of Somis. Avocado demand has also been buoyed by consumers' growing interest in healthy fats, said Emiliano Escobedo, executive director of the Hass Avocado Board. A 2000 U.S. law created the board that collected 2.5 cents for every pound (0.5 kilograms) of avocados imported or produced in the United States. The board used the money to market avocados and conduct nutritional research, an effort that has been widely credited with making the fruit ubiquitous in supermarkets and on restaurant menus. 'It's been really wildly successful. It generates way more money than most of these other industry boards do,' said Richard Sexton, distinguished professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California, Davis. 'When you look at the growth rate in avocado consumption relative to all fruits, the difference in growth rate is dramatic.' A successful crop Escobedo said about 60% of U.S. households currently buy avocados, and about half of these are responsible for the overwhelming majority of consumption, which means there's still room for the market to grow — especially in the Northeast, where the fruit is less common. 'There is a lot of opportunity for certain groups of people to increase their purchasing of avocados,' Escobedo said. While the Trump administration has threatened tariffs on a spate of Mexican goods, avocados have so far been spared. California growers said they want Mexican avocados to keep flowing into the country, though they also want robust U.S. inspections of the imports to keep out pests to protect their crop. 'If you are going to farm in California, avocados are about the best deal right now,' said Ken Melban, president of the California Avocado Commission. California farmers grow about 10% of the avocados eaten in the United States, Melban said, and account for nearly all of the country's domestic avocado production. The fruit is largely grown in California from April through September, and Mexican imports arrive year-round to meet nationwide demand, which exceeds what the state's farmers grow, he said. In Southern California 's Ventura County, many growers have shifted to avocados since lemon prices were walloped by cheaper imports from Argentina. As recently planted trees start bearing fruit in a few years, the region's avocado production is likely to rise, said Korinne Bell, agricultural commissioner for the county northwest of Los Angeles. A booming market, despite wildfires Avocado trees do not come without risks in a region prone to wildfires. Still, demand for the trees has jumped due to interest from lemon growers — and since the November 2024 fire charred Ventura County avocado orchards, said Rob Brokaw, whose family-owned nursery has supplied avocado trees to California growers for 70 years. 'Right now we are sold out essentially for this year,' Brokaw said. 'And we're mostly sold out for 2026.' Tompros debated whether to plant the more fire-resistant lemon trees or another crop after the fire ripped through Somis, but he decided to replant due to the soaring demand for Super Bowl guacamole and avocado toast. 'It's the super food, and it's still growing in popularity,' Tompros said. He's taking precautions to not plant the trees too close to what will eventually be his rebuilt home, because the dried-out leaves that help nourish the orchard's soil can also fuel blazes. It may take a few years, but Tompros hopes it won't be too long before his newly planted trees bear fruit that he can sell to a local packinghouse or in seasonal gift boxes with citrus and passionfruit that he ships directly to customers.
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
California avocado growers say Mexican imports have helped their sales
SOMIS, Calif. — Andreas Tompros lost his home and at least a third of his avocado orchard to a wildfire last year, but the 47-year-old grower is not worried about his farm making a comeback. While California farmers often rattle off a list of challenges they face including high labor costs, water restrictions and overseas competition, many avocado growers say they have a good thing going. A key reason may come as a surprise to some — Mexican imports.
CNN
5 days ago
- Business
- CNN
How Uganda's working to sell its ‘green gold'
With global demand for avocados surging, Uganda is looking to strengthen the industry's infrastructure to position itself as a key avocado supplier across international markets.
