Avocados in Kauai

Basket of avocados at the Tuesday afternoon farmers' market in Hanalei

      Avocados are certainly having their moment. America's new favorite fruit, always beloved in guacamole, is now a trendy toast topper. Popping up in restaurants, blogs and all over the web,  Avocado Toast is the current foodie obsession. To complicate matters for toast lovers, the price of Mexican avocados is soaring just as the California season has ended. Mexican growers are withholding fruit as they negotiate higher payment from packers, so the wholesale price is now two to four times higher than usual. Feeling the price pinch myself,  I was delighted to see baskets and bins of gorgeous avocados at farmers' markets in Kauai last week.

Markets featured two varieties in November when I vacationed there, but they grow as many as 30  described here

Bananas, papayas. dragon fruit and avocados in Hanalei's Tuesday afternoon market

I hit five different farmers' markets in my eight days on the island, and picked up avocados at each one. Due to tropical weather, they ripened faster than at home, and it was hard to keep up.

My favorite snack in Kauai was a piece of whole grain toast with garlicky hummus from the Kilauea Bakery, topped with sliced cucumber and avocado from the market.

Avocado Toast from Frog Hollow Farm in the Ferry Building, San Francisco

                                       So beautiful, so simple it doesn't really need a recipe

Check out the $12 price of Frog Hollow Farm's avocado toast in San Francisco's Ferry Building. In New York the toasts can go for $16 or more! Luckily, they're so easy to assemble at home.

And while we're on the subject, don't forget to try my previously published recipe for Avocado Facial Scrub in the blog Vitamin Pills in the Compost.