Comments on: Oddly Compelling Avocado Q&A http://www.missionmission.org/2008/11/19/oddly-compelling-avocado-qa/ Saluting San Francisco's Mission District Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:29:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6.1 By: jassim http://www.missionmission.org/2008/11/19/oddly-compelling-avocado-qa/#comment-2774 jassim Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:19:38 +0000 http://missionmission.wordpress.com/?p=1814#comment-2774 Thanks

Very much

http://www.mzuonqtr.com

]]> By: johnny0 http://www.missionmission.org/2008/11/19/oddly-compelling-avocado-qa/#comment-2773 johnny0 Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:09:48 +0000 http://missionmission.wordpress.com/?p=1814#comment-2773 What? Avocados still grow on TREES? I thought they had evolved as slices pre-wrapped in a tortilla and foil.

Here’s a pretty good article from the NYT about avocado thieves in San Diego. The best quote? “There’s a lot of guacamole out there…”


Here in San Diego County, the source of nearly half of the nation’s avocados, harvest season brings with it not only the promise of some $43.5 million worth of cilantro-laced party dip, but also a dreaded local crime: avocado theft. With the price now hovering around $1.20 a pound — roughly two avocados — Karen Grangetto awoke after a full moon last month to the telltale phantom stems at eye level on plucked boughs. She figured she had lost $1,000 to $2,000 worth of fruit.

…In Ventura County, the only major growing area statistically tracking avocado thefts, guac cops arrested 29 suspected thieves last year, charged with stealing an estimated $115,000 worth of avocados. ”It is a rare instance when someone who steals avocados doesn’t go to jail,” said Tom Connors, senior deputy district attorney for Ventura County.

…the San Diego County sheriff’s office said there tended to be a correlation between price and theft. Although reputable packing houses require documentation showing where avocados were grown, including an authorized signature, she said it was not difficult to launder avocados — especially around the Super Bowl, which, along with Cinco de Mayo, is the biggest avocado day of the year. ”They go anyplace you can think of,” she said of rustled fruit. ”There’s a lot of guacamole out there.”

…Fed up with thievery, some growers, like Richard Price, a retired firefighter, are taking an aggressive stance. Most nights between the waxing and waning moon, Mr. Price stakes out his 6 acres of avocados and 14 acres of cut flowers with night-vision goggles, accompanied by Mugsy, his 130-pound Rottweiler. After thieves stole flowers from him recently, Mr. Price, who could become the Charles Bronson of guacamole, planted his hillsides with long-thorned finger cactus — ”enough to completely engulf the valley,” he said.

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