I had never eaten an avocado until I came to Germany. A friend who grew up in Africa introduced me to them and after she left I didn't think much more about this green and curious fruit. Recently though in my research on foods that help fight high cholesterol, I was amazed at the health benefits of the avocado. They are high in vitamin E, help strengthen our eyes, lower cholesterol, and fight cancer, heart diseases and strokes. I have found recipes for breakfast smoothies, salads, and many other things. Currently the avocados are cheap in the store (though not ripe - it takes a least a week to ripen them up). But during certain times of year they are very expensive. One site I was researching on had a link to "grow your own avocaodos". So I am going to try to grow an avocado bush. I am not sure how far this will get since I am going home this summer. I might have to find a baby sitter for it!
This is a type of science experiment. I had to carefully remove the pit and stick 3 toothpicks in it. It is now suspended in water as I wait for it grow a root out the bottom and a green shoot out the top. Then I will transfer it to a flower pot. It could take 3 weeks for the root-shoot to form. And I am not sure how many seasons have to pass before the plant will be big enough to produce fruit.
