Do you go out to the orchard, or can you buy them locally?
I’ve had good avocados from ACE Ranch (Brentwood FM; not sure about other FMs). You do have to pick through them, though (and they are nice about letting you do that).
Regarding guac… Santa Monica Bristol Farms actually has a good guac (the one in the produce aisle, not the one w/ near the deli that’s made in a central kitchen). I’m pretty sure there’s some finely chopped onions and tomatoes, but it feels a lot like an “unadulterated” guac w/o filler. It’s the only store-bought guac I’m willing to get.
Is @Dommy’s mom making guac and salsa for public consumption???
Depending on the EVOO, I think I’d find it overpowering in a guac, TBH.
I was talking in general. You would be able to buy avocados at any supermarket that were nutty and had flavor. For sure I had some neighborhood trees I could pick also . Your talking about a small boutique farm . They exist for every product.
Browkaw’s more than a small boutique farm. They were the original producers and promoters of the Haas variety and are a large operation with multiple farms. I don’t think their production has recovered from the 2017 Thomas Fire that burned 80% of the original ranch’s avocado trees.
In the early 70s in SF my girlfriend and I would go to the corner grocer (one run by a Greek guy who knew how to buy produce), get a dozen, and make a huge bowl of guac for dinner. In those days, if you could find avocados, they were likely good. But that was before imports from Mexico were allowed and they became popular nationwide.
My friends have an avocado orchard with some obscure varieties including some little ones with edible skins. Last season they were cleaned out by poachers.
I had no idea I started a tomato, no tomato in guacamole debate, lol. I think tomatoes are definitely a guac staple. I’m just not into them. That’s what salsa is for. I like guac to be all about the avocados and imo too much tomato makes it watery. I use as few as I can get away with.
Nice! You & I pretty much make the same guacamole @Dommy. Sometimes I add a little minced garlic.
P.S. I think Chipotle omits tomatoes from their guacamole to prevent spoilage, not because of a taste preference.
I legit like (some) Boudin’s bread and it bums me out that you can’t get it in LA proper. Even worse, it seems like the mall-type locations don’t sell the dark baked baguettes (or as my family has been calling them for four generations: “baguettes”)
Yeah, the Chowda type spots @Dommy mentioned tend to have some dark baked products like the boules and “ovals” as well as the light baguettes. I assumed they sold out of the dark baguettes I grew up with whenever I visited but after three or four locations I just asked and at the one location at least they don’t sell those. I guess they’re not big sellers and they do stale incredibly fast but I wouldn’t think they’d sell too many 2lb dark baked ovals, either.
It’s been a while but I’m pretty sure they still sell them at the old school locations.
I think the closest location to me is in Santa Ana but South Coast Plaza sounds much more worth it. Thanks for the recommendation!
