Cannibal women in the avocado jungle of death!

I admit it! That headline has little to do with this segment but I was stumped for something socko about today's avocado green Food for Thought. Then KPLU's All Things Considered host Dave Meyer dropped by...

Knowing my credentials as a cineaste (a word I can't even pronounce) Dave immediately suggested the title of one of his favorite films:  Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death. It's really a very intellectual production. Bill Maher's in it and everything. But enough film chat. Let us proceed to the actual factual content.

In this segment you'll get some good tips about ripening and storing avocados. They're quite a versatile ingredient and good for lots of  wonderful recipes far beyond guacamole - like ancho seared scallops with avocado roasted corn relish from (who else?) the California Avocado Growers.

Fun Facts about avocados

• Avocados are a fruit, not a vegetable, belonging to the genus Persea in the Lauraceae family
• Avocados were once a luxury food reserved for the tables of royalty
• Brazilians add avocados to ice cream
• Filipinos puree avocados with sugar and milk for a dessert drink
• The avocado is also called an Alligator Pear because of its pear-like shape and green skin
• Avocado is a corruption of the Spanish word aguacate, which is in turn a corruption of the Aztec word ahuacatl

Read Nancy's Seattle Times blog.

"Alligator pear, crocogator pear, that's why they're so mean."

--  The Firesign Theater's  I Think We're All Bozos on this Bus