Why You Shouldn't Buy Standard Avocados At Trader Joe's

Avocados are delicious and healthy fruits to keep in the kitchen, but you should be a bit picky about which ones you choose. The tricky thing about picking out avocados is they can take a bit to ripen. Still, once they hit that stage, they go bad pretty quickly if you don't eat them fast. Fortunately, Trader Joe's has the perfect solution to this issue: its bags of Teeny Tiny Avocados. 

When you head to the Trader Joe's produce section, you'll notice that the store offers bags of standard-size avocados and bags of smaller avocados. Skip the standard-size option! Now, at first, you might wonder why you'd choose smaller avocados over larger ones. After all, bigger is better, right? Well, not always when it comes to avocados. The thing about Trader Joe's Teeny Tiny Avocados is that they're the same Hass avocados you'd usually buy loose at the grocery store, only they failed to reach full size, usually due to weather conditions. They're between ½ to ⅔ the size of a standard avocado. However, the trick is that they ripen quicker than their larger counterparts due to their size, meaning you don't have to wait long for them to ripen and risk forgetting about them until they're mush. 

Moreover, these, dare we say, adorable avocados are the perfect size for a single serving, making them great as appetizers, snacks, or breakfast treats. You won't have to worry about storing an uneaten half in the fridge to watch it get brown; instead, you can enjoy the whole avocado in one go. If you're tired of wasting avocados or waiting too long for them to ripen, it's worth giving these tiny fruits a try. 

One of the best things about Trader Joe's Teeny Tiny Avocados is how quickly they ripen. The sooner you can eat them, the better! However, because there are six in a bag, there is still a chance of them getting overripe. Overripe avocados aren't pleasant to eat, but you can tell them apart from ripe avocados pretty easily. For one, overripe avocados will appear very dark, especially around the stem. They also may become wrinkly or shriveled. When squeezed gently, overripe avocados will have an immediate give that makes them feel mushy. While ripe avocados should have some give, they will not be overly soft. If you cut open an overripe avocado, the flesh inside will feel slimy with notable patches of discoloration.

Although you can ripen tiny avocados like any other if needed, once they're ripe, they should be stored in the refrigerator to slow down the ripening process and keep them fresher longer. Avocados do best when stored in your low-humidity crisper drawer. Alternatively, you could make a big batch of guacamole, grab some chips, and enjoy. Teeny Tiny Avocados can also be frozen to keep them fresh, but they have to be ripe when frozen, as they won't ripen any further afterward.