Tia Tamara’s Guacamole

2 large, ripe avocados

2 or 3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

juice from 2 limes

¼ cup chopped cilantro

freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

Cut the avocados in half and scoop the contents out of the skin into a pie pan. (save the pit!) Let your little one mash the avocados with a large fork.  Pour in the lime juice first to prevent browning. Thoroughly mix in other ingredients.  Serve with tortilla chips, celery sticks, or pita bread.

Grow an Avocado Plant!

We have an avocado plant that is now 3 years old and 8 feet high—started from a pit in our window sill.  It takes patience to get it started, but is well worth the effort.  Fill a clear glass or jam jar with water.  Take 4 toothpicks and poke them into the pit about 1/3 from the smaller end of the pit.  Balance the pit on the toothpicks so that the larger bottom end is submerged in water.  As the water evaporates, add more to keep the bottom moist.  Roots will begin to appear, and then you will notice shoots coming from the top.  At this point you can transplant your avocado plant into a pot with soil. I’ve had better luck starting the plants during the summer months when there is more light. Sometimes, it takes several weeks to get the plant growing….it’s fun to start several at once, and they make nice gifts, too!