Avocados are members of the family Lauraceae, which includes the plants that produce edible cinnamon, camphor, sassafras and the herb laurel (bay leaf). Avocado varieties are identified as being either Type A or Type B. The Pinkerton avocado is an A variety. It is a hybrid cross between a Rincon avocado and a Hass avocado.

The Pinkerton is a pear-shaped fruit with a tumbled green, easy-to-peel skin. Its flesh is smooth and creamy in texture, rich and nutty in flavor. The Pinkerton avocado is favored for its flavor and small seed-to-flesh ratio and naturally because of its parentage, is often compared to having similar characteristics as a Hass avocado.

Geography/History

There are three races of avocados: Guatemalan, Mexican and West Indian. While each has distinctive features, cross-pollination permits the development of unlimited varieties. Avocados evolved as a species from animals eating the fruit and "distributing" the seeds. Avocados have been growing wild for at least 13,000 years though they have been cultivated by humans for about 9,000 years. The Pinkerton avocado is a relatively newly cultivated variety of avocados. It was developed by John D. Pinkerton in 1956 and patented in 1975. All original Pinkerton avocado trees were propagated out of Brokaw Nursery in Saticoy, CA.

Seasons/Availability

Pinkerton avocados are available late winter through mid summer.