Avocado hard and grey inside

I had a batch of avocados from the supermarket, as I normally do.

I often have 3-5 days before they're past the point of being edible.

This batch was not more that 2 days old, and three out of five looked like the avocado below (this is probably the best of the bad bunch), despite being firm.

In fact I felt like I was being a little cheeky and risking opening an unripe avocado.

Is the greyness from damage or disease?

I tasted one, and rather that tasting over or under ripe it was just bland.

Best Answer

In my experience, avocados with this behavior are normally picked too early. Although all avocados are picked early in commercial settings because of transit to market timing, when they are picked TOO early they begin to mature as "seeds" before they actually ripen. The flesh becomes fiberous, rather than soft, as the seed prepares to germinate. Alas, I've never been able to tell if this will happen before buying them.

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Why is my avocado gray inside?

Mold. Mold on avocados is generally white or gray and looks fuzzy. Don't sniff it, as you may inhale mold spores and trigger breathing problems if you're allergic to it. Avoid buying avocados with mold on the exterior, as it can penetrate the flesh and cause decay.

How do you tell if the inside of an avocado is bad?

If a little pressure leaves an indent, then it has gone bad. If you've already bought the avocado, cut it open and check to make sure its flesh is a light green color. However, if the inside is black or brown, you shouldn't eat it. To learn how to keep avocados fresh, keep reading!

Why was my avocado hard?

Avocados don't ripen or soften on the tree \u2013 this happens after harvest so depending on how those avocados were shipped and stored they might be ripening just in time or still be hard like baseballs. A perfectly ripe avocado will be firm when held in the palm of your hand but will yield to gentle pressure.

HOW TO RIPEN AVOCADOS FAST! Speed ripen your unripe avocado quickly in your microwave in minutes!

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Scott Webb, Vadim B, Max Vakhtbovych, Soulful Pizza