A tree filled with avocados is a wonderful thing.  Is there such a thing as too many avocados?

Yes, when they go from hard to ripe to rotten in a flash.  That’s fine when you’ve got a couple on the counter, but it gets to be an issue when you’ve buckets of them.  All ripe.  ON THE SAME DAY.  I make guacamole and salads.  I give them to friends.  I store some in the fridge to hold them a few days.  I try new things I see on Pinterest:  avocado toast, frozen avocados, and avocado chocolate pudding (I didn’t link that because it was terrible).   

I tried a few different methods for freezing them (halves, pulp, with lemon).  They all turned out the same.  None of them turned brown, but they lost their smooth and creamy texture. They were grainy and watery, which didn’t make good guacamole.  The science behind the mushiness, according to Cooks Illustrated, is that avocados contain fat and water.  The water forms ice crystals when they’re frozen.  Those ice crystals slash the fruit’s cells, which burst and leak water, altering the texture.

But I was happy to find an avocado dressing that works well even with defrosted avocados.  Once they’re whipped up in the blender with some yogurt they’re creamy again.  I like this on crunchy chopped salads, romaine hearts, or endive.  It makes a perfect veggie dip or sandwich spread, too.  So when you’ve got too many ripe avocados, freeze them and make this versatile dressing.