I’m well aware most of you have clicked on this article to hate-read about your most despised avocado breed — the Shepard avocado. It’s well known that Australians overwhelmingly side with Hass avocados in the Great Avo Debate.
Smells fishy? Smells like Big Avocado paid for this article? Let me tell you, that is not true. I have also not received any avocado incentives under the table for this story. No black market boxes of Shepards (although I welcome them after writing this story, Shepard PR, if you exist).
This is just one woman’s passion project that someone (Alex, PEDESTRIAN.TV’s Editor) decided to pay me for. SORRY THAT MY JOB IS GREAT.
Okay, so. For years, I was just like you. I mourned the weeks when those plump, knobbly Hasses started to get smaller and smaller, harder and harder. A rage spiral engulfed me when I spotted their garishly green cousins taking over the shop stands.
But friends, I was brainwashed. Brainwashed by Hass propaganda. Everyone talks about how superior Hass avocados are. And look, I used to agree. I thought they tasted better, lasted longer, and spread better on my Vegemite-avo toast each morning.
But this past month, I’ve become a Shepard avocado convert.
Much like leaving the religion I was born with in favour of some controversial cult everyone thinks will ruin my life, I now side with Shepards. Here is why.
1. They Last Longer
I feel like Hass avocados have a shelf life of six hours. I’m either cutting into one thinking it’s squishy enough to eat, only to find it tastes like dish soap, all watery and chunky when spread, or I’m having one good munch of avo toast only to find it brown as mud that evening when I go to use the rest on a burrito. If I don’t use that soft Hass IMMEDIATELY, the next day it’s deflated into a saggy scrotum of its former self.
In contrast, Shepards just do what you want them to. If they’re squishy, they’re ready. They’ll spread nicely for you and slice like a dream. I’m also finding they stay good for a solid couple of days, give or take a little scrape of some brown off the top.
2. They Aren’t Stringy
The worst, absolute worst thing about Hass avocados is that they get all stringy when they near the end of their life. YUCK. A complete sensory nightmare for me, biting into a piece of avo toast and these little strings peel out of the avo. I’m shuddering just thinking about it, honestly.
Shepards would never. They are creamy and spreadable and couldn’t be stringy if they tried.
3. They Taste Good
Everyone bitches about how Shepard avocados have no taste, but I have to disagree. I actually find them sweeter than Hass avocados, which really complements a good slice of tomato (or a spread of salty Vegemite).
I get that this is a matter of personal taste. Maybe you don’t like your avos to be sweeter! Maybe you prefer the more savoury flavour of a Hass, and that’s okay. But don’t be out here saying Shepards have no flavour. They do!
4. They’re Honestly Not As Rock Hard As The Memes Make Out
The one consistent Shepard avocado meme that rises like a phoenix every year is that they’re rock-hard and never ripe. Look, I get it. Usually at the beginning of the season, it can be tough to find a soft Shepard.
However! What everyone LOVES to forget is that avocados of ALL types are rock hard at the beginning of the season! In fact, all summer, I had to buy these brick-like Hass avocados and wait patiently for them to ripen at home (usually missing that six-hour window of ripeness, too).
In contrast, I find Shepard avocados ripen faster, and I’ve actually been finding some ready-to-go at the supermarket lately! And no, I’m not talking about the expensive gourmet supermarkets! Just the bog-standard poor people ones we all shop at!
5. They’re Pretty
Here is the worst take in my case for Shepard avocados, but hey — I must cover all the bases. Shepards are PRETTY. They’re like the regional town fair, Miss Avocado 2025 winner of avocados.
They’re bright green, smooth as a bowling ball, and look cute in the fruit bowl. By contrast, Hass avocados are knobbly and unappealing to look at. I like my aesthetics, and therefore I want Shepards in my kitchen.
And so rests my case. Give those Shepards a go, ok? They’ve been shamed long enough.
The post After Years As A Hass Avocado Supporter, I Have Defected To Team Shepard appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
