This is an opportunity to taste GEM avocados in case you’re thinking of planting a GEM tree.
I just harvested GEM avocados at BalMar Farm in Fallbrook. If you’d like some shipped to your door, have a look at the order pages: here for primo fruit or here for “farmers” fruit.
GEM is a cream-of-the-crop avocado that was selected by Gray E. Martin while working for the University of California avocado breeding program.
The GEM avocado is slightly larger and rounder than Hass on average, and with a slightly larger and pointier seed. The skin of GEM is a bit thicker than Hass, and it has shimmering speckles when unripe. As the fruit ripens, it turns black.
The texture and flavor of GEM are world class. It is one of my favorite eating avocados, with a meaty texture and a nutty and salty flavor.
I set aside space in my yard to grow more than one tree of only a handful of avocado varieties, and GEM is one of them (although it’s not so hard to set aside space for an extra GEM tree since it is compact for an avocado).
To learn more about the GEM avocado and tree, see my post, “The GEM avocado tree: a profile.”
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