The Orchard

 Meet the Hass avocado... The gold standard for avocados in the US!  The Hass is distinguished by its rich, buttery flavor and thick, pebbly skin that turns black when ripe. 

While there are 8 commercially viable avocado varieties in the US, the Hass variety accounts for 95% of total crop volume.  And demand is so high that California growers cannot come close to meeting nationwide demand, so every year millions of pounds are imported from Mexico, Chile and Peru. 

However, the Hass is actually a California native.  It was first discovered in the mid-1920s by Rudolph Hass.  In fact, every Hass avocado in the world can trace its roots back to the original Hass tree in La Habra Heights, California.  

REGIONS: California, Mexico, Chile, Peru

AVAILABILITY: All Year

You are in for a treat -- we are so excited for you to meet the Gem avocado!  Known for rivaling Hass in taste and quality, Gems have a fantastically rich and nutty flavor, and a dark, pebbly skin when ripe.  Rumor has it, Gem often beats Hass when put to the taste test!   

The Gem is actually a great-granddaughter of the Hass.  It is named after Gray E. Martin (his initials being GEM), one of the selectors of this variety at UC Riverside’s avocado-breeding program.  In fact, the first Gems were grown in the early 1990s in Camarillo, California, just 11 miles down the road from Carronada Farms.

Gems are not grown in (or imported from) Central or South America, so you can be sure that any fruit you find of this variety has been grown in California.   

Easy to recognize, the gold speckles make the Gem avocado a truly beautiful and unique piece of California fruit.  

REGIONS: California

AVAILABILITY: United States, March - June

 The food industry's secret!  Meet the Lamb Hass avocado!  Similar to Hass, Lambs are an excellent tasting avocado that features a thick, pebbly skin that turns black when ripe.

Lambs are actually a cross between the traditional Hass Avocado and a Gwen (Dwarf) Avocado.  Lambs are popular in the food service industry due to their large size and the fact that its easy to peel.  More fruit for less prep time!  

Because this variety was genetically crossed with a dwarf, the trees are upright yet compact and can be planted in a higher density tree spacing than traditional Hass.  Lambs are a precocious, high yielding, late season avocado with good quality fruit. 

Lambs are not grown in (or imported from) Central or South America, so you can be sure that any fruit you find of this variety has been grown in California.

REGIONS: California

AVAILABILITY: United States, June through October

A fantastic, medium-sized, seedless fruit that is bursting with flavor.  Tango mandarins are exceptionally juicy and easy to peel, averaging about 2.3” in diameter.  

Tangos have a delicious sweetness combined with mild sour undertones.  The later in the season these mandarins are harvested, the sweeter they get.  

Tangos are excellent for eating as a snack as well as for juicing or making jam and marmalade.  The rind is rich with citrus oil and aromatic when pierced or muddled, making them perfect for mandarin margaritas and mojitos.

REGIONS:  California

AVAILABILITY:  February - May