The great avocado shortage of 2009?

As if the restaurant industry — and American diners — needed any more hits to the pocketbook: Looks like 2009 will be an expensive year for avocados. According to a story in last month’s Los Angeles Times, the California avocado crop is expected to be “the smallest since 1990 and possibly even as far back as 1980.” The reason? Last June was very hot — too hot — “at just the wrong point in the growing season.” 

That could mean higher prices for the avocado later in the spring and early summer when imports from Mexico and Chile drop off. But wait — there’s a glimmer of good news here: According to an article yesterday on ThePacker.com, the Web site of the Kansas-based trade magazine, Peru may be added as an official exporter of avocados to the United States this year. The USDA suggests that avocado prices may actually drop when the Peruvian fruit — it’s technically a large berry — enters the U.S. market.

A friend of mine says she’s not going to take chances: She’s going to buy avocados while they are still inexpensive and freeze them. But there’s a trick to that. You can’t just toss a whole avocado, or even sliced fruit, into the freezer. The best bet, according to the National Center for Home Food Preparation, is to peel the avocados, cut up the fruit and use a food processor to make a puree, adding lemon juice or ascorbic acid to keep the puree from turning brown. I’m not sure you can make a perfect guacamole from the puree (the best texture comes from fresh raw fruit), but if prices do rise, it’s an inexpensive compromise.  Another option is to make a faux guacamole with asparagus. It’s not as good as the avocado kind, but a lot less fattening