As a Kid, I'd throw them as make believe hand grenades

Avocado Trees were all over the landscape of Los Angeles surrounding the homes throughout the LA basin. They were moderately popular for guacamole, but not the anywhere near the hot diet fad of today. 
It's interesting to watch their retail price changes on the grocery shelves. At WHOLE FOODS and TRADER JOES they are always a ripoff. Most stores were seeing them for a dollar or two in the winter, when they are in season in California. Then the price doubled for a while as their diet craze hit. That lasted until the avocados started to soften and blacken in the produce departments as people passed on them because of the price. Now they have dropped to a buck and quarter. 
No matter what, the market prevails, especially when the product will turn soft and black. m/r

Holy guacamole! Workers pilfered $300,000 worth of avocados, police say

by Veronica Rocha  6-16-17

The glorious avocado — known for its its pebbly armored skin, succulent green flesh and soaring price — is enjoying a global surge in popularity of late.
Whether it’s the featured ingredient in an outrageously priced serving of avocado toast or the culprit in a sudden increase in avocado-cutting hand injuries, one thing is clear: People are crazy about the heart-healthy fruit.
In fact, authorities say that growing popularity could have driven three workers from an Oxnard-based produce company to pilfer $300,000 worth of avocados recently.
“They are in demand. Everybody loves avocados,” said Sgt. John Franchi of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
Carlos Chavez, 28, of Oxnard; Rahim Leblanc, 30, also of Oxnard; and Joseph Valenzuela, 38, of Santa Paula, were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of grand theft of avocados, the Sheriff’s Office said. It is unclear how many pounds were stolen.

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