Why You Should Never Buy Avocados That Are On Sale

They've done it again. Your favorite supermarket has marked down their avocados to rock-bottom prices. The bag is huge, and the fruit inside looks like it's at its prime. How can you resist? Well, before you succumb to the promise of creamy avocado goodness at an unbelievably low price, walk away. Yes, ignore those little green ovals, even if they seem to be screaming, "Buy me."

Admittedly, a regular-priced avocado isn't cheap. Why are avocados so expensive? Gus Gunderson, the Director of Farming at Limoneira, shared with Insider that avocado growing is resource-heavy, requiring "fertilizing, pruning, pest control, and the sunburn protection of trees." Something you probably didn't know about avocados is that they also require a huge amount of water. In fact, he estimates that 50 gallons of water are needed for every 8-ounce avocado. And, if you've ever noticed that the average sticker price of an avocado never seems to decrease, there's a reason for that, too. 

Kevin Thomerson, category manager for produce at Lowes Foods, told Marketplace that shoppers seem to be looking for various levels of ripeness. Some want the fruit a few days before it's ripe, while others want it ripened already to make a batch of guacamole that same day. And, when avocados are deemed past their prime, some supermarkets use them to make their own in-store guac. Well, that proves it. Surely, you should grab those discounted babies while you can, right? Wrong. Here's why.

Why oh why should you pass up this deal? Maria Marlowe, the author of "The Real Food Grocery Guide," explained to Eat This, Not That! that avocados tend to only go on sale during "guac-heavy" occasions or when they've ripened too much. If it's not Cinco De Mayo or Guacamole Day, they may well have seen better days. If you're planning on whipping up an avocado-laden dish today like this quick and easy guacamole recipe, these discounted fruits may be fine. If you hope to make a daily dose of your favorite avocado toast recipe for the next few days, you'll likely be out of luck.

If, however, you still can't resist the incessant whining of those darn avocados and have to give in, you may be able to freeze them. MasterClass says you can freeze them whole, halved, sliced, or mashed. The site adds that you should spray them with a fine mist of citrus juice to stop them from turning a putrid shade of brown, and they also offer up that a vacuum sealer will yield a superior result. As a caution, it is important to note that Food52's experience with freezing this fruit was less than stellar. In fact, the outlet warned, that it "couldn't recommend, in good conscience, that anyone do this," as freezing an avocado is "condemning it to certain doom." So, perhaps you're still better off avoiding the ones on sale.