Ridgecrest avocados are picked and shipped daily, which means they will need 7-10 days to ripen from pick. No Ethylene or other gas is used to speed up the ripening like the supermarkets use.

By Feel

Take the avocado in the palm of your handle and squeeze lightly. If the avocado yields to firm gentle pressure you know it's ripe and ready for use. Ready to eat avocados may have a darker color but color can vary so it is best to go by feel as well as color. It will feel lightly soft but it will not feel “mushy” to the touch.

By stem

Avocados typically come with a small stem at the top. Peel back the stem, if it breaks off easily and it is green underneath, you’ve got a good avocado that’s ripe and ready to enjoy.

On the other hand, if you pull back the stem and find brown underneath, the avocado is overripe, and you’re likely to find brown spots inside the fruit. And, if the stem doesn’t come off, the fruit is not yet ripe enough to eat.