Comments on: The Avocado Windfall

By: Robert Keren

Robert Keren — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:49:03 +0000

In response to readers’ comments about Ettinger avocados and the College’s decision to accept the donation of 10,000 pounds of the fruit, middmag.com has posted an update at the bottom of the story.

By: A. Avocado

A. Avocado — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:27:17 +0000

It doesn’t look like the Calavo even references the Ettinger avocado. Are you sure they actually buy those?

http://www.calavo.com/store/maturity_standards.html

I guess my meta-comment is that it strikes me as strange for the college to accept any item a parent wants to donate, especially a perishable, illiquid commodity. Was there any financial impact on the college to acquire, transport, store, etc. all of these avocados? When I donate money as an alum, I would like to think it’s used for the college’s education mission, rather than the transportation of excess avocados.

Perhaps the college did an analysis of the costs and benefits of this transaction, but certainly this article doesn’t discuss that. The article

presents this as a wholly altruistic act, and even a cursory reading of this article suggests to me that there’s more to this story.

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By: Kesha Lindsay

Kesha Lindsay — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:20:16 +0000

How fantastic! Reading this almost made me want to be in college again! I do hope a compilation of recipes is published. I would love to try the dishes for myself. What a great gift!!

By: Rich

Rich — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 05:33:39 +0000

@ A. Avocado: having grown up around avocado orchards I can tell you with great confidence that while I admire your outside of the box thinking I very sincerely doubt that this was a dubious gift. There is no shortage of demand whatsoever for avocados, at least not in California. Additionally, there is a growers collective that is run by Calavo (the largest producer of guacamole in the world). When farmers have fruit that is bruised and therefore unacceptable for retail distribution they sell there avocados to the collective. Calavo is also happy to pick up any left over “inventory”. While the growers certainly do not get full price for this fruit I can assure

you that the income generated exceeds the financial benefit of a tax write off. I would be shocked to find out that the farmer didn’t take the write off– that’s just good business. I just doubt, however, that the write off was the primary intention.

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By: Susan Martin '75

Susan Martin '75 — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 22:02:55 +0000

I agree – I want some recipes published – say, the best of… a VT avocado!

By: Ken Reiber

Ken Reiber — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:36:03 +0000

Here’s a second for Betsy Brigham Barnett’s request for the recipes. The avocado crab soup sounds wonderful as does the avocado black bean salsa. Actually, all the recipes sound great!

By: Betsy Brigham Barnett

Betsy Brigham Barnett — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:20:18 +0000

A generous gift indeed. Now, if only someone would assemble the avocado recipes collected by the Middlebury chefs and make them available to the alumni.

By: A. Avocado

A. Avocado — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:46:04 +0000

Huh? Am I the only one who thinks this gift may not have been entirely in earnest? Some parent was stuck with a bunch of inventory they couldn’t sell (a grocery chain probably chose a higher quality / lower cost provider), and so they “donated” it to the college so they could take a big ol’ tax write off at full retail value.

By: Luisa Alexander

Luisa Alexander — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:28:19 +0000

The wonders of modern technology!

My California aunt sent me a box of avocados as a special treat back in the 1960s. Unfortunately, they arrived at college during spring break – and by the time I returned they were guacamoldy…

By: Francie Parr

Francie Parr — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 03:00:18 +0000

What a gracious gift from this Southern California farmer!!!! What a lucky student body and staff to get to taste all the different ways avocado can be prepared and enjoyed. I sure wish someone had donated avocados to my college back in the 70′s…..and, taught us all about the nutritious benefits of this great fruit. Way to go, anonymous donor! Maybe you’ll start a new fad of parents delivering novel gifts to their kid’s school! Now that’s a win-win for education!

By: Tony Miller

Tony Miller — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:58:48 +0000

Were I Midd student today, I might find some dishes in which I could enjoy avocado. When we go out for Mexican food, I scan the menu for no-avocado dishes, or else pass the guacomole to my wife, Anne Marie Thompson Miller ’75. Once I tried a newspaper recipe for pineapple-avocado muffins and said, “At last, a way to make avocado taste good!” Anne Marie proclaimed the muffins a waste of good avocado. Luckily, in most other ways we’re quite compatible.