Avacado Powder

[jamesndawson]

A month or so ago, I asked on a local vegan forum whether anybody'd used avacado powder.
Most seemed to think it was a wierd or ridiculous idea. They never heard of it at the local Huckleberries natural food store. I thought it would be good because I live in an isolated rural town with nearly no vegan produce and am often stranded during the harsh winters. Also, it'd just be convenient like any other dried/powdered food---refried beans, protien powder, etc.
I've done a little research and found a few brands. Only one I found was vegan and healthy. The others had hydrogenated oil and/or dairy in it.
I read an info page on it on the Web, but it was "mechanically translated" from Spanish, so hard to read, and contained more info than I really needed.
Has anybody here tried avacodo powder? Do you know of the best brand for the best price? How does it compare in price and nutrition to avacados? A "small" avacado in my area ranges from about 50 cents to $1.50. But as you know, they can spoil fast.

[Lordmuppet]

google shopping is your friend

post the nutritional info when you find it!

[JP]

why would you like to have it in the first place though?

its a seasonal product in best of places.

[jamesndawson]

Lordmuppet,
Just tried Google Shopping. Typed in avacado powder & got 3,100 results. Put quotes around it and it plummeted to one result. Clicked on it and it came up, "Access Denied. You are not allowed to view that information. Try going to that website's home page." Did that. It came up. I chose the "specialty food" section and typed in avacado powder. It said "not found" (even though I was directed by GS to this website in the first place).
I could not be understanding something, but we're not all good at computers & the Net.
Also, I was looking for personal experience with AP, i.e. "testimonials", from "real people", not just the manufactures pre-selected "facts". E.g., "how did it taste?" I thought that was what e-forums were for. My experience is that often asking "real people" is faster, easier and more effective.
Not mad, just explaining.

JP,
Winters here are harsh and highways are often closed down. Small towns are often cut off and isolated from food sources. I may not have access to "the best of places". I want it because I understand it's healthy and it tastes good. Other people must want it too, since they do make it. Do you mean we shouldn't want it because it's "seasonal"? I don't necessarily subscribe to the "locavore" ideal & several others I've heard, of like "fair trade", etc. Frankly, I find them somewhat elitist.
If I've over-interpreted your comment, my apologies.

[Lordmuppet]

Lordmuppet,
Just tried Google Shopping. Typed in avacado powder & got 3,100 results. Put quotes around it and it plummeted to one result. Clicked on it and it came up, "Access Denied. You are not allowed to view that information. Try going to that website's home page." Did that. It came up. I chose the "specialty food" section and typed in avacado powder. It said "not found" (even though I was directed by GS to this website in the first place).
I could not be understanding something, but we're not all good at computers & the Net.
Also, I was looking for personal experience with AP, i.e. "testimonials", from "real people", not just the manufactures pre-selected "facts". E.g., "how did it taste?" I thought that was what e-forums were for. My experience is that often asking "real people" is faster, easier and more effective.
Not mad, just explaining..

fair enough and nae worries I suggested google shopping because not everyone is familiar with it and you asked about price. What i tend to do is find a specific brand and quantity and then put it into google shopping. Otherwise one is often comparing apples and oranges.

[JP]

no seasonal as in you cant get it in many places throughout the year.

And in powdered form it seems to lose its whole point: taste, texture, fats...

Thats why cant see the point - its not like dried nuts which retain all the qualities you want to use it in the first place.

Feels like a product akin to a wheel which has been made square to improve storage space...

but just an opinion let us know how it tastes like!

[jamesndawson]

fair enough and nae worries I suggested google shopping because not everyone is familiar with it and you asked about price. What i tend to do is find a specific brand and quantity and then put it into google shopping. Otherwise one is often comparing apples and oranges.[/quote]

Hope I didn't seem too cranky. Yes, I've know about Google Shopping for a while now, and have found it useful now and then, but it can be tricky finding the right word combo & sifting through the results with all their variations can be a bit of a chore. In fact, I did find several products through searches, but this time came up stonewalled. I guess if I try again, I'd better capture the info on paper. But again, I was interested in "personal experience" with it, not just the manufacturers "facts" and hype.

[jamesndawson]

no seasonal as in you cant get it in many places throughout the year.

And in powdered form it seems to lose its whole point: taste, texture, fats...

Thats why cant see the point - its not like dried nuts which retain all the qualities you want to use it in the first place.

Feels like a product akin to a wheel which has been made square to improve storage space...

but just an opinion let us know how it tastes like!

My understanding is the powderization process is a recent innovation that preserves the fat. The product still has to be refrigerated, but has a much longer shelf-life than fresh avacados. I've read that drying any food alters the bio-chemistry and therefore nutrition of any plant, dried herbs being a main example. But many people find them acceptable when fresh isn't available.
There're all kinds of dried instant foods in the bulk section natural and other food stores. Dried pea powder is just one example and it seems like popular item among the vegan weight lifters here. Doesn't it's powderization alter or comprise it's nutritional value from the fresh peas its made from? And also the taste? I admit, I don't know. I'm far from an expert on these things. I like the "just add water" refried bean flakes I get at the store. They taste plenty good to me. I like to have them on hand in case I need some to extend the whole pinto beans I make refritos from. Maybe avacado powder would taste "okay" to me, and it'd be better than none at all. They make avacado oil. Maybe a little of that would go some way in restoring the taste and texture.
A couple years ago, before I moved here to Malden in E. Washington, my brother drove up one winter. He said it looked like an Antarctic research station. We've got super-extreme weather here in the U.S. In a disaster area a little dried avacado powder would be worth its weight in gold.

[loveliberate]

You are talking about av*O*cados yes? When I searched for avocado powder, I got lots of results so... Maybe it's just your spelling of the word that limited your results. Never tried the powder myself - or even heard of it before now.

[jamesndawson]

Thank you! My God, I think I've been spelling that wrong for years! Usually my machine catches it and asks me "Did you mean.....", but maybe there is such a things an avAcado??? We'll try it again, and maybe I'll just spring for some of the stuff and see what it's like myself.

[loveliberate]

Haha! No worries amigo. By the way, what part of "eastern Washington" are you in? I live in Portland, Oregon myself but lived in Spokane for a couple of years when I was a kid.

[JP]

Dried pea powder is just one example and it seems like popular item among the vegan weight lifters here.

thats a different product. Its used because the characteristics have been deliberately altered to suit the nutritional needs, as in the fat and carbohydrates have been separated leaving a very high protein content, 90+%.

I come from finland so i can appreciate how different remote locations can be in terms of choice and seasonality, but i havent really ever thought its a problem.

[jamesndawson]

By the way, what part of "eastern Washington" are you in? I live in Portland, Oregon myself but lived in Spokane for a couple of years when I was a kid.

I live in a little town called Malden, 6 miles west of Rosalia, 41 miles south of Spokane. I moved here a couple years ago.

[jamesndawson]

Dried pea powder is just one example and it seems like popular item among the vegan weight lifters here.

thats a different product. Its used because the characteristics have been deliberately altered to suit the nutritional needs, as in the fat and carbohydrates have been separated leaving a very high protein content, 90+%.

I come from finland so i can appreciate how different remote locations can be in terms of choice and seasonality, but i havent really ever thought its a problem.

I suppose that's true, but my point is, that all kinds of food are dried and/or powderized for rehydration---fruit, pinto beans, soup, wheat, flour, oats, etc.---so avocado powder just doesn't seem that wierd to me. Pardon the examples---I'm vegan and I'm not condoning it---but I got the idea of powderized avocado from "full cream milk powder" and "powdered eggs". The ethics aside, drying/powderizing has its economic advantages and practical necessities, and has been done by most or all cultures for thousands of years.

I had some e-mail exchanges with a rep of a Mexican company that makes AP and he's kindly offered to send me free some samples. He encouraged me to spread the word, so I'm cautiously doing that, hoping they won't be overwhelmed with requests. Here's the web address:

www.avocadopowder.com

I'll let you know how I liked mine when I get it in the mail.