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Despite Pollock Avocado no longer being planted on a commercial scale, the fruit has stood the test of time, simply because they taste so damn good! 😋
So, if you’re looking for a superior West Indian Avocado, look no further than Pollock.
With that being said, this grow guide will cover everything that you need to know about Pollock Avocado:
Table of Contents
- Pollock Avocado Tree Characteristics
- Pollock Avocado Flavor Profile
- Pollock Avocado Season (And When To Pick)
- Pollock Avocado History
- Pollock Avocado Tree For Sale (Where To Find)
- Conclusion
Pollock Avocado Tree Characteristics
The Pollock Avocado Tree is a Flowering Type B Avocado. In other words, the female flowers open in the afternoon and male flowers in the morning. In order to maximize Pollock’s fruit production, the tree should be planted near a Flowering Type A Avocado with a similar fruiting season.
This includes avocado cultivars such as:
Pollock’s fruit production consistently ranges from poor to fair. The avocados themselves are medium-to-large, pear-shaped fruits that typically weigh between 1 and 2.5 lbs.
By the same token, Pollock has a medium-sized seed, resulting in a decent flesh-to-seed ratio.
The Pollock Avocado is a West Indian Type, which means that it is very susceptible to cold damage.
Similar to other West Indian Avocados such as the Simmonds, Russell, Dupuis, and Catalina, Pollock should only be planted in areas that rarely experience freezing temperatures.
This makes Pollock a great option for those in USDA Hardiness Zones 10B and above.
Finally, the Pollock Avocado Tree has a vigorous and upright growth habit.
Pollock Avocado Flavor Profile
The Pollock Avocado’s leathery skin is both smooth and glossy and easy to peel away from the fruit.
Upon opening the fruit, the seed will pop right out of the cavity. However, more times than not, the seed husk tends to stick to the fruit, which can be a tad frustrating.
The fruit’s deep yellow flesh is firm with a smooth and creamy texture. As one would expect from a West Indian Avocado, the Pollock Avocado has a low oil content in the single digits (3% – 8%). And while one may think this would be a negative attribute, it truly is not (the flavors are not in the oil).
From a flavor perspective, Pollock has a very West Indian flavor that is rich and dry, yet very pleasant. If you are looking for that pure ‘avocado flavor,’ I cannot recommend Pollock enough. Relative to other avocado cultivars, Pollock’s flavor is similar to Russell and Miguel (but much better, in my opinion).
Side Note: If you want a similarly flavored avocado with a slightly higher oil content, then you may want to consider Dupuis.
While Pollock’s lack of oil makes it a poor candidate for guacamole, my three favorite ways to enjoy it are with rice and beans, tacos, or carnitas!
Despite not being a heavy producer by any stretch I believe that Pollock’s incredible flavor more than makes up for this. However, while I wouldn’t necessarily choose to plant a Pollock if I had limited space, if I already had a Pollock in my yard, I wouldn’t even dream of removing it – they’re just too good!
Pollock Avocado Season (And When To Pick)
Pollock Avocados are considered an early to mid-season avocado (June – September).
While Pollock can be picked as early as June, I would encourage those growing Pollock to allow the fruit to continue maturing on the tree until July or August in order to maximize its flavor. That is because picking Pollock in June will, more times than not, result in the fruit being on the watery side (yuck!).
That said, the best time to pick Pollock Avocados are when they are mature on the tree.
In addition to the fruit turning a light yellowish-green color, we can also check if the fruit is full size and then attempt to gently remove it from the tree. If both of these conditions are met (in addition to it being June – Sept), then Pollock should be ready to harvest!
And while determining an avocado’s maturity can be difficult and require some trial and error, I have developed a repeatable process that has worked great for me:
- Starting June 25 (I personally like waiting until Aug if possible), pull a single fruit off the tree and allow it ripen for 3 – 8 days (at room temperature)
- Delicately create small indents all around the fruit using your fingers.
- If you detect a mixture of hard and soft spots, the fruit is not yet ripe.
- Conversely, uniform softness (not super soft) throughout the fruit indicates that it is ready for consumption.
- Delicately create small indents all around the fruit using your fingers.
- Taste the fruit – is the taste or consistency off ?
- If the fruit tastes great, the rest of the avocados on our tree are ready to be harvested
- If the fruit tastes sour/foul/rancid, wait 1-2 weeks, and repeat the process with another single fruit
- Fruit that are picked too early will often become black/inedible.
After confirming that the avocados on our tree are mature, we can begin developing our ‘avocado pipeline.’ This involves picking some fruit to ripen on the counter for more immediate use while also placing others in the refrigerator to be used later. By adopting this approach, we can ensure a continuous supply of ripe avocados.
Pollock Avocado History
Cultivated from a seed originating in Cuba, the Pollock Avocado was initially propagated by H.S. Pollock in Miami, Florida, in 1896.
Pollock fruited for the first time in 1901 and quickly became a leading variety in the growing Commercial Florida Avocado Trade due to its large size and excellent flavor. However, Pollock was slowly replaced over the years due to the realization that it wasn’t a very productive avocado cultivar.
Simmonds is a seedling of Pollock.
Pollock Avocado Tree For Sale (Where To Find)
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Conclusion
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Thank you for reading! 🙂
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