The avocado may be small and green, but the delicious fruit is being celebrated in a big way this weekend with a free, three-day festival in Carpinteria.
Thousands of foodie fans made their way downtown Friday to commemorate local crops at the 30th Annual California Avocado Festival.
“We are here to celebrate peace, love and guacamole,” said Annette Fisher, the event committee merchandise chair. “People from all over come to the event. Everyone’s happy and enjoys the good company.”
Avos are a favorite on sandwiches, salads and in guacamole, and both Rincon Brewery and Island Brewing Company have created an avocado-flavored beer using the rich-tasting fruit as an ingredient.
“I’m not even a beer drinker and it tastes delicious,” festival-goer Roxy Lawler said after sipping Island Brewing Company’s Avocado Honey Ale.
To get the unique taste, the company added avocado honey to the boil while brewing the light amber-colored ale.
Rincon Brewery created Avo Fest-bier, a malty German-style Oktoberfest lager, with a dark copper color and rich, deep malt character.
“It’s a great beer and brewed just for the festival,” said Chris Allen, Rincon Brewery general manager. “People really like it.”
Food enthusiasts enjoyed the sweet taste of white chocolate and avocado ganache dipped in dark chocolate, sprinkled with Tahitian vanilla sea salt from Chocolats du CaliBressan.
Avocado aficionados also enjoyed other treats such as avocado gelato, avocado mango sorbet and avo-flavored ice cream.
Locals chowed down on chips and homemade guacamole made by Holy Guaca-Moly.
California is home to about 90 percent of the nation’s avocado crops and the top producer of domestic avocados.
Most California avocados are harvested on 60,000 acres between San Luis Obispo and the Mexican border, according to the Avocado Festival site.
Besides the Southern California Hass, participants could purchase a wide selection of locally grown avocados including Daley, the creamy Reed and sweet MacArthur.
Local children got an early jump on dressing up for Halloween with a chance to wear and take pictures in fun-sized firefighter bunker gear.
The Carpinteria Summerland Fire Department and Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department handed out stickers and safety information to families.
A Kids’ Block Party featured games, arts and crafts, a bouncer and prizes.
The festival featured continuous entertainment, throughout the weekend, with 45 music acts scheduled on three stages.
More than 70 shopping vendors lined the street and offered attendees a continuous selection of items for purchase.
Every year, the event poster features an original design from one local artist.
Santa Barbara resident Nancy Bingham was selected this year for her handmade colorful design, adorned with a round figure of waves, avocados and sun rays.
The festivities will continue at 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, at 800 Linden Ave.
The largest avocado contest and a guacamole recipe competition are on the itinerary for Sunday.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
