^ Heh heh. I wish there was a way I could grow my own. Someone needs to develop a Canadian-winter-hardy variety.

I know people who grow avocados in canada. They move their plants indoors for the winter though. But their plants rarely grow fruit unfortunately.

I find it best to buy them hard & light green (unripe). You have to be patient & let them ripen naturally on the counter (it may take several days), but they won't have bruises like the ones all the shoppers have been squeezing!

I line 'em up on the windowsill behind the kitchen sink from ripest to least ripe so that I can always see when there is one at the peak of ripeness.

Nope! It is 3.99 for 4 Avo's at TJs. Interestingly the organic ones were the same price as the non-organic. They're usually $1 more. I think the main season for Avo's is usually winter though.