Did you know that you can write with an avocado?
With its seed, to be more precise!
OK, not exactly with the seed, which is round like a globe and with which you could at best perhaps draw a mandala, but with the juice you get from it.
This juice, which at first is like a milky sap, quickly darkens when exposed to the air and turns a wonderful reddish-brown colour.
This trick also fascinated the conquistadors, who wrote several documents with avocado ink that are now preserved in the Popayàn Archives, in Colombia, and are still perfectly legible.
Now, I don't know about you, but I remember very long springtimes spent crushing elderberries.
You know, those shiny black balls like a squirrel's eyes? They produced a dark purple ink that we used to write on absorbent paper pilfered from the kitchen.
The principle, in fact, is the same: elderberries, as well as avocado seeds, are rich in tannin, a substance capable of staining paper.
So, let's all repeat together: not just avocado toast, not just avocado oil for cosmetics, but also avocado ink that can last for centuries.
And that's not all! For the farmers involved in our projects, avocados mean two things:
- enriching their diet with potassium, carbohydrates, proteins, phosphorus, vitamin E, B vitamins, and carotenes;
- having a little extra income from selling them in the local markets.
If you'd like to plant your own avocado tree and start following the story of the people who will enjoy its marvellous fruit, online, click here!
If, instead, after reading this article you have an overwhelming desire for guacamole but are worried about its environmental impact, remember that Spain and Sicily have also started growing avocados! Pay attention to the country of origin when purchasing and proceed in peace.
https://www.ippocampoedizioni.it/libro/9788867224784
http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Persea+americana
https://www.britannica.com/science/tannin
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/health-benefits-avocado
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318620#_noHeaderPrefixedContent
