Avocados are full of delicious mysteries. They’re a fruit that eats like a vegetable, ripens on their own stubborn schedule, and tastes like buttery happiness. Since many of the avocados that we eat are grown far away from the taco, brownie, or toast they end up on, we’re sharing info on the million-dollar question: when are they really in season?

If you feel like the avocado season never ends—you’re right—thanks in large part to the hard work of Mexican avocado growers. In Mexico, the season essentially lasts all year long, since their trees bloom and produce fruit four times per year. The state of Michoacán, with its fertile volcanic soil, is the avocado capital of Mexico. In Michoacán, they harvest for the majority of the year, starting in the early spring. Right when Michoacán winds down its harvest in the fall, farmers in Jalisco pick up and harvest until early March. It’s like a delicious relay race between trees and regions, producing our tasty supply of avocados.

Mexico isn’t the only country that’s capitalized on the popularity of avocados. Today, Peru grows avocados from April to September, and right when they wind down, Colombia and Chile enjoy their season from September to June. What does this mean for avocado enthusiasts in the United States? Thanks to a network of growers throughout the Americas, you can eat avocados year-round! That said, depending on the time of year, your avocados may have traveled hundreds (or even thousands) of miles to get to your plate. So, if you’re looking to reduce food miles and eat more local avocados, you’ll want to wait until the California season starts.

In California, where about 90% of our country’s avocados are grown, the trees bloom only once. However, they can produce two crops in a year. This means that Californian avocados only become plentiful in the late spring and early summer. This is when most buyers, including us here at Imperfect, will start sourcing Californian avocados to get in on the fun.

We hope this avocado 411 was informative, and happy guac-ing!