“It’s a real conversation starter,” says farmer Rebecca Bozzelli, laughing because it’s not something people often say about an avocado.
But when she brings her fresh, plump, nearly softball-sized Reed, Bacon, Gem, Hass, and Mexicola Grande specimens to farmers markets — most likely the only locally farmed avocados sold in Sonoma County — customers want to know every detail about each variety.
“Then when they come back for more, they’re telling us how each variety tasted and which ones they liked the best,” says Bozzelli, who crowns the Reed as her favorite because they’re “so buttery.”
Scan any annual report from the California Avocado Commission, and you’ll never see Sonoma County mentioned amid the thousands of acres planted in southern counties like Ventura, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Riverside, and San Luis Obispo…