National Avocado Day is Saturday, July 31, 2021.

California's history with the popular fruit dates all the way back to 1871 when Judge R.B. Ord of Santa Barbara introduced avocados to the U.S. with trees brought in from Mexico, according to CaliforniaAvocado.com.

Avocados are originally from Mexico and Central America where the indigenous Nahua people discovered them and called them āhuacatl - the Nahuatl word which scholars say also meant "testicles."

When Spanish conquistadors arrived, they couldn't pronounce the word and changed it to aguacate, which eventually became the English word avocado, reports Reader's Digest.

Since then, California has become the leading producer of avocados and is home to around 90 percent of the nation's crop.

San Diego County is one of the top avocado-producing counties in California.

An agricultural report from C. D. Gustafson states:

"San Diego’s focus on avocado crops started in the 1920s. By 1936 San Diego County was growing avocados approximately 7,900 acres and by 1957 that grew to 15,000. Although Fallbrook is known for its avocado groves and claims, without any official recognition, the title "Avocado Capital of the World,” the green fruit thrived in many areas of the county, including Carlsbad, Oceanside, Leucadia, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Spring Valley, La Mesa, El Cajon, Winter Gardens, and some parts of Lakeside. Fallbrook, Escondido, Vista, and the Rincon Springs - Pauma Valley."

Now that you're an expert on basic avocado history, here's how to celebrate the national holiday in San Diego.

According to Patch, Rubio's locations in the San Diego area are giving away free chips and guacamole with any order when you use this coupon.

If you want to make your own, you can find the highest-rated guacamole recipe on the internet here.

Podcasts