Dig into ‘Peace, Love & Guacamole' at the free California Avocado Festival

THE PIT IS IT: How famous (and famously obsessed over) is a certain bumpy-skinned fruit? This completely and un-quibble-bly famous: Not only do people recognize an avocado in an impressively speedy fashion, but plenty of us can also identify the pit of an avocado and name, without hesitation, where exactly the large seed came from. That's pretty jaw-dropping, all told, for the seeds of other fruits don't always reveal their origin; many fruit fans would be hard-pressed to say whether a handful of seeds hailed from an apple or a pear. So you can bet that any outsized affair celebrating the avocado will also be on the completely and un-quibble-bly large side, the sort of festival that draws devotees of the green and glorious icon. And the California Avocado Festival is most definitely the pits, in the best sense possible: Avocado-ists journey from all over to eat avocado ice cream, listen to music, and savor the Carpinteria weather.

EARLY OCTOBER... has long been the moment for this major foodie event, and it will roll back into our lives, as smoothly as an avocado rolls across a kitchen counter, from Oct. 6-8 (the locals' block party is on day one, while the main fest rolls on Oct. 7-8). Okay, maybe the avocado's bumps don't make for the smoothest of rolls, but no one would dispute the fact that this creamy-of-flesh favorite makes excellent guacamole, dips, smoothies, and more. Numerous avo-tastic purveyors of guac-y goodness will be out, with the fruit showing up in several surprising ways. Adding to the snacky spirit of the weekend? There's a Guacamole Contest, in addition to other competitions. Over 60 bands will be providing the tuneage, too, making for a convivial Carpinteria convention of chip-dippable deliciousness.

SEE YOU IN CARP: Best add some water to your avocado pits — the ones sprouting on your kitchen sill — and make plans to attend a pit party full of plentiful opportunities to savor this superstar of the produce aisle in all sorts of lovely and luscious ways.