Avocado Prices Surge Just Before Cinco de Mayo

I have some bad news for those of you who plan on enjoying some chips and guacamole tomorrow in celebration of Cinco de Mayo. It's gonna be pricey.

In the past year, prices for avocados have doubled. A 22-pound box of the things from Michoacan now costs $27.89, that's the highest the price has been in 19 years.

The hike comes from an increased demand. In 2006, the per-capita consumption for Americans was at 3.5 pounds, as of 2015 it was up to 6.9 pounds. Read more at Bloomberg.

To save you some money, Robin Shreeves over at the Mother Nature Network has put together some recipes for what she calls "mockamole." These recipes forgo the avocado and mix in some cheaper ingredients.

• Asparagus Guacamole. Aspargus is in season and very cheap and has less calories and fat than traditional guacamole.
• Sweet Pea Mockamole. Cheap frozen peas lower the calories and apparently keep the mixture from turning brown.
• Edamame Guacamole. This is for the purists that still want some avocado. It uses half avocado and half frozen edamame.