Mangos....

Okay. I admit to having a tough time falling in love with Florida. But today a friend met me for lunch at a french bakery..yes, the owner came from France 20 years ago, yes, the croissants were fabulous...there are pates, it was incredible...

ANd then, my friend handed me three mangos that he'd just picked from a tree in his back yard...they'd ripened on the branch...the rode around in the back of my car for a few hours as I did my errands...I got home, sliced it up and it was the best mango I've ever had.

Maybe a mango tree nearby will help me love it more...

B

I love love love mangos! I so envy you the experience of eating one fresh off the tree. (Not sure I'd move to Florida to do so, however.)

I used to eat the mangoes from my grandparent's enormous tree in their backyard in Miami. Great mangoes. I have rarely, if ever, had better mangoes since I left. The imported ones pale.

Bernard,

Rumor has it that a particular kind of Indian mango has been approved for import in the coming year. I have never had one, although they are available in Canada. And I know my Indian BIL cannot wait until he can buy them here...If I can remember or find the name of the mango, I'll post it..

Ah, here's a good article..apparently it's all indian mangos are now okay to import, but we should especially watch for the Alfonsos.
http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/78895

b[/url]

Barb, having lived in Florida for the first 33 years of my life, I have faith that it will grow on you. Some of the things I miss about it:

-Cuban food
-4pm thunderstorms every summer day that end by 5:30pm
-Swimming in the ocean and not getting hypothermia

The only things I don't really miss are:
-Lizards scurrying all over (actually have a phobia of these things now)
-Mosquitos
-Alligators on every golf course

Enjoy your mangos and your new lifestyle.

I love mangoes, too. I like to make a fruit salad with them when pomegranates are in season:

Diced mango
Pomegranate seeds from 1 fruit
Blueberries
Squeeze of Lime juice

Toss and serve.

rwj

Alfonso mangoes from India are available only for 6 weeks in the year starting about now. There is I am afraid NO SUBSTITUTE. OK maybe Kesar but nothng else.

the golden juicy fruit is redolent of Muscat with hints of Torrontes and Gewurztraminer and a long finish. Beware the mango stains do not come off a white shirt.

I am fairly ignorant, to you have to peel them?

I am fairly ignorant, to you have to peel them?

slice either side of the large seed.

cross cut each cheek into cubes

push out into an igloo from the skin side

spoon the cubes off the skin

peel the skin off the centre piece with the seed

suck the seed

stain your shirt

spend the rest of the day washing the stain off (with a smile on your face)

Warren, have you seen any Alfonsos for sale yet?

I have one friend from Colombia who I've seen eat the mango without peeling it...

Mangos with a squeeze of lime? Divine.

I'm working on it, Carrie, I'm working on it.

The lizards--I confess to kind of liking them.

Agree on the storms (right now we need MORE of them...), the warm ocean year-round and the gators...AND the Cuban food...mosquitos? Well, since they spray here, the skeeters don't bug me as much as they did in Kentucky. Of course, I will probably die some chemically induced death, but I don't get bitten here too much, it seems.

Maybe the mosquitos are no longer a problem. I've been away from FL for awhile now. I just remember all of our summer vacations in The Keys, with huge mosquitos coming out just after dusk.

A lot of people do like the lizards. Apparently they eat bugs, which is a bonus. I guess all of those formative years with young boys chasing after me with a lizard in an outstretched hand have made me fear the little guys. I know they can't hurt me, but just the thought of one "getting on me" gets my skin crawling. I had girlfriends who used to pinch their jaws (the lizard's) and would get them to clamp down on their earlobs, and pretend they were earrings. This didn't help my phobia one bit.
Okay, I need to go to my happy place now. I'm a bit wigged out at the moment...

I am fairly ignorant, to you have to peel them?

slice either side of the large seed.

cross cut each cheek into cubes

push out into an igloo from the skin side

spoon the cubes off the skin

peel the skin off the centre piece with the seed

suck the seed

stain your shirt

spend the rest of the day washing the stain off (with a smile on your face)

Thanks, I have 4 in my fridge and will enjoy some tonite

Warren, have you seen any Alfonsos for sale yet?

..

Just bought some in London. Apparently the season is nearly finished. Nearly missed it.

I prefer mangoes at room rather than fridge temperature.

I am with you on room temp...

And I feel foolish...even if you have found Alfonsos, the fact that you found them in LONDON will do me no good! I wasn't paying attention.

Enjoy those Alfonsos..have one for me...

b

In parts of Indiana mangos are everywhere late in the summer. No it is not some sort of global warming or micro-climate thing going on. You see bell peppers are called mangos in these parts. Those crazy Hoosiers!!!
BP