This story by former News-Press reporter Annabelle Tometich was originally published on July 13, 2021. The version below has been edited to remove information about mango events and festivals that have since passed.
I stood outside my childhood home in Fort Myers late last month, wielding a 30-foot-long fruit-picking apparatus fashioned from PVC pipe, an old pool skimmer and the base of a pole saw.
I heard my mom yelling and my daughter laughing.
“Get that one to your right!” Mom said. “No, the squirrels already ate that one! Your other right!”
I leaned against my minivan to steady myself as beads of sweat prickled my neck and chest. I pushed the pole up higher and higher into the cloudless sky. I hooked the tines at its far end around an oblong mango near the top of my mom’s tallest tree. I pulled with all my might, then felt the weight of the fruit as it landed gently in my basket.
One mango down, 274 or so to go.
Earlier that month, the mango picking was easy. The low-hanging fruit were as simple to gather as, well, low-hanging fruit. But when mangoes go high, so do we.
Summer in my family has always meant mangoes. For my mom, a Filipino immigrant, mangoes connected her to her island home. For my siblings and me, her half-white children, they were something to do on hot summer mornings and something to eat when the heat pushed us inside come lunch.
Back then, we didn’t get fancy with our mangoes. We ate them fresh, when they were still warm and juicy from the sun, or we peeled and pitted them, freezing them for later.
Over the years, my mango repertoire has grown. Some summers I bake with them. Other summers lead to more savory applications. This summer, I thought: Why not go wild? — Mango mad, if you will.
I spent 30 straight days making every mango recipe I’ve ever created/adapted/attempted, while seeking new ones along the way. I called it #30daysofmangos, and I tweeted my creations to my tens of followers.
While #30daysofmangos has ended, mango season has only just begun. There’s plenty of mangoes left to eat, and I’ve got plenty of ways to do so.
How to pick mangoes
I pass mango trees everyday with beautiful fruits rotting on their branches. While mangoes thrive in Southwest Florida, many northern transplants, and even locals, have no clue what to do with them.
Here are some tips:
How to peel mangoes
How to eat green mangoes
While ripe mangoes are sweet and drip-down-your-chin juicy, green mangoes have their own allure. Tart and crisp, under-ripe mangoes are delicious in salads.
They can be grated into curries, or sliced and sprinkled with brown sugar, chili powder, Tajin — or all of the above — for an easy snack that’s also a flavor explosion.
To eat green mangoes, peel away the skin with a vegetable peeler or paring knife before cutting into the flesh.
Mango puree — it makes everything better
This is my favorite thing to do with an abundance of juicy mangoes. I’ll peel and pit a huge batch of them, then puree them in a food processor or blender with a few squeezes of lime juice.
Mango puree works in just about everything.
I layer it with plain yogurt and granola for breakfast, or with vanilla ice cream and crumbled shortbread for dessert. I make it into mango smoothies, mango ice pops and mango sorbet. I add it to banana bread for a tropical punch. I spoon it into cocktails to create mango mimosas, mango beermosas, mango daiquiris, mango margaritas — you get the picture.
The lime juice means the puree will last in the fridge for a week or longer. I also like to freeze it into cubes, which you can toss into smoothies and drinks come winter when fresh mangoes are long gone.
Annabelle Tometich used to write about food and restaurants for The News-Press and Naples Daily News. She is now author of “The Mango Tree.” Follow her on Twitter (@atometich) and Instagram (@abellewrites) for more.
Mango recipes
A few more things to do with mangoes …
Mango Chutney
Don’t mistake this for mango jam. This chutney packs a bright wallop of vinegar laced with hints of sweet, salt and spice. I love how chutney balances fatty things, be it pork chops, thick burgers, or an everything bagel slathered in cream cheese.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon cooking oil (I use peanut or olive)
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 mangoes, peeled and cubed
⅓ cup golden raisins
¼ cup crystallized ginger
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon whole mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon chili flakes
½ to 1 cup sugar (use full cup if you plan on canning the chutney)
½ cup vinegar (white, red or apple cider)
cornstarch slurry (1-2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1-2 tablespoons cool water); optional
Directions
Heat oil in a medium to large sauce pan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Add mango, raisins, ginger, cinnamon, mustard seeds and chili flakes, and stir until well combined.
Stir in sugar and vinegar. Bring the mix to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes or until it’s reduced to your desired thickness. For a jammier chutney, add a touch of cornstarch slurry for further thickening.
Cool and store in the fridge for up to 2 months. Or follow sanitary canning procedures to make it shelf stable.
Frozen Tom-ango Collins Cocktail
Not a fan of gin? Substitute rum, tequila or vodka for something equally refreshing.
(makes 2 drinks)
Ingredients
3-4 cups of ice
3 ounces mango puree
2-3 ounces lemon/lime juice, freshly squeezed
4 ounces gin (I like Hendrick’s for this)
2 ounces simple syrup or honey
lime wedges and cocktail cherries, for garnish
Directions
Add all ingredients to a blender and process until smooth. Pour into highball or Collins glasses and garnish with lime wedges and cherries.
Mango Salsa
Recipe adapted from cookieandkate.com
Ingredients
3 ripe mangoes, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
¼-½ cup red onion, chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 large lime, juiced (about ¼ cup lime juice)
½ teaspoon chili powder
salt to taste
Directions
In a serving bowl, combine mango, bell pepper, onion, cilantro and jalapeno. Drizzle with lime juice.
Using a large spoon, stir together the ingredients. Season to taste with chili powder and salt, and stir again. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Mango madness: Recipes, tips and tricks for making the most of Florida mangoes
Reporting by Annabelle Tometich / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
