Just picked our last mango of the season yesterday. Sigh. And whew.
With just slightly less than 100 mangoes between our two trees, we had had a good amount of harvesting and cutting. Done. As you are probably familiar with this popular fruit, I haven't gone into detail, but here are a few fast facts below:
With just slightly less than 100 mangoes between our two trees, we had had a good amount of harvesting and cutting. Done. As you are probably familiar with this popular fruit, I haven't gone into detail, but here are a few fast facts below:
Many hundreds of named mango cultivars exist. We have two or three different kinds in our yard; size and sweetness vary slightly between them, as well as growing season.
Picking ripe mangoes is dangerous for anyone, as the oils from the leaves, stems, sap, and skin can cause severe sores and rashes on the skin. If you have had poison ivy or poison oak allergic reactions previously, (Kurt and I both!) you are especially susceptible because both p. ivy and p. oak have a common ingredient to the mango plant: urushiol. We've had our fair share of mango sores this season, despite always picking with gloves on. Strong stuff!
Meet some kiddos from one of our local orphanages. Here, like most of the Shona in my country seem to prefer, these guys like to eat mangoes like an apple, skin and all. A sweet treat!