Mango
Requiring warm dry weather for quality fruit, mangoes are not well suited for production in our home in the Pacific Northwest. Happily, they are excellent when imported from South America, Mexico, and other tropical areas. Mangos are naturally sweet and flavorful while remaining low in calories and high in fiber. This makes them excellent for use in many foods, like low-fat desserts, beverages, loaves of bread and muffins, or alongside sweet white rice. The fruit can vary slightly in appearance, ranging from 2 to 10 inches in length and weigh as much as 4 pounds a piece. The smooth flexible skin will turn from green to red as they ripen. Buried deep within the sweet juicy fruit is a large flat pit, which can be firmly attached to the pulp. Most commonly, mangos are cut away from the pit and then peeled before their use.
- Spring
- Summer
- Fall
- Winter
Mango Availability
Mango Taste & Ripeness
Kent Mangos
Sweet, and bursting with flavor, the mango is a favorite of many. With a smooth to slightly fibrous texture, the fruit also is luxuriously juicy. Your mango will soften to the touch as it ripens, and turn from green to having red areas on the skin. They should be kept at room temperature until ripe, and then consumed quickly as they do not last long once they hit their peak.
Champagne Mangos
Don't throw that Champagne Mango away! While Champagne mangos typically turn a deep yellow when fully ripe, not all of them change color. Oftentimes, a Champagne mango is sweet and fully ripe when their skin actually begins to wrinkle!! So, the best indicator of a ripe mango is to do a GENTLE "squeeze test" (you don't want to ruin the fruit!). If the mango is not ripe, it will be hard when you gently apply pressure. You'll know it's ripe when they are slightly soft, like when you check an avocado or peach. To speed ripening, place your mango in a sealed paper bag with another mango, avocado or tomato at room temperature. But be careful, because once fully ripened, mangos will spoil quickly!
