Mango Madness

I absolutely adore mangoes! They’re the perfect fun-in-the-sun fruit—sweet, picnic portable, bright in color, and delish. Of course, they’re good year round too … as long as you can find them. Here, in the U.S., you’ll most likely spot mangoes in the spring and summer months, since 70% of the total mango volume is sent to the U.S. during this sunny time. Yet, mangoes are available year round due to the many varieties of mangoes and their different harvest times (spring/summer or fall/winter). The top mango-providing countries for the U.S. are Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Guatemala and Haiti—all tantalizingly tropical countries, perfect for fostering mango growth!

Well, long intro cut short, this past week I spotted some mangoes (finally, they’re available!) and quickly plopped a few in my basket! And of course, I had to make sure they were ripe. So, how do you tell if a mango is ripe? Personally, I just smell it and give it a squeeze and if the mango smells sweet and the squeeze doesn’t yield too much resistance (aka it’s not ultra-firm to the touch) I bring it home, wait 2-3 days and go at it! However, there is a more methodical procedure to this…see below

According to the National Mango Board…

How to Choose a Perfect Mango:

• A ripe mango will have a slight “give” and will be soft to the touch.
• If you’re looking for a mango that you can eat today, choose one that is slightly soft.
• A firmer mango would be a good choice if you plan to eat it several days from now.
• To ripen mangos, keep them at room temperature. They will continue to ripen, becoming sweeter and softer over time.
• Once ripe, you can move mangos to the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat them. Whole, ripe mangos may be stored for up to five days in the refrigerator. Never refrigerate mangos before they are ripe.

Why Mangoes Deserve Some Loving Nutritional Madness

• Fabulous source of Vitamin C. One cup provides 80% of your daily needs! Helping keep your immune function up, grow and repair tissues, and form collagen, a key protein used to make skin, scar tissue, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels.
• Amped with Vitamin A. Keeping your vision in keen shape, especially in dim light, and helping your cells grow healthfully.
• Fiber Providing. One cup of mango fills your belly with 3 grams of fiber, helping you feel satisfied and keeping your GI track in shape. It’s recommended that we consume 20-35 grams of fiber each day (with men towards the higher end of the spectrum). The average person consumes about half that.
• Light on the Waistline. One cup of mango only has 110 calories. One mango provides about 1 cup of fruit when sliced.

How to Cut a Mango

When I get a mango I never really know how to slice it up. Obviously, look at that picture of me! However, I have come to learn that there are in fact 3 ways to cut a mango that will yield beautiful, fun-to-eat, perfect mango slices, cubes, or chunks! Check out the below video and learn some pretty cool mango-cutting techniques that’ll have your guests at your next pool party, housewarming, or BBQ amazed! Enjoy!

What’s your favorite way to eat a mango?

P.S. Visit Mango. org to get some awesome mango-filled recipes!

Note: The National Mango Board provided me NO incentive to write this. I simply really like mangoes!