The Ever-Expanding World of Mangoes: From Orchard to Table

Mangoes are a beloved tropical fruit, cherished worldwide for their sweet, juicy flavor and versatility in culinary applications. Over the years, their popularity has surged, and they have become a staple in many households. The love for mangoes extends beyond fresh consumption; they are now incorporated into various recipes and products, enhancing their appeal and utility.

Dried mangoes, mango mint salsa, mango pudding, mango slices, and even mango-infused bread recipes are gaining immense popularity. These innovative uses reflect the fruit's adaptability and the growing trend of incorporating exotic flavors into everyday dishes. For those looking to preserve the taste of mangoes year-round, mango puree is an excellent option. Mango puree can be frozen, making it a convenient ingredient for future use. When frozen, the puree maintains its quality for up to a year, provided it is stored properly. This long shelf life allows home cooks to have a ready supply of mango puree for various recipes, from marinades and creams to sauces and sorbets.

Preparing mango puree is simple. Once made, it should be portioned and frozen, making it easy to slice off the exact amount needed for any dish, much like using frozen butter or margarine. This method ensures that the delightful mango flavor is always on hand to enhance meals.

Growing mangoes at home has also become increasingly popular. With a little effort, one can cultivate their own mango plant. The process begins by carefully cleaning the seed of all pulp and planting it horizontally in a six-inch pot filled with high-quality soil. The seed should be partially submerged, with about a fourth of it above the soil surface. Within a month, the seed will sprout, marking the beginning of a new mango plant. It's important to note that mango plants require careful watering; they do not need as much water as many typical houseplants. Over-watering can be detrimental, so it's best to water sparingly. Shaping the mango tree by pinching off leaves can help manage its growth and maintain a desirable shape.

Mangoes are relatively easy to grow at home, making them a great choice for both novice and experienced gardeners. Whether given as gifts, used in cooking, dried for snacks, or enjoyed fresh, mangoes offer a delightful tropical treat that can be appreciated in many forms. Their increasing popularity is a testament to their versatility and the joy they bring to culinary enthusiasts around the world.
The Ever-Expanding World of Mangoes: From Orchard to Table

Mango plant

Mangifera indica, commonly known as the mango tree, originates from India and has been used in ayurvedic medicine for over 4,000 years. Mango trees are typically grown from seed or from grafted nursery trees. It's also possible to grow them from cuttings. They are evergreen and generally produced off rootstocks that increase the hardiness of the plants. Mango trees begin fruit production in three years and form fruit quickly.

A mango tree can grow quite large, reaching a height of 100 feet or more with a canopy of 35 feet or more. The leaves are elliptic to lanceolate and spirally arranged on the branches. New leaves are a copper color and turn a shiny green once they mature. Some have both stamens and pistils, while others have stamens only.

The tree produces small white flowers that grow in flower clusters. Hundreds and even as many as 3,000 to 4,000 small, yellowish, or reddish flowers, 25% to 98% male, the rest hermaphroditic, are borne in profuse, showy, erect, pyramidal, branched clusters 2 1/2 to 15 1/2 in (6-40 cm) high.

The mango tree growing zone is limited to tropical climates. Extended exposure to temperatures below 30°F can kill or severely damage a mango tree, as mango tree cold tolerance is low. So, in the U.S. the mango tree growing zones are the southernmost portions of Florida and California plus Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
Mango plant

Mangoes and Its Species

Mangoes and Its Species
Mangoes belong to the genus of Mangifera. There are 1000 named mango species. Among them

• Mangifera acutigemma
• Mangifera altissima
• Mangifera andamanica
• Mangifera applanata
• Mangifera austro-indica
• Mangifera austro-yunnanensis
• Mangifera blommesteinii
• Mangifera bullata
• Mangifera caesia
• Mangifera camptosperma
• Mangifera campnospermoides

• Mangifera casturi
• Mangifera collina
• Mangifera decandra'
• Mangifera dewildei
• Mangifera dongnaiensis
• Mangifera flava
• Mangifera foetida
• Mangifera gedebe
• Mangifera gracilipes
• Mangifera griffithii
• Mangifera hiemalis

• Mangifera indica
• Mangifera kemanga
• Mangifera lalijiwa
• Mangifera laurina
• Mangifera longipes
• Mangifera macrocarpa
• Mangifera magnifica
• Mangifera mekongensis
• Mangifera minutifolia
• Mangifera monandra
• Mangifera nicobarica

• Mangifera odorata
• Mangifera orophila
• Mangifera pajang
• Mangifera paludosa
• Mangifera parvifolia
• Mangifera pedicellata
• Mangifera pentandra
• Mangifera persiciformis
• Mangifera quadrifida
• Mangifera rubropetala
• Mangifera rufocostata

• Mangifera siamensis
• Mangifera similis
• Mangifera sumbawaensis
• Mangifera superba
• Mangifera swintonioides
• Mangifera sylvatica
• Mangifera taipa
• Mangifera torquenda
• Mangifera transversalis
• Mangifera zeylanica

Most of the fruit trees that are commonly known as mangos belong to the species Mangifera indica. The other edible Mangifera species generally have lower quality fruits and are commonly referred to as wild mangos.

The plant can reach 35 – 40 m in height, with a crown radius of 10 m. The leaves are ever green and dark green when matured.

The ripe fruit is variable in size and color, such as yellow, orange, and red or purple. Often red on the side facing the sun and yellow were shaded, a mango that us green usually indicates unripe fruit, but this depends on the cultivar.

Mango flowers are visited by fruit bats, flies, wasps, wild bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, ants and various bugs seeking the nectar and some transfer the pollen but a certain amount of self-pollination also occurs. Honeybees do not especially favor mango flowers and it has been found that effective pollination by honeybees would require 3 to 6 colonies per acre (6-12 per ha). Many of the unpollinated flowers are shed or fail to set fruit, or the fruit is set but is shed when very young. Heavy rains wash off pollen and thus prevent fruit setting. Some cultivars tend to produce a high percentage of small fruits without a fully developed seed because of unfavorable weather during the fruit-setting period.
Mangoes and Its Species

Mango – the tropical fruit

Mango – the tropical fruit
Mangoes are a very popular tropical fruit. People have become quite fond of mangoes. Dried mangos, mango / mint salsa, mango pudding, mango slices – and even bread recipes are becoming more and more popular.

If anybody trying to cook mango recipes that will last and last, mango puree can be frozen and slices apart easily – almost like frozen butter or margarine.

Mango puree can be kept for virtually a year before it is no longer usable as long as it is kept frozen. Once made a mango puree, remember to freeze it. Slicing off the exact amount needed for any marinade, cream, sauce, sorbet or whatever recipe discovered.

It has even become popular for some people to grow their own mango. Just take the seed and remove as much pulp possibly can. Be sure to plant the seed horizontally. The very best way to start out is in a six inch pot, be sure to use high quality soil and plant the seed on the surface with about a fourth of the seed inside the soil. Within a month once should have the beginning of a mango plant.

Be sure not to over – water a mango plant. Mangoes do not need the excess water of many other normal houseplants. Mango tree can be shaped by pinching off leaves. Mangoes are some of the less complicated tropical plants to grow at home. Whether for gifts, or for cooking, or for drying, or just for munching on – mangoes are a wonderful tropical fruit.
Mango – the tropical fruit