Hello Mangeurs,
How are you doing people?
It's our first edition of "IT'S IN SEASON" and I am sure you can already guess what we'll be talking about today.
Yas, Yas, Yas! That's correct ... mangoes are here! All my friends know that I love mangoes more than any other fruit. My love for this fruit heightened when I spent about three (4) months in Lomé, Togo. It appears mangoes never go out of season in that country. Honestly, I was tempted to smuggle some in my luggage when leaving the hotel but the fear of Nigerian Airport officials brought sense back to my head LOL. I had a mango rush in November, January, February and even April. On the contrary, it was not until early May that I started seeing mangoes in Lagos. I can say I have had a 7-month mango stretch 😁. In fact, as I write to you now, I have a couple of near-ripe ones in my store.
I got 6 mangoes of this size for N50 each. Made the 2 bottles of smoothie as you can see above with 4 of the mangoes and a few date fruits.
Today, we will be discussing how to shop for, store and cut this fruit, we will also talk about its health benefits. In the second part of this series however, we will touch on the different ways one can consume mangoes.
Oya, let's go there 💃💃💃;
Man, Go Shop for that Mango!
-A lot of people are usually deceived by colour when shopping for mangoes. The fact is that depending on the type, mangoes come in many different colour, so color isn’t always a good indicator of ripeness.
- A ripe mango will have a very fruity aroma, especially near the stem end. You should look out for that aroma.
- Also, you should select mangoes with smooth and blemish-free skin.
- Finally, pick out mangoes that are heavy for their size. Gently squeeze the fruit - it will be firm, but will press in slightly if it is ripe.
Man, Go Store that Mango!
- Unripe mangoes should be stored at room temperature. They will normally continue to ripen, get sweeter and softer. To speed up the process, you can place the mangoes in a paper bag and keep them at room temperature.
- Once they become ripe, move them to the refrigerator to prevent over-ripening. They should last for 3 - 4 days in there.
- Peeled, cubed mango can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Man, Go Cut that Mango!
- You can simply cut the flesh away using a large sharp knife. The resulting mango halves are often called “cheeks.”
- To slice a mango, hold one half or cheek in your non-dominant hand and use a small sharp knife to carefully cut slices into the flesh, making sure you don’t go all the way through to the skin. Use a spoon to scoop out the slices.
- If you prefer, use a peeler or a small sharp knife to remove the skin from the mango, then cut the flesh away from the seed and cut or slice it as you like.
- Another option is to cut a crosshatch pattern into the mango half, then push the mango from underneath so it flips inside out and fans out the fruit - it will look a bit like a hedgehog.
- Next, use a knife to cut the mango cubes away from the skin.
Why are these Sweetly Delicious Babies Good for You?
Mangoes are packed with Vitamin A and C. Furthermore, one mango contains 69% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of Vitamin A for women and 79% of the RDA of Vitamin C - this makes them great cancer fighters. They are also packed with Potassium and Folate.
Juicy mangoes are also good hydrants and can be used as sweeteners in home made juices and smoothies.
Finally, mangoes are rich in Vitamin E and this special vitamin helps your skin and hair grow. It reduces damage to hair follicles and applying the juice to your hair will reduce dryness and give it a sweet smell.
Okay mangeurs, I hope you enjoyed this one. Stay tuned to this page for the second part of this series (Five Interesting Ways to Consume Mangoes).
DID YOU KNOW???
The scientific name for mango is "Mangifera indica" and there are over 500 varieties of mangoes. The ripe fruit varies in size, shape, color, sweetness.
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