Mangoes

While they originated from South Asia, Florida is prolific with mango trees. Growing up in Tampa, I was lucky to have three varieties of mangoes growing in our yard. One was the Hayden mango, my favorite, the other two we referred to as male mangoes and female mangoes. I have since learned that the male mango’s official name is Ataulfo, a very sweet, juicy and stringy fruit. It is yellow in color. It’s long and thin with a curved bottom. I have never seen what we called the female mango in any store. It was never great tasting. It had a light colored interior and was never very juicy. Today, if you could find them, they would be good julienned and pickled or used in a salad.

Mangoes are in season from late April through July. Some mangoes remain in stores through September and have been imported from other countries. Choosing a good mango is not difficult. Don’t be fooled by the color, rather feel for a texture that is slightly soft and have an aroma. If the only ones you find are hard, store mangoes outside of the refrigerator until they feel soft to the touch and then refrigerate. You can freeze cut up mangoes and use for smoothies.

Mangoes are delicious eaten in its natural form and they are excellent in desserts such as pies, crisps, ice cream and smoothies or milk shakes. 

Mangoes have an antioxidant called zeaxanthin, which reportedly helps with eye health and protect further damage from macular degeneration. In researching this fruit, I found that other health benefits from mangoes include reduce risk of colon cancer, has positive effects on risk factors of diabetes, reduced risk of heart disease and hair health.