The “Mangopocalypse” is upon us.
Multitudes of fallen mangoes are prematurely littering yards across South Florida, forced out of their trees by recent storms and natural selection. Tree owners, previously thrilled by the bountiful crop expected this year, are crushed with disappointment.
But the phenomenon is not abnormal, said Jeff Wasielewski, commercial tropical fruit extension agent at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension in Homestead.
“A tree can only hold so many mangoes, so it tends to drop some of the ones that it can’t carry to maturity,” Wasielewski said. “There were also a few strong storms recently that knocked off some fruit that I think would have otherwise made it.
“So yes, a lot of mangoes are falling, but I wouldn’t say they were ‘too early.’ Instead, this is just a natural outcome of having so much fruit on the trees. A lot of fruit on the trees is a good thing!”
Still, homeowners look at their grass and see all the potential juiciness and sweetness of the ripe orange fruit terminated by Mother Nature at the green stage. What to do now with the hard, clunky remains that are accumulating by the bucketful?
Horticulture experts and tree farm owners have lots of advice.
Don’t try to ripen them on your kitchen counter; they will not progress, said Jonathan Crane, associate center director at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead.
“If you let it sit around, it will get rubbery,” Crane said. “It’s not going to ripen. They’re not mature enough yet.”
But don’t throw out your fallen crop. Many mangoes are edible at the green stage and are a common ingredient in Caribbean and South Asian cooking. Here are some suggestions from mango tree experts. Options include:
Make pickles. “In India, they will make what they call ‘pickles’ out of immature green mangoes (obviously a little different from what we call pickles here in the U.S.). These can be quite spicy and are often put on things like crackers and bread,” said Alex Salazar, owner of Tropical Acres Farms in West Palm Beach. Let the mangoes ferment in oil and spices.
Make a chutney. This is an Indian relish served as a condiment. In addition to adding your green mangoes, you need other ingredients like vinegar, sugar and spices.
Eat it like an apple. Crane describes the taste as “sharp, pleasant, not sweet and [with] not a whole lot of juice.” Some connoisseurs add salt and pepper. Depending on the variety, some people also eat the skin.
Try it in an adult beverage. Here’s a recipe from Darren Anselmo, treasurer of the Broward County Farm Bureau and former owner of the Wild Flamingo Nursery in Davie: “My favorite is making an alcoholic drink by putting them in a 5-gallon bucket with sugar, and let it ferment into an amazing alcohol. Put in one cup of sugar per cup of fruit. Ferment for three months for maximum potency! We call it Mangy Mang.”
As for the mangoes remaining on trees, they most likely will be ready by late May or early June. However, due to warm temperatures this year, the fruit may start falling as early as mid-May, Crane said.
