Mangoes

I’ll never forget the first mango I ever tasted. It was so sweet and exotic like a plant marriage between a peach, pineapple and a banana - but not quite. I stood on my back porch eating the flesh from the fibrous pit with juice running all the way down my arms and dripping off my elbows. 

In my youth, growing up in Indiana meant I grew up with a limited selection of fruits but now it is much easier to get fruits and vegetables from afar. Mangoes come from Asia, South American and are grown more locally in Florida and California. There are so many cultivars, over 1,000 that the season starts in May doesn’t end until September.

 Mangoes, dubbed “the king of fruits” are high in fiber, folate, vitamin C and their orange-ish flesh indicate their high Beta-carotene content. They also contain many phyto-nutrients that support eye health including alpha-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin.

Savor the fruit alone or transform ordinary dishes with the recipe below for mango pico-de-gallo. It’s fabulous on just about everything. Try it on grilled chicken, fish, hamburgers or turn it into an amazing salad by mixing it half and half with cooked quinoa.

3 Ripe mangoes, diced (look for the a firmness similar to a ripe peach and strong fragrance)

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 jicama, diced (substitute a cucumber if you can’t find jicama)

½ red onion, finely diced

1 bunch cilantro chopped

Juice of ½ lime