This was written at the beginning of mango season, when the juiciness first hits, and included as a flyer in the Ode to Mango Box. With the backyard's harvest and help from our neighbors, this was our humble offering:

5-23-23

Mango season is a time of transition in Miami culture. Warm days with a breeze are changed for high humidity, intense sunshine, thunderstorms and, oh yes, mango. You can get mango from your neighbors and friends and strolls down the street, or baked into your local cafe’s seasonal pastry. There is an abundance of sweet stickiness, and it feels like a gift as the city shifts into its summer version of hibernation.

Unless you’re allergic (not so uncommon, I’ve learned in my days as a shopkeeper), the mango is one of those fruits that everyone loves. How do you even describe the romance of its flavor and fragrance? There are many ways to savor mango, but nothing compares to slicing open a ripe one at room temperature and eating it straight up, its juice streaming down your chin.

The mango in this box is from one of the two trees in our Miami backyard. One sits just beyond our back porch and— I admit, I don’t know what the name of this particular mango is but— uhnnmmm it’s perfect. Slices like butter, sweet and smooth, and grows big. With this mango we made mango jam and mango chutney. The mango roll up is from the second tree, which bears fruit earlier with a deeper orange flesh, lots of fiber, and even sweeter juice. The mango leaf is from both trees, and is nice used as an infusion (and has lots of medicinal properties I’m prohibited from sharing with you:) look it up!

Mango Jam with Vivianne

I invited plant-based baker and chef Vivianne of Love Bites to the house to make mango jam, since she’d made an amazing one for our Mother’s Day brunch. This time we flavored it with lemongrass, which is just a whisper in this chunky and yummy jam.

Mango Roll Ups with Rosalia

Rosalia is my sister who lives next door, and recently she whipped up mango fruit roll ups as an extra treat for that brunch I just mentioned. Truth be told, they never made it to the spread! But I did bring them to my son’s class the next day and it was a hit. It’s 100% mango.

Mango Chutney with Jill

Jill dropped off a mango chutney one day for me to try and I was so obsessed that, after giving a courtesy bite to Raul and my mom, I ate it with a spoon in one sitting. The depth of cardamom pairs so perfectly with mango, and this one we made at the shop second to last day.