Cultivar Information for the
master list of compact mango treesCultivar Name:
CarrieTree Size, Growth Rate, Vigorousness-- Carrie is a bushy grower but not compact. It is a medium fast grower
(REF)-- Smallish, compact growth habit which is easy to control and does not have a lot of fungal/disease problems. At least here in Central Florida.
(REF)Productivity and Precociousness-- 40 mangos on a three year old tree sounds pretty darn good.
(REF)-- Reliable bearer when mature, Disease resistant
(REF)Ripening Time (Location dependent)-- This is the last Carrie fruit on the tree two fell off today (Aug 08). It is still green hope it holds till september. I got well over 100 fruit from june till now
(REF)-- its still only mid May and Carrie are usually ready sometime in June .
(REF)Flavor / Color / Tasting Notes-- It's been a bad year for uneven ripening. Many of my mango trees have had the same issue. It's easy to mitigate though -- pick the fruit while green and ripen indoors. I actually prefer carrie picked green to tree-ripened carries anyway (flesh is firmer and retains more acidity that way).
(REF)-- Yeah, unless you miss a few on a full grown tree, Carries should be picked mature green or at most, a slight color break on the shoulders (not sunburn but actual color break). When the ripen on the tree, the texture gets really soft, actuall too soft, and the taste it below par as far as a Carrie goes.
(REF)-- The Carries I've eaten were all fallen from the tree at the F&S Park, very yellow, slightly soft and very good. Carrie should be eaten quickly once ripe. They don't keep long. I would wait for more yellow coloration. Look at the PIN picture.
(REF)-- DO NOT rely on yellow color while picking Carrie. Some on my tree will stay 100% green while fully ripe inside. If you are not sure, bend it 90 degrees up and if ready, it will come off on its own. When ripe, the top of the mango around the stem will fill out and form into a "butt-shape"
Once it is no longer thin near the stem and fills out it should ripen properly. And when picked, I prefer to eat them when it begins to soften slightly to the touch and begin to smell.
(REF)-- Finally a break from all those mild tasting FL varieties!! Strong flavor plus piney taste made of of my favorites. Supposedly has very short window for perfection. I tried 5 Carries in various stages, and they were all excellent mangoes. Failed to see all that fuss about window of perfection and hate relationship some people have to this variety. Also refrigerated Carries are simply awesome. Refrigeration actually increases overall appeal with Carrie. It isn't necessarily true with other varieties.
(REF)-- The 'Carrie' mango variety demystified:
It's a very peculiar thing, describing the taste of the 'Carrie' mango. And, I've noticed that description of this variety can vary greatly from one person to another. This flavor description phenomenon does not happen in any other mango variety, that I'm aware of. For the record, I love this mango variety so much, that I have two planted trees.
The Carrie mango is very popular in island countries like Jamaica in the Caribbean, reportedly, this is due to its 'spicy' undertone flavors.
I'd really like to give it a shot, to describe the 'Carrie' mango eating experience. For example, I never have forgotten the very first time that I tasted a 'Carrie.' I was in my early teens. With all due respect, I think the optimal age for tasting a 'Carrie' for the first time is somewhere around the teen years; everything tastes better, sounds better, looks better...
So, here goes, it looked like a good quality mango at first sight. I noticed the lack of splashy red coloration of other varieties immediately ('Haden'). Everything about the 'cutting with a sharp knife' experience is perfect. I was expecting the standard mango flavor. I put the very first bite ever in my mouth and - woaw - this is not the regular standard mango flavor, what's this? A tiny bit of the regular flavor then a bit more of the 'piney' flavor. Then, it was, woaw, the best colorful way to describe it that comes to mind: this is voodoo, witchcraft taste. In a fraction of a second I was like, what kind of a trip is this? I wasn't sure which way my brain was going to go - hate the flavor - like the flavor - love the flavor, all in a fraction of a second. It was like a flavor experience that hit and kicked me at the same time. Then, the next bite was reminiscent of the first one but with a definite different 'spicy' flavor, and I was like, 'what the heck!' And then came my final, definite reaction: I had made my mind up, this was not a regular tasting mango, this was definitely a witchcraft/voodoo flavored mango and I was hooked! This is definitely not a 'goody two shoes' taste, or 'Dorothy in la la land' taste... The flavor was synonymous with dangerous/scary activities like 'cave diving..,' It was a dangerous, adventurous taste. Right there and then I knew I was addicted. It was almost as if I valued this mango's taste to be one of the highest quality. The weird thing is that I started not being sure if I liked the taste at the first bite and wound up later after finishing the mango, completely and forever addicted to this variety.
In conclusion, this mango has one of those tastes that it is an acquired, addictive, taste. It's a taste that grabs you, possesses you. In hindsight, I realize that I was very fortunate. My first 'Carrie' mango was removed/picked from the tree with perfect timing, at the point/moment when there was a subtle but definite change in the coloration, that indicated that the mango was ready for the picking. Perhaps this correct timing of picking the mango off the tree is what's important in order to truly appreciate/experience the exquisite taste of the 'Carrie.' Perhaps incorrectly timing the picking of the 'Carrie' is what has not allowed some to appropriately evaluate this variety.
(REF)-- It is a distinct taset to the flesh and a "piney"/resinous component near the skin that some, or many find off putting. It is usually a love or hate relationship with the Carrie. Duncan has a similar component which some describe as an unpleasant taste near the skin.
(REF)-- For the "American palate" (ie, anglos who've grown up eating apples and pears), the carrie has a tight window of awesomeness, and I'm quite convinced that a good portion of those who report that they dislike it have never tried a carrie in that stage.
The carrie goes from creamy (code word for chalky :-), with a great sweet and tart combo to sweet gelatinous sludge with funky odor and foul aftertaste very quickly. The novice mango eater will wait until the carrie is yellow before eating, but that is a mistake. One should consume the carrie at the very first sign of give. (This does not apply to islanders / latinos, as they often prefer to let it ripen to the point of extreme sweetness.)
Carrie also tend to have a better flavor and consistency (in my opin) if picked green and allowed to ripen indoors. I very rarely find a tree ripened carrie that I like.
It takes some trial and error to get the carrie at the right stage, it does have that strong piney flavor (which is stronger in some years than others), and the flavor can vary from year to year. But overall it's a great mango with many excellent qualities:
- Incredible flavor and texture when eaten at the right stage
- Best mango for "processing" (smoothies, ice cream, etc)
(REF)