Calif Mango taste test

[FloridaGreenMan]

Yesterday I stopped at one of our local "Fresh Markets" and they had a pile of California grown Keitt mangos. They looked OK and were pricey at $3 each but I had to try one. It ripened today and tried it this morning. Sorry to say that it was pretty bad, almost insipid.  Tasted like those 69cent Mexican or Peruvian mangos.  It was clearly picked several weeks before maturity. The color of the pulp should be a much deeper yellow.  I have eaten Calif mangos before and they were pretty good!   
     



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[MangoFang]

Yeah, FGM, they usually are pretty good out here, and the ones off my tree last year were
outstanding.  I've discoverd that they can't just be soft but REAL soft to bring out all their lushness...

I reported awhile back that I had gotten 6 giant ones at Costco and only one had jelly seed -
the others were pretty tasty - they were grown in Mexico.

Like any thing..............


fang

[FloridaGreenMan]

Yea, the same thing happens with Florida fruit. I remember buying pricey Homestead Florida Sapodillas at Whole Foods and they were awful, picked weeks before they were ready. I love good peaches and I did not find a good tasting one this year either. These farmers need to do a better job on picking for flavor and not just for profits.     

[zands]

Going by the yellow color and the firmness this is acidy and under ripe. Picked too soon for better shippability.

[bsbullie]

Yea, the same thing happens with Florida fruit. I remember buying pricey Homestead Florida Sapodillas at Whole Foods and they were awful, picked weeks before they were ready. I love good peaches and I did not find a good tasting one this year either. These farmers need to do a better job on picking for flavor and not just for profits.     

Believe it or not, the best store bought peaches this year were from Publix...for about a two week period they were selling Florida peaches that were fantastic...blew away any Georgia peach (I will not even consider a Cali peach a peach as peaches should not have the texture of an apple),

I also had some peaches that a friend bought at Sams Club...they were in a plastic container with a designer name...taste/texture/sweetness were all outstanding.

[JF]

Yesterday I stopped at one of our local "Fresh Markets" and they had a pile of California grown Keitt mangos. They looked OK and were pricey at $3 each but I had to try one. It ripened today and tried it this morning. Sorry to say that it was pretty bad, almost insipid.  Tasted like those 69cent Mexican or Peruvian mangos.  It was clearly picked several weeks before maturity. The color of the pulp should be a much deeper yellow.  I have eaten Calif mangos before and they were pretty good!   
     



.

Noel
that's common over here if you buy your mangos at a supermarket. I have never had that problem when I buy my California Keitts at my local Farmers Market.

[Tropicdude]

They may have been picked ok, but the shippers, or store, may have refrigerated them to extend their shelf life.  the problem is they do not ripen correctly.

the distributor will buy the whole orchards production, and they are usually picked in only 1 or 2 passes, the problem they may not be able to sell the whole bunch, so they refrigerate part of them.  in none organic orchards, they may use chemical to retard ripening, but if organic, they will use refrigeration.

With Keitts, there was probably no need to try and extend their shelf life, as they can hold up about 3 weeks just fine.