2023 Mango Season

[roblack]

I usually prefer mangoes picked green, but cant be too early or they don't ripen well/right. Some varieties are more forgiving than others.

Have to imagine that sellers of large volumes of fruit would have a tough time getting this right all the time, unless an objective and accurate early ripening detection system was developed and utilized. 

Squirrels and other animals seem to know when green mangoes are about to ripen. What are they picking up on, and can we find a way to do the same?

...to answer the original question, while I don't know about that particular mango specifically, I've waited nearly 2 weeks for a green mango to ripen, and have then enjoyed an excellent mango. Sweet Tart is one that comes to mind.

[johnb51]

I admit I don't have any experience picking mangos green.  Pickering, Angie, Mahachanok, and Honey Kiss are all color-changing mangos (or self-picking as Pickering and Angie will drop on their own).  PPK starts to change color as well and will go full yellow.

[roblack]

To me, a tree ripened mango should be eaten immediately, or very soon thereafter. There is no window for shipping or sitting around all week.

Some mangoes are partial exemptions and can last a few days on the counter after being picked tree-ripened. But they all degrade in quality with time. Green gives you time to play with and ship or wait, if picked right. 

When I buy mangoes (which is usually weekly), always want at least 1/2 to 3/4+ of them to be green. Yellow hard ones are cool too. This way, I can have good and different mangoes all week.

But, if you have a bunch of trees and lotsa fruit thru the season, tree ripened is the way to go. Pick and eat =)

Mangoes that change color allow for easier early detection.  Squirrels are teaching me when to pick the ones that stay green.

If you receive green mangoes, focus on softness when squeezed.

[zands]

 I am giving a shout-out to member Florida Boy who righteously came and got some of  my  mangoes.  Mostly ST and PC....Then we drove to Cookie Monster's house, where  Florida Boy was amazed  by the extensive  fruit trees. And had a long talk with Elsy-  Jeff's Wife.......  So long  that I drove back home.   To leave FB  there to drive back to Miami in his own car.

[personal info redacted]

[hipasfolk]

I got a box recently that had 3 sweet tarts. The first two were perfect but the last, even a week and a half later, was still green hard and chalky. At that point I assume it was picked too soon and just wasn't ever gonna ripen up nicely.

[johnb51]

Here is the second of the Piña Colada mangos that I purchased from ZHPP on 7/7.  They both were chalky so I believe they were picked too green.  PC is an example of a mango with lots of fiber that is totally redeemed by the flavor of the mango.  This is a "knock-your-socks" fruit with high brix and high acidity at the same time.  The name approximates the flavor, and there's some spiciness as well.

[Honest Abe]

First of all, OS is certainly a dulled -down citrus mango compared to PPK and LZ but still an elite mango IMO. I even Would go as far as saying PPK Can hold it’s own in comparison to LZ, IF LZ isn’t at its best. They are all different flavor  profiles but in a battle of citrus mangos, I take PPK, LZ, OS, Okrung, in that order based on consistent eating quality alone. I know peeps might hate on me for calling okrung in the citrus category but I think it to be true I’d call it “key lime pie” or “honey-lime” if I could. I might even throw “Philippine” in the citrus category and probably Mallika too with its tangerine/orange flavors.


Secondly, ZHHP definitely picks too early, year after year. Usually Everything is chalky but still get an idea of what flavors the mangos are capable of, However IN MY OPINION mangos like  Sugarloaf  actually benefit from being picked early and ripening more evenly.

[Oolie]

OS had a different flavor than LZ and PPK, LZ and PPK were pretty close, both great, OS has a similar flavor, but I found more depth to it, like LZ meet coconut classic type flavor maybe closer to VP. All great fruit, I'd pick the one with the best season or shelf life.

Taralay is interesting, mild resin on the inside with parsnip towards the peel.

Zinc is very similar to P-22, I think Zinc may be the best of the Parsnip mangoes, but with a prime example of Coc/Cac ripening, I will withhold the title.

O-2 is Everything you would hope for in a mango however. Thick skin, Strong acidity, Nice Navel orange type citrus flavor. I am still on the fence if the mystery mango my friend is giving me are OE or O-2. The bright acidity is a dynamic contrast in O-2, makes it worth the wait.

Kent. It's a great standby, the best ones are rare, but if you can find them close to ripe, it's still a really great fruit, amazing how much fiber newer selections have compared to this common commercial entity.

[MANGOJOY]

I tasted one M4, I picked early so skin were wrinkly. Its taste similar to coconut cream.

[bovine421]

I tasted one M4, I picked early so skin were wrinkly. Its taste similar to coconut cream.

After last season I couldn't agree more and I think taking them straight out of the refrigerator in hances that coconut flavor even more.

[johnb51]

Secondly, ZHHP definitely picks too early, year after year. Usually Everything is chalky but still get an idea of what flavors the mangos are capable of, However IN MY OPINION mangos like  Sugarloaf  actually benefit from being picked early and ripening more evenly.

Yes, you get an idea about the flavors.  I got my little Sugarloaf tree and look forward to fruit in a few years and learning when to pick them!

[bulldawg305]

Does anyone have an opinion about this?  If a mango is picked green and after one week it's still hard and green (well starting to show a little yellow), was it probably picked too green?  The mango in question is Karla, which is supposed to be a mid to late mango.  I'm thinking that Zill may still be picking their mangos too early, which has been a problem in the past with them.  You see 95% of the mangos in their office/shop being sold green with no color.  Also, I overheard another customer asking about a particular variety, and the lady in the office (who seemed uncomfortable talking to customers) said it wasn't grown by them.  Does anyone know who else they might get mangos from?

First year picking Karla from my tree and this appears to be another mango that needs to be picked green to avoid uneven ripening. All the ones picked when showing signs of tree-ripening all had the same issue. Once cut open, the bottom 1/3 of the mango was just mush. Curious to know if anyone else is experiencing this or not. I've been picking its "sibling" Fruit Punch, when the nose turns yellow and it has no ripening issues at all.

[Calusa]

We got a set of those Corelle Butterfly Gold dishes as a wedding gift in 1975. Still have most of them!

[johnb51]

We got a set of those Corelle Butterfly Gold dishes as a wedding gift in 1975. Still have most of them!

How about these?  Even older!

A forum friend--one of the original members from 2012 like me (we're getting old!)--gave me a bag of SweetTarts today.  I'll be reporting on those next.

[Honest Abe]

Had some great sweet tarts today, but honey kiss blew my mind. I had no idea honey kiss was capable of such greatness and complexity.

[Julie]

Secondly, ZHHP definitely picks too early, year after year. Usually Everything is chalky but still get an idea of what flavors the mangos are capable of, However IN MY OPINION mangos like  Sugarloaf  actually benefit from being picked early and ripening more evenly.

Yes, you get an idea about the flavors.  I got my little Sugarloaf tree and look forward to fruit in a few years and learning when to pick them!

Unfortunately this is a major problem with all mango retailers here.  Also, you are paying $$$$ now, so you feel sad for wasting your money on something that doesn't taste great.  This is why growing your own mangoes is a necessity! 

[johnb51]

SweetTart and Karla



The difference between a good mango and an amazing mango!  Karla was picked 11 days ago and was still hard.  I would guess the variety has more flavor potential.  As it is, it's medium sweet and in the classic flavor category of Kent/Keitt/Edward with a little more fiber than Kent or Keitt.  It would probably be a good commercial variety for picking/shipping/sitting-in-the-store with decent flavor remaining.

Now SweetTart is in a different league.  I picked this mango yesterday.  It's juicy with deep color (and boy would it stain your clothes).  The flavor is SE Asian (sorry, don't like the word "Indochinese" for something that's neither Indian nor Chinese) with floral and cola (parsnip) notes but with a lot of sugar and a lot of acidity.  It's obvious why Alex says it's his favorite.

[bovine421]

SweetTart and Karla



The difference between a good mango and an amazing mango!  Karla was picked 11 days ago and was still hard.  I would guess the variety has more flavor potential.  As it is, it's medium sweet and in the classic flavor category of Kent/Keitt/Edward with a little more fiber than Kent or Keitt.  It would probably be a good commercial variety for picking/shipping/sitting-in-the-store with decent flavor remaining.

Now SweetTart is in a different league.  I picked this mango yesterday.  It's juicy with deep color (and boy would it stain your clothes).  The flavor is SE Asian (sorry, don't like the word "Indochinese" for something that's neither Indian nor Chinese) with floral and cola (parsnip) notes but with a lot of sugar and a lot of acidity.  It's obvious why Alex says it's his favorite.

I prefer sweet tart when it turns yellow and so do the birds

Be careful not to pick them too early

[Oolie]

As OS ripens further I find myself favoring it more than LZ.
Where LZ is a more monotoned candy OS has more complexity, it has excellent orangey flavor similar to navel oranges.

I'm happy to find poly seeds rooting in the shells.

[roblack]

Have seen nearly the opposite with OS and LZ; OS being sweet but 1 or 2-dimensional in flavor (orange and mango), and LZ being bright, sweet, and more complex. Even had an LZ with coconut flavor at the seed.

[Oolie]

Have seen nearly the opposite with OS and LZ; OS being sweet but 1 or 2-dimensional in flavor (orange and mango), and LZ being bright, sweet, and more complex. Even had an LZ with coconut flavor at the seed.

I'm all the more excited for when mine start fruiting.

Goes to show that some years one will dominate, in other years the opposite may be true.

[johnb51]

Go CeciLove!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuqQhgzmsIY

[johnb51]

Had some great sweet tarts today, but honey kiss blew my mind. I had no idea honey kiss was capable of such greatness and complexity.

That's great to hear.  My little tree is developing nicely.

[CarloGolfer]

Had my first Pickering off my little tree. This tiny Pickering was everything a Pickering should be. Truly delicious.

[bovine421]

Have seen nearly the opposite with OS and LZ; OS being sweet but 1 or 2-dimensional in flavor (orange and mango), and LZ being bright, sweet, and more complex. Even had an LZ with coconut flavor at the seed.

I'm all the more excited for when mine start fruiting.

Goes to show that some years one will dominate, in other years the opposite may be true.

Oolie take the pledge the lemon zest pledge don't be perplexed about the complexity of LZ