This time of the year there are mangos all over the place on the Placencia Peninsula. Everyone has their favorite variety – No. 11 mangos, Black mangos, Blue mangos, Hairy mangos, Common mango, Slippers mango, White mango, Special mango, Apple mango, Thundashaw mango, Daddyfoot mango and many, many more.

Some people like the “green” or unripe and eat them with special mixtures called “Jungle Juice” – a combination of salty, sour and often spicy, or downright hot, ingredients! This is a favorite of children but is also thought to be an indicator of a new pregnancy in a woman……. If you see a lady craving green mango and sauce watch out! Others like their mangos when they have just “turned” from green and are beginning to ripen. The flesh is still firm and beginning to be sweet but not too sweet. And there are those that “put up” their mangos until they ripen. This is often done by picking them when they have “turned” and then wrapping them in cloth and placing them in a draw, under the bed in a box or somewhere else special where nobody else could find it.

Large quantities of green mangos have been known to give those that over indulge tummy aches. It is also thought that large quantities of ripe mango will make one sleepy. This could explain whole households napping away the afternoon during mango season in years gone by before most people had to rush back to work after their lunch break. After all a nice juicy mango was and still is a favorite after lunch dessert.

There are other creative ways to use these delicious fruits – no matter what your favorite! Check out these recipes below an try your hand!