The Mango Is Native To India And Many Warm Climate Countries

The Mango has been around for centuries. Its early origin began in the southern part of Asia. India is a big grower of this fruit tree. Throughout the centuries warm climate countries began cultivating this tree. Brazil, Barbados, Dominican Republic, and later Mexico. Today, southern Florida in the United States cultivates the fruit.

An amazing aspect of this particular tree is its lifespan. It can live up to 250 to 300 years. It thrives in tropical climates due to the rainy summer seasons. The dry weather after the rainy season allows the trees to flourish. Mango trees can mature anywhere from thirty five to one hundred feet tall, and when mature, their width can sprawl out up to 100 feet. The root system is very deep when established and the roots will spread out.

This tree can be started from seed. The seeds are usually taken from ripe fruit. The best soil conditions are sand and some limestone. Gravel will also benefit this species. One of the critical aspects of growing this tree is the soil should be well drained. It should also be rich in nutrients but not over fertilized. The Mango's also can be grafted and grown. The trees can take anywhere from six to nine years to reach maturity. Yellow and red flowers will appear in mass over each tree. The fruit will be ready to pick about four to five months after the flowers have bloomed. One way growers know whether the fruit is ready for picking, is if the stem breaks off easily. This means the fruit is fully ripe. There can be up to 1,000 different varieties of Mango available today. Other countries are also exporting this fruit such as Israel, South Africa and Australia.

Green

Red

The skin is smooth and has a rubber texture to it. This fruit comes in many different colors. The rich flavor varieties will have yellow, red, orange or green color in the skin. One way to tell for ripeness is to smell the stem end for its known fragrance. The fruit should be soft to touch. If the fruit isn't quite ripe yet, you can leave it out to soften. Once the fruit is ripen, you should eat it within a couple of days. I remember the first time I had fresh Mango juice in the Caribbean. The flavor can be sweet but also contain a bit of tartness to it. The juice was thick and had a soothing flavor. This fruit enhances a lot of different culinary dishes around the world. Many chefs use the Mango in salads, pasta and shrimp dishes and add other spices to enhance the flavor. I enjoy eating the fruit plain as well as adding it to fresh grilled fish. Trout and Grouper are two of my favorites. This fruit also provides nutritional value to us. It is rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals and also a good source of fiber and potassium. The Mango is becoming more popular around the world and a wonderful fruit to eat as a snack, or add the juice or fruit to your favorite dish. If you have some recipes of this fruit and would like to share it or a picture of a tree, feel free to go to the show and tell section of this website. If you haven't tried this fruit yet and it is available in your area, go ahead a take a nice juicy bite and discover its unique flavor.