Heaven, pure nectar, sumptuous, mouth-watering bliss! This is what I feel as the soft texture of mango enlivens my taste buds. I savor each bite of the creamy texture as piece by piece they effortlessly slide down and fill my whole Being with ecstasy! Mango season is finally here, yay! I have been impatiently counting the days since this time last year, especially as this year the mangos became ripe a month late due to winter being late. They usually are ready in mid May and this year they started to come in at the beginning of June.
Without a doubt, mango is my favorite fruit. When the season comes, I have mango smoothies, mango chutneys, mango ice cream, mango sherbet, mango crumble, and the best of all: a plain freshly cut mango.
Three years ago, I discovered an organic mango orchard in Delray Beach off of Seacrest Boulevard called Truly Tropical. They offer over 50 varieties of mango. I never knew so many types existed, and every kind is delicious. It is a pure delight to discern the subtle unique tastes of the different varieties.
Driving into the mango orchard, one sees hundreds of saffron colored mangos, dangling from the trees like golden droplets ready to fall to the ground. It is paradise for mango lovers.
Eating mangos locally and in season, such as those that have freshly fallen to the ground, will be healthier, sweeter, and usually cheaper than ones that are shipped in as with any organic fruit or vegetable.
“Foods lose flavor just as they lose moisture when they are held. Fresh, locally harvested foods have their full, whole flavors intact, which they release to us when we eat them,” explains Susan Herrmann Loomis, owner of On Rue Tatin Cooking School in France and the author of numerous cookbooks. “Foods that are chilled and shipped lose flavor at every step of the way – chilling cuts their flavor, transport cuts their flavor, being held in warehouses cuts their flavor.”
According to to Brian Halweil, author of “Eat Here: Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket,”
“If you harvest something early so that it can endure a long distance shipping experience, it’s not going to have the full complement of nutrients it might have had.”
In addition, transporting produce sometimes requires irradiation, which means the produce is sprayed with to kill germs. In addition preservatives (such as wax) are added to protect the produce, which is subsequently refrigerated during the trip.
Fortunately, mangos are a healthy fruit and contain 20 vitamins and minerals. Studies suggest that mangos decrease the risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Eating mangos also promotes a healthy complexion and even weight loss!
How can a piece of fruit that tastes so good have so many health benefits? Maybe it is better not to analyze this question. Just enjoy the bursts of bliss that result from eating this sweet gift from above and count your blessings, that you are fortunate to experience the heavenly joy of fresh, ripe mangos while on this earth.
