Learn how to wake up a dormant fruit tree, keep squirrels from stealing all your produce, and how to make delicious recipes, using organic mangoes!
Ten months ago, when we moved into our house-a fixer upper that had been vacant for nearly four years, we were delighted to find not only a sweet orange tree, but two avocado trees, a lime tree, and a mango tree. Having been born in South Florida, a love for all things mango is in my blood, and we were determined to get it to produce fruit.
Our neighbor, a 72 year old man from St. Kitts, informed us that the best way to wake up a tree was to ‘whack it’. We asked with what, and his answer was, “A 2×4, of course!” We tried his rather unconventional method, and the tree appeared to still be dormant, growing no leaves or sprout, and looking rather lifeless. After convincing my significant other that bumping it with his Jeep was not allowed, we gave the tree one more ‘whack’, and suddenly, it came to life. New leaves and sprouts were everywhere, and we were so excited to see baby mangoes finally starting to appear.
We weren’t the only ones to spot them, however. Have I mentioned that our yard is full of squirrels? Squirrels being fed peanuts by two of our neighbors, climbing all over my lawn furniture, and swinging from our hammock, fat and happy, and ready to munch on something new.
We’ve spent the past few months battling to keep our fruit-loving rodent friends off that precious mango tree, with us trying everything from a fake owl that has managed to scare our poor neighbor, a borrowed dog, and my husband, who found that barking at them and throwing things at the tree worked best.
It was a lot of effort, and there were losses on both sides of this war, but we were able to save a couple dozen mangoes for ourselves.
They all started falling off the tree when summer storms began this year, and we’ve now got a bunch that have ripened at once. So, what do you do with ripe mangoes?
Well, for starters, you can make a frozen Spicy Mango Daiquiri!
Frozen Spicy Mango Daiquiri
by Cassandra Rosen
Makes 6 cocktails
3 cups frozen mangoes, cubed
6 oz dark rum
3 tbs fresh lime juice
1 oz dry orange liqueur
2 oz chili pepper liqueur (I used Ancho Reyes)
5 teaspoons sugar
3 cups ice cubes
Directions:
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth and serve.
Mango Leather, aka, the Fruit Roll Up!
Growing up in the 80’s, fruit roll ups were all the rage. Unfortunately, they also had a lot of sugar and artificial ingredients, something my mother did not allow in our house. To satisfy our craving for sweet, sticky treats, she used to make fruit leather. If you’ve got at least 6 or more very ripe mangoes lying around, try this recipes-either in the oven, or using a dehydrator. Paleo fruit roll ups are highly addictive, so be warned! They are made from healthy fruits, but not calorie free. We’re fairly certain your kids will love this recipe as much as we do!
If cocktails are calling your name this weekend, try something fresh and fruity with a little kick, like this Mango Habanero margarita recipe. Don’t skip the fresh sour mix recipe-it totally makes the drink.