It’s Mango Season!

Some sure signs of early summer in Key West: the bright orange Poinciana trees in full bloom, and luscious, ripe mangos hanging from seemingly every street corner.

If you live in Old Town Key West, you can expect that at least one bag of mangos will mysteriously appear on your porch sometime in June. There are just SO MANY MANGOS, you almost can’t give them away! Locals start competing for the most inventive recipes: mango curry chicken salad, mango upside-down cake, bourbon-mango pulled pork, and on and on until all the mangos are gone.

Another local trick for not wasting any of this deliciousness: freeze cubed mango in a Ziploc bag and use for smoothies well into the fall. In India (where mangoes originated and are considered sacred) people drink mango lassis: fresh mango, a little bit of fresh orange juice, ice cubes, honey, and plain yogurt. And speaking of drinks, a mango daiquiri is one mango, juice of two limes, sugar syrup to taste, ice, and 3/4 cup rum blended and served.

May all your mango dreams come true this summer!