It's Mango Time!

What's Cookin'?

Mangoes are on sale for less than $0.50 each right now.  That is when I usually load up for the year - or I hold out for 3 for a $1.  I can't do it this year so we're just getting a few at a time and eating them (yum!).  However, this is what I have done in years past (and hopefully in years future!).

First things first:

You can eat green mangoes (best soaked a bit in lemon juice with Real salt!), ripe mangoes (very sweet, juicy, messy, and stringy!), or... my favorite... sazon mangoes - that perfect stage in which they are starting to get sweet but are not yet stringy... just perfect!  Sazon ripeness is when you can just barely start to feel 'give' when you gently sqeeze it

There are several ways to peel and cut mangoes.  Some people, one of my daughters included, like to use a potato peeler and peel it first, then cut it.  I like to slice it up first and use a paring knife to easily slide the peel off of each piece.  That way it's easier for me to hold it steady while I'm cutting.  When processing a bunch, we throw the seeds in a big bag and toss it in the refrigerator.  Then we eat them for snacks so we don't waste a bit of tasty fruit.  Just chew the flesh off of the seed like you are eating corn on the cob.

Preserving Mangoes

There are 3 main ways that we preserve mangoes.  Freezing, dehydrating, and canning.

Freezing Mangoes:  This is the easiest, fastest, and freshest way.  Simply prepare your slices, arrange single layer in your container of choice, and freeze.  You could freeze on parchment paper and then repackage.  Sometimes when I'm in a hurry I actually just use baggies (I know, I know! I don't recommend them!) and lay them flat in the freezer. 

Dehydrating Mangoes:  We love these for snacks!  Simply prepare your slices (thinner than for freezing), arrange single layer on your dehydrator trays, and dehydrate to taste.  I've been known to double bag and toss the dehydrated and cooled mangoes in the freezer.  Otherwise I keep them in a well-sealed mason jar in the cupboard.

Canning Mangoes:  Canning is non NT-friendly (NT=Nourishing Traditions) so I am not actually recommending this, but we will occasionally can fruits.  I generally use this website for canning help.  It is an amazing resource for finding fresh fruit/veggies in your area:

http://www.pickyourown.org/

Note:  I just saw that the book Nourishing Traditions is on sale for $17.34 right now (instead of $27) and is eligible for free shipping with Amazon orders over $35.



This post is part of Fat Tuesday and Real Food Wednesday.

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