Wednesday, February 16, 2022

The Mangoes are Back... With A Second Blooming Inflorescence

It has been "Weird" for a couple years now.  The world went upside down a while back and those of us who have been preaching about things changing since childhood are right.

Whether you like it or not.

The weather where I grew up in South Jersey by the time I moved out in the 1990s was basically what had been winter weather in North Carolina, broadly. 

Now that the science is indisputable, instead of getting offended and blaming one class of people or another (It's really the oil companies and the car companies' faults if you ask me) I have but one answer.

Plant A Tree.  Today, tomorrow, forever, keep planting trees.   

That lefty-looney who you called a tree hugger was right, get over yourself.  After you're gone your great grand-kids will say "Hey they weren't all bad, now go and pick some fruit"!

At any rate, I did.  You see years ago, I had a co-worker.  A beautiful island woman from Jamaica who told me a story in that Big Sister Voice that everyone in their then 20s longs to hear.  She said that "Back in J-A" we plant trees by the road so that people could reach up in season and have a meal.  She said you'll never eat them all, and I guess in a city you may be right.

I have noticed here in South Florida people were way too grabby and would go into your yard and empty your trees of fruit so I have to assume that the trees she planted were near a wall and only some of the fruit was exposed to the passers by.

 
When we moved in here there is (currently, still) a massive mango tree on the nearby corner.
  I have permission from the property owner to take as much as I want, and I do, and it leaves a lot there. 

Oh and there's a helpful recipe for Mango Jelly in that link... I think I need it myself!

Remembering all of this, I planted an orange tree that is still here in the wrong spot.  Then my own Mango.

My own mango tree is in my back yard.  Away from everything and prying eyes.  I've only gotten a couple pounds out of it each year but it has paid for itself even at the bargain basement prices you see at a yard sale.


This year it flowered early and put out a few measly inflorescences so I thought it was going to be a bad Mango year and ignored it.   Every year when picked, I "lower" the tree to my height and it looks like a hat rack.  The tree mopes the next year and I get few fruit.

This year was going to be one of those same years but I had a surprise.  There are flower spikes coming out literally all over the place.  Like twice or three times the amount of usual.

So since I have two bags of Mango Puree in the freezer, I'll be having that with my morning meals and the fresh fruit should be here by spring.

Stay tuned.

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