Mango Season

It’s that time of year again, my favourite, mango’s madness! 

Grafton has a lot of mango trees, the last town along the East coast while going south. And they’re not only in orchards and backyards, you’ll find them in many public parks as well. A good reason for many traveler to swing of the highway for a mango picnic. 

Thriving in paddocks, they create a perfect shade (and snack) tree for livestock. At the height of the season, unpicked these trees will create on big fermented mess on the ground, making some streets a messy slip-and-slide crawling with ants.

With fond memories I think back to our first freshly picked mangoes in Queensland, where we lived close to the Australian mango district of Bowen. Like paradise, mangoes everywhere!  I remember drunk and disorderly parrots, too drunk to fly. And pigs swaying in the paddock totally out of it.

And I’m not the only mango addict.

Having used up all but one of my 15 jars with mango chutney I made last year, I’m trying out a couple of new recipes to restock the pantry.

Today I did a Pakistan Green Mango Chutney, a double batch using unripe mangoes and adding some chopped up turmeric for extra colour.

 Doing it the right way, the jars will last outside of the fridge or freezer. A thorough hot wash, filling, and finishing them off in a boiling water bath.

This recipe turned out really well, thick and chunky, slightly sweet with a nice spicy bite. Perfect to use instead of mustard on a cheese and salad sandwich, or alongside a curry, with salads and naan.

Tomorrow when a couple more mangoes have ripened I’ll try out a Mango & Apricot Pickle, darker and sweeter and perfect as a dip. I’ll let you know how that one turns out.

For those in the Grafton area, without their own tree. A small orchard on the corner of the Pacific Highway and Four Mile Lane sells them for $15 a box.