Papaya & Mangoes

[tbb113]

Does anybody know when papayas and mangoes are in season?

[Peggy]

For hat it's worth, according to my book, (The Green Grocer by Joe Carcione:

Mangoes: You're most likely to find mangoes in the average retail store between May and September. June is the peak month, because that's when most of the Florida mangoes are harvested. The rest of the time the fruit is imported to the East Coast from the West Indies and Haiti and to the West Coast from Mexico.

Papayas: May and June are the months when the supply of papayas is heaviest. But you will find them on the market all year long at a pretty even rate of distribution.

This book was written years ago, so I'm not sure if this information is still current or valid. I know that the stores up here are all selling mangoes at a sale price, so I might have guessed they were in their high season.:o

Peggy

[tbb113]

I got a mango last week in my produce delivery and discovered that my younger son likes mangoes. I was thinking that this was mango season too since it was in the delivery.

[leannebw]

FYI, Trader Joes sells frozen mango pieces and they're actually very good. Usually I don't like frozen fruit, but I was surprised at how good the mangoes were when defrosted. When mangoes aren't on sale, I buy these.

[Peggy]

More than likely, the sources and distribution patterns in the US have changed since the book was written. He used to be the big expert on produce in the US. But times do change. I have noticed lots more recipes for mangoes in the summer magazines so maybe they are at their peak then, even though they are now available year round.

Peggy

[funniegrrl]

"Available" and "in season" are two different things. For example, Navel oranges are now available year-round, but to me the only time they are worth eating is when they are in season in North America, which is right now. Same with tomatoes -- who wants to eat one of those mealy globes of mush that are available in the winter?