People tend to argue, and they will argue about almost anything. Religion and politics are at the top of the list, and arguments about either can and DO become extremely ugly. People will also argue over which football team is best, which sailboat is fastest and even which pot of food tastes the sweetest, and these types of arguments are usually good-natured and fun. On Bequia, when mangos ripen and start to fall from the laden trees, people can be heard arguing over which mango is “King”.
Plums and Mangos are the two most sought-after fruits on Bequia. The plums usually ripen first, and once everyone’s desire for the delectable purple treat has been satisfied the mangos begin to drop. There are many types of mangos, and as the trees don’t all bear at the same time it’s possible to move from one personal favourite to the next with ease. A good sign that a tree has started to ripen is the presence of unripe fruit on the ground, along with sticks and good-sized stones. When a ripe mango is spotted high in a tree the stoning game comes into play, and with enough persistence some people are very good at coaxing their goal from the branches! They usually manage to knock quite a few young mangos from the trees while they’re at it, sacrificing them in their quest for the ripe ones.
When I first lived on Bequia I made an honest effort to learn the names of the mango varieties, much as I had tried to learn the varieties of fish in the sea. I quickly realized that identifying the types of mangos was a fruitless endeavor (if you will pardon the pun!), there were simply too many that are similar in shape and size for me to sort out in my head. Also, like the fish in the sea, the names of mango types listed in books often bore no resemblance to what they are called on Bequia. There are literally hundreds of varieties of the luscious fruit, and many of them grow in St. Vincent & the Grenadines; Julie, Imperial, Horse, Parlover, Grafted, Polly, Ceylon, Cotton and many more drop from the trees as summer approaches, and the Island glories in their sweetness. Mangos are by far my favourite fruit, and I eat my full share as they ripen! The best (and neatest) way to eat a mango is up to the neck in the sea, but I don’t mind getting my face sticky if I’m not at the beach, I love mangos with a passion and will eat them anywhere.
I don’t argue about which variety is best, although I DO prefer to eat mangos that have firm flesh and are a deep orange in colour. The firmer ones are also best for use in the kitchen, and over the years I have turned out mango crisps, mango pies, mango cheesecakes, mango upside-down cakes, mango ice-cream and mango mousse. They are also great in fruit smoothies, so I freeze a lot of mango flesh during the season so we can enjoy it when the trees are bare. Bar drinks such as mango mojitos and mimosas are a treat, and so is a refreshing glass of fresh mango juice. It’s a versatile fruit that can be used creatively in the kitchen; when mangos are in abundance I add them to curries and salads, they are delicious so why not? I recently discovered the art of dehydrating fruit which is wonderful, it means we can eat mango all year round! The only variety I avoid Is the Horse mango, it tastes fine but is extremely hairy and therefore difficult to eat.
Mac loved mangos, and planted a few trees before he started building our home at Belmont. He never got to enjoy the fruits of his labours, but the sweet “Tens of Thousands” mangos from the tree he planted in front of the house are added to my smoothies each and every morning.
Mango is my favourite fruit too. I remember walking with Mac to one of his special trees. He called them belly-full mangoes cos they were so huge. During my years in the Caribbean I never saw rotting fruit on the ground. Then I lived in Hawaii with US attitudes and supermarkets and was shocked to see mangoes, avocados, breadfruit, oranges etc going to waste everywhere.
I maintained the Caribbean tradition of eating super ripe mangoes in the ocean or tide pools but was usually looked at as a freak. Some people just don’t realise what the greater pleasures of life can be.
I too am shocked by the amount of wasted mangoes, it sure didn’t happen when you lived here! Same goes for the plums, children used to climb the trees and pick them clean, guess they are too much into their device/social media now. We have started to gather up the mangoes that would otherwise rot (Frangipani yard is FULL of mangoes, also where Mackie’s house was at Lower Bay) and are drying them with great success. Nik made ice cream with chipped up dried mango, it’s incredible. We are going to sell the dried fruit, an assortment of mango, papaya, soursop and banana. Why not??