The mango of my childhood is the Haden, a common Florida variety that we picked from a tree that peeked over my grandma’s property line. To me the Haden was exotic—something we couldn’t get unless we schlepped eight hours from South Georgia to Palm Beach County in late summer.
Almost everyone who grows up in the tropics has “their own” mango, says Dr. Richard Campbell, senior curator of tropical fruit for Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (pictured below). And it’s likely—no matter the mango’s color, taste, or nation of origin—your mango grows on the Fairchild Farm in Homestead. Campbell and horticulturalist Noris Ledesma grow close to 450 mango varieties on the farm.
Among the farm’s collection are prized Indian mangos, which will be the focus of Fairchild’s 18th Annual International Mango Festival, held on July 10 and 11. I have yet to sample this king of fruits (something I plan to rectify this weekend), but they’re known for their intense flavor and perfect, fiberless texture.
But the mango king can turn into a monster in the wrong hands. Indian mangos, unlike their Floridian counterparts, are picked before they fully ripen. Letting them ripen on the tree or growing them in soil that’s too rich in nitrogren produces “scary” mangos with flavors reminiscent of a wet sock, says Campbell.
Rest assured, the Indian mangos at Fairchild won’t give you nightmares of middle school gym class. They’re picked at the right time (when the mangos’ bellies or shoulders widen). They ripen at a perfect temperature (85° to 90°). And they’re never fed nitrogen fertilizers.
All of Fairchild’s mangos are treated with such care—not just the Indian stars—and the festival aims to teach home gardeners how to nurture their own trees. The garden will sell Angie and Jean Ellen saplings for $35 and give lectures on pruning and grafting, among other topics.
For condo dwellers (like me) and other non-growers, the festival also will feature 300 mango varieties on display, mango tastings, cooking demonstrations, a chutney cook-off, a mango auction, and Bollywood dance.
Not only will the festival host sweaty, mango-loving hordes, but it also will hold a conference to teach local and international growers how to produce Indian mangos for a hungry U.S. market. Right now, the mangos are flown from India to United States, and air travel jacks up the cost and comprises the quality of the fruit.
If Campbell has anything to do with it—and if we’re lucky enough—we’ll all come to know and love Indian mangos, they’ll be more affordable, and they’ll be grown a lot closer to home.
18th Annual International Mango Festival
July 10 and 11, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
10901 Old Cutler Road Coral Gables, FL 33156
If you can’t make the mango festival, you can purchase mangos in season at Fairchild Farm, along with avocados, sapodilla, jackfruit and other tropical fruits.
Fruit Market
Saturdays and Sundays 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Fairchild Farm
14885 SW 248 St., Homestead, FL 33032
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