When do i pick my mangoes

The trees will usually start flowering in spring, after which they will start to bear fruit. Mango season in Australia starts in September, peaking in November to February, with some late harvests available in March. The fruit has matured when the nose the end opposite the stem and shoulders have filled out. The mango should feel nice and firm, not squishy. The skin is starting to turn from green to yellow, often with an orange or red blush.

Then you can begin your harvest. To pick mangoes, grasp the fruit and give it a tug. Make sure to leave a cm stem at the top of the fruit, otherwise the sap might leak and cause sap burn.

Not only does this irritate your skin, it can cause lesions on your mangoes and lead to fruit rot. Note that ripening does not happen all at once, and mango fruits will continue to ripen over several days after being picked. You can pick a few at a time, or even make a game of it with your kids and teach them to climb carefully, and with supervision! Thinly sliced green mangoes make a wonderful Asian salad and green mangoes go well with almost anything.

However, most people are accustomed to eating mangoes which have ripened so how can we tell when a mango is ripe to eat?

Easy, a mango is ripe to eat when the skin has a slight blush, the mango feels soft and not firm when lightly squeezed, and the mango is fragrant smells nice and sweet. Just a side note, not all types of mangoes ripen with a blush as some remain green skinned but most do go yellow or orange when ripe.

What about picking a ripe mango from the tree? At this stage, the mango might still be quite firm but if left on a kitchen bench it will soon ripen in a few days. When picking a mango off the tree it's best to cut it leaving about an inch or so of stem still attached to the fruit this will curb the sap bleed and help to direct the sap away from running onto the mango. Mango sap on the skin of the fruit can spoil it and turn the skin black.

Try to store the mango so the sap runs out from the stem away from the fruit. Will a mango ripen if you pick it too green? Yes, it will still ripen if you pick it too early from the tree but it may not taste as good as it would if it were left to ripen longer on the tree.

Large-fruited varieties "Keitt" and "Kent" retain a mostly green color even when ripe. Evaluate ripeness by the yielding flesh and good aroma. The flesh has little fiber with thin seeds. To ripen harvested or purchased mature mangoes, keep them at room temperature until softness, color and aroma indicate ripeness. Ripening takes several days and can be hastened by putting the mango in a paper bag.

Store ripe mangoes in the refrigerator for up to five days. Don't refrigerate mangoes before ripening, and don't expose them to temperatures above 86 degrees Fahrenheit for more than 10 days to avoid uneven ripening or damage to the fruit. Carolyn Csanyi began writing in , specializing in topics related to plants, insects and southwestern ecology. By Carolyn Csanyi. Timing Tips for Harvesting Mangos 9 min by Garden.

Share article on Facebook Share article on Pinterest. You may also like. Tips on Harvesting Beets. Tips and Information about Germinating a Mango Seed.

Harvesting gooseberries when half-ripe. Tips on How to Graft Mango Trees. Tips for Planting and Growing a Mango Seed.