Take 5, Mango Lady Mango Marathon (Round 3): Interview with mango lover, Dr. Caren Neile, Professor/Co-host of The Public Storyteller on 91.3 WLRN (NPR)

Welcome to Round 3 of The Mango Lady Mango Marathon. Check out Round 1 and Round 2 for a recap of the juicy details from prior mango showcase.

This past week mango lovers around the country paid homage to the King of Fruits on National Mango Day, July 22, with a myriad of festivals, fun foods and artwork centered on the love affair with mangoes.

The nutritional benefits of mangoes are off the charts. Mangoes are a super fruit and an excellent source of vitamins A and C, a good source of fiber and contains vitamin B-6 (11% of the daily recommended intake) which promotes the production of serotonin, a hormone that elevates your feel good mood.

Tap into your inner chef and check out mouth watering mango recipes like Mango Salsa, Mango Chia Pudding. With the tale end of mango season ahead of us, there is still abundant opportunities to explore new varieties, and enjoy tantalizing flavors with your family and friends.

Amidst the unpredictable twist and twirls of this mango-licious life, God lavished his love on us by providing a vast array of mangoes, with a healthy dose of sweetness, goodness and nostalgic joy. By popular demand, I’ll keep the mango lady mango marathon going and share insightful info on lesser known varieties down to the season’s last succulent drop!

I am ecstatic to share a chew and chat (below) with fellow mango lover, and my favorite storyteller Caren Neile. Check out her personal thoughts (below) about mangoes, and enjoy slices of inspiration for the seasons ahead.

Let’s do this mango gang!

Peach Mango (Florida)

The Peach Mango is one of those mid summer mangoes that bears in abundance and cascades from the tree like a down pour of sweet rain. Its a tiny nugget of a mango weighing around 11 onces. Although tiny, the peach mango packs a wicked punch of flavor, tang and sweetness. It has a delightful aroma with hints of peach, nectarine and pear.  One mango is certainly not enough to satisfy your soul. You can easily annialate a bunch of peach mangoes in one sitting. A++

Val Carrie (Florida)

The Val Carrie, a delightfully sweet little package of goodness, is the love child of the Valencia Pride and the Carrie mango. The cross between the two mangoes produced a unique variety with a strong aroma, smooth texture little fibre and flavors similar to the Carrie with hints of citrus, pineapple and peach flavors.

Palmer (Florida)

The Palmer mango is for the simple no fuss, non selective mango eater. Its really mild with a subtle flavor, smooth flesh and little fibre.  Great choice for folks looking for a mango-nificent experience without the extra sweetness or fibre.  The skin matures from purple, to red, to yellow, and the mango boasts and oblong shape.

Duncan (Florida)

The Duncan is a distinctly patented Florida mango created as a cross between the Edward and a Philippine mango. The flesh is smooth with low fibre and hints pineapple and citrus. Its often found at most groves across the region or at asian markets like Food Town, Davie. Its better eaten when very ripe with the skin boasting a golden color

Zebda (Egpyt) –

I first met this unique mango while visiting the middle east a couple years ago. The Zebda mango is originally from Egypt and the name literally means “butter” in Aramaic. The flesh is sweet with a silky smooth pleasant texture. It’s a great desert mango that pairs well with ice cream, yogurt or sorbet.

Rate your love for mangoes on the scale from 1 (its no big deal) to 10 (highest mango-nificent level).  100+

What’s your favorite mango ? Haden

Why is that mango your fave? The Haden is a quintessential Florida mango. It’s one of the oldest and most popular Florida mango varieties, having been introduced to the region by Captin Haden from Coconut Grove around 1902. 

What mango would you gift to someone you adore? Any mango. I don’t discriminate. I am a lover of all mangoes.

What mango-licious lessons have you learned as you reflect on the challenges met over the past year and half?  Despite the challenges faced, we can discover new tools,  learn to adapt, and explore new ways to tell our stories.

Looking forward, share words of hope for the mango-licious seasons ahead? Mangoes are not only luscious, they are also exotic, erotic and just plain beautiful. They remind us that life is worth living! We have many great seasons to look forward to.

There you have it folks! Round 3 of the mango lady marathon is a wrap. If you have enjoyed this blog post, please like and share with a friend or fellow mango lover.  Have a favorite lesser known mango or tasty mango recipe you would like to share? Please leave a comment below. Join me next week for round 4 of the mango lady marathon.

As always,  keep living your mango-licious life! Learn more about the mango-licious life by ordering a copy of my book on Amazon today https://www.amazon.com/dp/1735761621