Shelly, Nimrod, Maya, Tango and Tzrifin – what do these words have in common?
They are not kids going to school today…
To those who went looking for the answer in the pages of the "double meaning" of crossword puzzles , come back, the answer is not there. All of these words are names of different species of mangos developed in Israel. Yes, yes, the Jewish mind has succeeded in adding to the hundreds of existing species of this wonderful and fragrant tropical fruit, which is common in India and China in particular. We now have five species of our own, a blue and white pride (translated into shades of orange-red in this case). Not only that, but Israel is not a small mango exporter to the European market, even though we started doing it only 25 years ago.
In third world countries, people often do not know the meaning of being "ecological." They do not invest a special effort in this, or engage in complex logistics. They simply live in close proximity to nature (sometimes because they have no choice) and therefore receive their produce from what grows in that season. Moreover, third world people must often try very hard to make the most of what is available to them. From the produce around them they prepare food, clothing, dishes, the house in which they live – the more that can be produced from a particular plant, the better.
So what do they do with the organic mango in all those countries where mangoes aren’t found in the market but rather grow on trees? They are used to make sauces and jams, they are eaten raw, dried when ripe and dried when unripe and ground into powder. This is the way Amba is made. You can also use mango to make pickles and desserts – simply use your imagination to improvise. You cannot go wrong. In India, even the seed is used. It is ground into powder and added as a spice or flour for making soaps and for feeding cattle. The trunk of the mango tree is used for construction lumber, the shell contains a material used in the leather processing industry and for color production, and from the resin they synthesize a medicine for dysentery. This is a good example of maximum utilization of resources, as stated above.
What can we do with mangoes? Anyone who has a tree should pick the fruit before it falls to the ground, and treat it gently. There is no problem freezing mangoes, and it is even worthwhile, since, like other organic fruits, its season is short. And after you cut it into cubes and divide it into portions you can easily freeze it. You can use this frozen tasty delight as far as your imagination will let you. Put it into the blender with banana, pecans, cocoa chips and some coconut milk – and there is a wonderful shake. Or don’t freeze it – Just cut it, along with other organic fruits, and there is an excellent upgrade to granola. Also put it on top of tapioca or other puddings as desserts, or you can blend it with some honey and other treats and turn it into ice cream.
If you love organic mangoes so much that you find it hard to wait until the peeling process is over, you should know that you can eat the peel, and that’s even better because you get more vitamins from the skin. Of course, do not do this with un-organic and treated mangoes, since the fruit is sprayed with all kinds of substances that are harmful to you (they are the inside as well). Even if you don’t see yourself chewing the peel, the fruit itself contains enough good things – vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.
To health!
Yours,
Maggie and Garden Team
we can expect in our organic vegetable baskets this week (draft only):
Corresponding with Rosh Hashanah 🙂
pumpkin
Thai green beans
lettuce
onions
Thai spinach
coriander
Eggplant
Leeks??
Tomatoes
And cucumbers
In the large organic vegetable baskets, also:
Potatoes
Chili peppers – a little
Sweet potatoes
And parsley
Organic fruit baskets:
Pears
Bananas
And a mango, of course
In the large organic fruit baskets, also:
More Mangoes 🙂
Granny apples in transition
