Pick of the Week – Katherine Mangoes
This next fortnight will bring the best 10 or 12 days of the best mango season I have seen in a decade. The Darwin fruit has been excellent and by Wednesday we will have Katherine where the best Territory mangoes come from through all our stores - on every stack and for sale by the tray. Katherine is a couple of hundred kilometres inland from Darwin and it’s a bit cooler in winter than Darwin (all stone fruit needs and loves winter chill temperatures whilst the fruit is forming). The fruit is fresh, ripe and sweet, you can’t go past it. My tip would be to buy a tray for $25.00, the brand I will be taking home is Katherine Joy, lovely big fruit, great fruit and great value. There may be some twenty dollar trays about but it will be from Darwin, not as good either to eat or to keep.
HOW TO PICK
The best way to buy a mango is to simply use your nose and look for the fragrant tropical fruity aroma. Ripe mangoes should have a full colour and will give slightly to the touch. Avoid very soft or bruised fruit.
HOW TO STORE
Unripe mangoes should be stored out of direct sunlight at room temperatures for a few days until ripe. Once ripe, a mango should last in your fruit bowl for at least two to three days. Never refrigerate unripe mangoes and do not store them in plastic bags as they need to breathe.
