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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The Mango Flowering Season


All across the land this is the sight that greets us-
mango trees heavy with blooms. It's a sight that lifts
our spirits, reminding us that summer's just round the corner.
And despite knowing that the heat will be relentless, the
sight of these blooms and the thought of mangoes somehow
makes us temporarily forget the other face of summer.

When the mango trees bloom,the weather is dry and dusty.
Many,especially young children, are susceptible to common
cold. There are sudden winds too, and hints of rain. It
turned a little cooler today, and in the afternoon, there
was a drizzle so light I wondered whether I'd imagined it.

When the tiny fruits make an appearance, the first storms
blow too. And rain, and hailstones. Small green mangoes fall
to the ground and you wonder how much fruit would be left on
the tree. But the tree does not disappoint.

These photos are from different areas of the city. On my
tree, the blooms are sparse.



I thought I'd post these photos as well. On the plate are
two onyx mangoes from Pakistan. The bowl with oranges and
the candle-stand are made of mango wood and are from Thailand.
We have an annual trade fair where neighbouring countries
participate and without having had the opportunity to visit
our neighbours, we have some of their famed products.

A close-up of the blooms. Here's hoping that the wind and
and the rain will not do much damage to these wonderful
trees this year.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

How fun to see such sights. Thanks for sharing and I hope the weather does not do too much damage to your trees. What do you do with all the mangos?

Chandramouli S said...

I get excited when I see those clusters, Kanak. Strangely I saw the mango trees blooming by January here!

tina said...

How wonderful to have mango trees blooming and to relate it to the coming of the fruit, no matter that it is hot and dusty. I simply love mangoes. Don't grow any here though:)

Anonymous said...

A city filled with mango trees, from here that seems like a fairy tale! Are the blossoms fragrant? Do you know the variety? I have seen mangos on very large trees in Hawaii, they are so impressive but getting the fruit down is hard! You kind of almost need a crane. How are the fruits picked near you?

islandgal246 said...

Kanak my mango trees have a few flowers on my Julie mango trees have the most at the moment. I also grow Papa Louis and Erwin I am not sure if you have those varieties. Last year I had a bountiful crop. This year I am not too sure if it will be a good. The flowers come in the dry season but the dry season has not exactly started. I still have lots of rozen pulp in my freezer from last year. I just love the smell of the sap in the young fruit. It reminds me of my care free childhood holidays in Grenada. We had some cousins with a large grove of mango trees, and we would go from tree to tree tasting the fruit until we find one we like (there were many half bitten fruit thrown away. We would then climb the tree and pick. Someone would be at the bottom collecting. We would then find a shady spot and eat all we can and then take the remainder home. What a life for a child!

Randy Emmitt said...

Kanak,

Thanks for this posting, we love mangos. I took an indian cooking class several years back and we cooked on recipe with green (not ripe) mangos. Pretty good stuff.

Susie said...

I too enjoy Mangoes! They are one of my favorite fruits. I hope the wind doesn't do too much damage to your trees.

Unknown said...

Mildred, I just have one tree and it's not doing well. The shots were from places in other parts of the city. Mine is just enough for us and for gifting to friends/neighbours.

Chandramouli, I've read that in very warm weather, particularly S. India, the tree blooms thrice a year! Here it's just once. i remember on my first visit to Chennai we had green mangoes in October. Before that I never knew about the tree blooming twice or thrice.

Tina, I think everyone loves them!!

Karen, the blossoms just have a faint smell, not particularly fragrant. The "malda" variety is popular here but the other famed varieties of India come from other states.
I've always seen the fruit being picked with a long bamboo pole. The top portion is of the pole is slit and is positioned in such a way that the stalk gets attatched to the gap and the fruit can be plucked.

Islandgal, I've only heard of the varieties you've mentioned. Some of India's best known varieties are--Alphonso, Dusseri, Langra..to name a few. Reading about your childhood reminds me of my own. The mango season was a much-loved one. Thank you for sharing.

Randy, wow! Fascinating to know that.

I hope so too. I have only one tree Susie. The photos are from other areas of our city.

HelenJ said...

Fascinating story about the mango trees and the weather. And lovely onyx mangoes - they look like stones!

Since I would like to know you better, I have a challenge (meme) for you in my blog. Please feel free to participate - but I would be happy to read your answers.

Susie said...

Hi Kanak, Thanks for checking on me and my hubbie. We are so much better now. He had bronchitis for what seemed like an eternity. I had an upper respiratory tract infection for 8 days. There for awhile our house was really noisy from all our coughing. Thank goodness we're thru with that!

Unknown said...

Hi Helen, They are made of stone. In fact Pakistan is famous for its onyx creations. As for the meme, I've left a comment on your blog.

Susie, glad to know that both of you are feeling better now.And to think that you've been commenting even when unwell?!! Thanks a ton.