Honolulu, HI

I’m getting excited because mango season is right around the corner! I was driving through Liliha the other day with my mom when we spotted a mango tree full of little green mangoes.

My mom asked me to pull over on the side of the road. “Go ask them if you can pick some of their mangoes and you can make pickled mango.” A quick image of me walking up onto their front porch flashes through my mind AND THEN, better judgment kicks in! I think to myself, “I’m not sure who owns the tree and I certainly don’t know anyone who lives near the tree’s owner.”

I’m not sure if this is a request or a directive from my mom that I had better go get her some pickled mango to stay in her good graces. But I do notice one thing – that this is all somehow getting put on me to do. Still, I want to be the “good daughter” and I adore my mom anyway so I’ll go get the mango – just for her.

I absolutely love pickled mango and I’d eat it everyday if it weren’t for the fact that it makes my feel swell like when I was pregnant. Let’s not forget that mango trees just aren’t as prevalent in the neighborhoods as they used to be when I was a kid. On top of that the trees that are still around are getting old and aren’t producing as much fruit.

Growing up in Hawaii, just about everyone I knew had a mango tree in their back yard. Especially in Pearl City, you had a plumeria tree or a hibiscus hedge and you also had mango. This reminds me of the time when my dad and I used to clean yard. During mango season, he would literally pick ripe mangos off the tree in our backyard and he’d peel it and cut for us to eat.

Continued on tomorrow’s post…

mango, pickled mango recipe, mango season, green mango