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Having grown up in Hawaii, I feel well-qualified to write about my favorite tropical fruit: mangoes. My first recollection was how loud they were when they fell on our roof in the middle of the night! Luckily, my first taste of that luscious, juicy flesh made all the nighttime drama worthwhile.

Mangoes are best eaten ripe when they are at their juiciest and sweetest, but unripe mangoes can be delicious pickled or cooked and used in chutney and jelly. Mangoes are so versatile you’ll love them in beverages, smoothies and desserts. They’ll add tropical sweetness to salads, main dishes, side dishes, muffins, quick breads and snacks.

Here’s a selection of ideas for using mangoes:

• Add to a smoothie or puree and add to juice, lassis or a sparkler.
• Add to yogurt, cottage cheese or sour cream.
• Add to ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet or your favorite non-dairy frozen dessert.
• Eat plain or with a dollop of whipped cream or non-dairy, natural whipped topping.
• Make popsicles.
• Chop and add to a favorite muffin, quick or tea bread recipe.
• Spoon over pancakes and waffles.
• Add to green salads.
• Puree mango into salad dressings.
• Keep your cool this summer with a refreshing slushy summer Mango Passion Montage.
• Add to wheat berry, tabouli, couscous salad or quinoa salad.
• Enjoy mango salsa with Mojo Chicken, Chilean Sea Bass, or Salmon.
• Make Braised Chicken with Mangoes and serve over rice or couscous.
• Chop and add to tuna, shrimp or chicken salad.
• Curried Chicken with Mango!
• Add to fruit salads or soups. Here’s a lovely Chilled Mango-Cherry Soup.
• Enjoy mango salsa with Mojo Chicken, Chilean Sea Bass, or Salmon.
• Grilled Mango makes a great accompaniment to seasoned, teriyaki-marinated tofu or tempeh.
• Enjoy this delicious Mango Dijon Shrimp.

Ripe mangoes will have a distinct fruity aroma. They’re soft but not bruised or mushy.

To speed ripening, store mangoes overnight in a paper bag. Once ripe, refrigerate for up to 3 to 5 days. Wash under running water before peeling. The inside pit is fibrous, which makes peeling the mango a little tricky.

People with very sensitive skin may want to wear gloves because the peel and sap contain a substance called urushiol (also in poison ivy) and there is a possibility of contact plant dermatitis.

There are several techniques for peeling, and most folks prefer to slice the mango in half lengthwise, cutting around the pit. Take each half of the mango and score into small squares down to the peel, then scoop away from the skin with a spoon.

Check out this post on mangoes for more cutting tips and a video. Or, try my favorite, no-waste way if you simply want to eat the mango out of hand:  Using a standard vegetable peeler, peel like you would a carrot. Then eat directly over the kitchen sink, munching around the pit.

Got a passion for mangoes? What about a recipe or a great idea? Let me know.