AHH… mangga, the tropical king of fruit which can be found throughout Bali from November to January. This fruit also known as a mango increases happiness as well as envy from your neighbors. Which is why those lucky enough to have a tree, guard them closely against intruders who dare to pick their sweet and dense succulent fruit.
This is the story about my neighbors Mango tree. And yes, I am the envious one. Iv’e been addicted to my neighbors tree for the last couple of years now which produces hundreds of mangos.
A typical medium sized mango packs over 40 grams of sugar, so it’s like eating a full-sized candy bar, plus some! Also, mangos have a lot of potassium, which can be dangerous and lead to irregular heart rhythms. Finally, eating too many mangoes means a lot of fiber, so just like eating too much of anything, it will send you to the toilet more often than you’ll like. But, who cares….. they’re so delicious!
Mango nutrition facts
Each cup of sliced mango (165 grams) contains approximately:
- 107 calories
- 3 grams of fiber
- 24 grams of
sugar - 1 gram of
protein - 25 percent
daily value of vitamin A - 76 percent
daily value of vitamin C - 257 mg of
potassium - 0.2 mg of
vitamin B-6
About a year ago, I learned my first lesson in Mango picking after jumping and grabbing hold of a bushel of mangoes. I immediately felt a burning sensation all over my body, quickly realizing I was covered in red ants. I ate my mangoes in discomfort for almost 3 weeks, but damn they were good.
My body was inflamed and it itched like crazy, so I bought Betason-N to stop it. I also contemplated never picking a mango from that tree again. My wife even tried to convince me that bad spirits live inside the mangga tree, just like the two banana plants I had tried to bring home. There was no sense in trying to decide now. Besides, who knew if the tree would even produce fruit next year?
Well, mango season has arrived and the tree is full of mangoes. So, on December 11th I made the decision to pick them. After all, my neighbor needed help getting rid of them. Plus, the mangoes always fell during the night, waking up all the neighbors after crashing on his metal carport. This was my assumption anyway. I was happy to be at service.
The Bule Mango Picker
I carefully designed what I like to call the “Bule Mango Picker”, it’s crafted with my skimming pole net, (the same one I use it to clean the pool with) and an Indonesian weed wacker used by farmers. The knife handle fits perfectly inside the pole which also extends 20 feet allowing me to get the hardest to reach mangoes.
I carefully studied the tree, having already eyeballed a few big ones from afar, I knew right where to start. I slowly started to extend my pole up through the branches while avoiding the smaller mangoes until finally reaching my target.
I then gave the Mango a gentle tug while my knife caressed its stems. I continued one by one and caught them in midair. A few fumbled out of my hands and made their way down the cobblestoned street. But, I quickly recovered them and placed them where they belong.
Before I knew it, I had picked 30 mangoes, my wife and daughter were ecstatic. We had enough mangoes to make smoothies and salsa for weeks!
But then, the itchiness started again later that evening. I noticed both corners of my eye were red and irritated. I must have rubbed them after catching the mangoes or maybe the dust from the mango leaves got in them.
This is the mother of ALL creams for soothing your skin and stopping that unbearable itch.
My face began to swell around the eyes and it was itchy. I used eye drops and Neosporin (pain relief ointment) hoping it would go away, although the next morning showed no sign of relief.
Mango peel, leaves and sap contain urushiol, a chemical that causes contact dermatitis. This is due to being in the Anachardiacae family. Its relatives include, poison ivy, poison oak, cashew, pistachio, and the Jamaican plum.
If I am tempted to pick mangoes next year, I will definitely wear goggles, a face mask, rubber gloves, jeans, and a long sleeve shirt and hat. Who knows, maybe after this lockdown I will have invented the very first mango picking suit.
Happy Holidays to all of you.
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