Plus, tales of this city girls’ adventures on a MANGO FARM!!!
On a scale of 1 to 10, this rates a 12 15: plucking a golden ripe mango off a tree then 10 minutes later, sipping on Mango Daiquiris…. HOW COOL IS THAT??😎
So as you probably guessed, no this didn’t happen in my own backyard. It was at the Groves Tropical Fruit Farm in country Queensland (Yeppoon, 1 hour from Rockhampton) which I visited to immerse myself in the excitement of Mango Harvesting!! Regular readers may remember my trip from last year, when I rocked up at the Groves farm to say g’day before heading off to the motel to dump my luggage, and instead was swept into the house and shown my room, welcomed by the family like I was a long lost friend. (Just to clarify, I’d never met them before, never even spoken to them, other than a 2 minute “Help me, I’m lost!” call enroute to the farm). And this year, it really was visiting long lost friends! The minute I drove up to the farm, I was greeted by every member of the Groves like I was family. Ian – the Mango King, (thinks) he’s the Boss Man, Sandi – beautiful to the core, the real Boss of the farm 😉, David – destined to take over the Mango Throne and the biggest attraction at the local farmers’ markets (never seen so much eyelash batting by the over 60’s), and Mel – Australia’s best mango grader, juggler and dancer, a vibrant young lady with wisdom and experience beyond her years. Meet the Groves. This is an Australian farming family that everyone will fall in love with. They represent the best of Australian horticulture – hard working, smart (this growing stuff is serious big business!), hilarious, warm, genuinely beautiful people from the inside out. PS There is every possibility that Ian (top left) is actually smiling in that photo, you just can’t see it because of his bushy beard!!!
If there was ever a way to truly appreciate every piece of fresh produce you handle, visit a farm. I can’t tell you how much it has changed my perspective of things. When you walk the soil of hard labour, hear how much goes into growing the orchard (the risks! Can’t get over all the things that can go wrong!), all the little and big details behind picking, storing, grading, cleaning, packing, distribution to the markets then eventually making it into the very stores that I shop at…the mind boggles. And the sheer scale! Me, I work on a MacBook with a camera. That’s my tiny world. Everything at the farm is on such a large scale – especially so when you’re a shortie like me. Tens of thousands of trees, thousands of acres, tonnes of mangoes, giant crates, towering stacks of trays filled with ripe juicy mangoes….
Do you notice how the mangoes are a bit green and not the glowing yellow / blushing red you’re used to seeing at the shops? That’s because the mangoes are picked at an exact time in its maturity cycle so that when it arrives in the stores, anywhere between 3-5 days after they are picked off the trees, they are perfectly ripe and ready for us to eat. Too ripe, and they’ll be overripe when they arrive. Not ripe enough and they’ll never ripen properly. The optimum time for mango harvesting is small, and I’m overwhelmed at the number of things that can go wrong. Mechanical problems with the tractors / packing factory / storage facility, RAIN (interesting fact – can’t pick mangoes while or after raining, they get too tender to handle), ensuring the transport and distribution goes to plan. Not to mention the actual growing of the mangoes themselves.
The ripe mangoes which can’t be distributed to stores are taken to the local farmers’ markets in Yeppoon, held every Saturday. I took my giant camera and tottered along to check out the action, chattered to locals and stall holders who were curious to know what I was doing, snapping photo after photo of David. I might have told them I was taking photos of David because he’s a famous mango grower…..”Oh , didn’t you know? Yeah, he’s really famous! I’m up here from Sydney to do a piece on him!” I said, holding back a cheeky grin. I wonder how much grief they’ll give him at next weeks’ markets? 😉 PS I might be totally be biased, but I do declare that the Groves’ stall was the busiest and I absolutely swear to you, I’ve never seen so much eye lash batting by the 60+ female age group. I am sure it was all about the mangoes. Positive!
I’m not a professional film maker by any stretch of the imagination. Just a home cook who taught herself how to take food photos and make recipe videos. But I did make a video about my visit! I’ve watched this countless time, and every time I get a goofy smile on my face as it transports me back to the Groves’ farm.
And with all the hard labour that goes into growing the mangoes….ahh, when they’re ripe and ready to go, they are a sight to see! Plump and juicy, mangoes are surely the king of all fruits. There is no other fruit that screams of summer like mangoes!
I was torn, absolutely torn about what recipe to share to celebrate Aussie mangoes. In fact, I spent an inordinate amount of time creating a smooth and creamy Mango Ice Cream made without an ice cream maker but ditched it at the last minute because when I was chatting to locals at the market and listed everything I had / was making with mangoes, Mango Daiquiris got the most enthusiastic response! And so I present to you my Mango Daiquiri. 🙂 1 juicy plump mango will make 4 servings. Mangoes have a very strong flavour, probably the strongest out of all fruit, so a little bit goes a long way. You can’t taste the alcohol in it at all, which makes it dangerous / delicious. Make it straight up as I have, with or without a blender, or make frozen Mango Daiquiris! I’ve provided directions for all of these. Cheers! – Nagi xx
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Mango Daiquiri recipe video! PS Watch how I scoop out the mango flesh, neat trick that I was taught by the Groves! ❤️
ALL THE OTHER THINGS…
All the other things I made with Mangoes when I was at the Groves’ Tropical Fruit Farm and I commandeered their kitchen! Clockwise from top left: Mango Coconut Muffins (I used this Apple Cake recipe, swapped apples for mangoes and added 1 cup coconut), the team scoffing down Pulled Pork Sliders with a Mango BBQ Sauce, Mango Ice Cream (made without an ice cream churner!), Mango Avocado Salsa with Tacos (it was a hit!) and the sliders mentioned above. I feel like I made more things but I can’t remember. Oh wait! Mango Daiquiris! 😉
LIFE OF DOZER
Now THIS is a souvenir – being sent home with every spare inch (and more!) jam packed with freshly picked tropical fruit! As for Dozer – well, he equates the sight of a suitcase with me going away and curls up forlornly around it as I pack. But he still hasn’t figured out the difference between departing and RETURNING home. He lay there until I unpacked everything, then returned to his usual form of bounding around in the backyard, chasing rabbits/birds/hang gliders etc.
Special treat for Dozer – he is NUTS for mangoes!
This post is brought to you in partnership with Mangoes Australia who know how much I love summer, mangoes and the Groves family! Follow them on Instagram – you might even see some of my recipes on there! ❤️❤️Many thanks to the wonderful Groves family for their hospitality, kindness, all the FUN and sharing their knowledge with this City Gal on her whirlwind visit to the Groves Tropical Fruit Farm in Yeppoon, Queensland.❤️❤️ Follow the Groves on Instagram for an insight into life on a tropical fruit farm – and you might even see some pics of me!!! 😉 SaveSave SaveSave
