38 replies to this topic

[Prawncrackers]

I've been wondering why there have been so few Alphonso mangoes available this season. An article in The Times explains why. Proof indeed, if it was ever needed, that climate change is a bad thing.

What's it like where you live? We still have lots and lots of the Pakistani "Honey" mangoes (Sindhri & Chaunsa) but the Indian ones are almost non-existent. I've seen one box of old Alphonso and i saw a Kessar once at Sainbury's (rare beast indeed).

[docsconz]

Sobering news. I had the chance to enjoy some alphonso mango in NYC recently from Tabla during the big Apple BBQ. I guess I really better savor the memory

[sabiha]

I've been wondering why there have been so few Alphonso mangoes available this season.  An article in The Times explains why.  Proof indeed, if it was ever needed, that climate change is a bad thing. 

What's it like where you live?  We still have lots and lots of the Pakistani "Honey" mangoes (Sindhri & Chaunsa) but the Indian ones are almost non-existent.  I've seen one box of old Alphonso and i saw a Kessar once at Sainbury's (rare beast indeed).

The best Alphonso are usually at the beginning of the season, around early May. Whereabouts are you in Brum? I got a box of relatively decent Kesar today, although I remember last year's were far sweeter and jucier that the stuff we've had this year. If you visit the areas populated with more Asians like Aston etc, you shouldn't have a problem finding mangoes in the shops still, although there isn't long left to go as monsoon season is nearly here.

[Prawncrackers]

Oooh where did you get your box of Kesar from? I get my mangoes from the Asian stores in Sparkhill as i grew up around there, though i live in Solihull now.

[sabiha]

I got them from a shop in Aston, near Villa Park. I've seen them around other shops in the area too, don't know how long they'll still be around.

[Doodad]

I've been wondering why there have been so few Alphonso mangoes available this season.  An article in The Times explains why.  Proof indeed, if it was ever needed, that climate change is a bad thing. 

What's it like where you live?  We still have lots and lots of the Pakistani "Honey" mangoes (Sindhri & Chaunsa) but the Indian ones are almost non-existent.  I've seen one box of old Alphonso and i saw a Kessar once at Sainbury's (rare beast indeed).

Weather is unpredictable. Next year could be a bumper crop.

[Prawncrackers]

Success finally, I found three boxes of Kesar in Small Heath, but they were the only three boxes of Indian in a sea of Pakistani mangoes. Sad state of affairs indeed after five days of searching the whole city. One reason why they are so scarce could be the price, each box was £2.99! Unbelievable, when i've seen just one mango go for £1.79 in the supermarket. Hopefully things will improve next year. In the meantime just imagine the aroma in my house :

[Prawncrackers]

It's that time of year again, I've seen my first box of Indian mangoes! Any news on this years crop? As it's the first week Alphonsoes were going for £11 per dozen, Kesar singly for £1.20!! As i had a fiver on me i got some Kesar. Let's hope the price comes down a little more than that next week. Now i play the waiting for them to ripen game....

[prasantrin]

Cruel, cruel Prawncrackers. All I've got me are two teeny Filipino mangoes that I discovered were bruised! And they were Y199 each!

I've never had a fresh Indian mango, and now I think I need some! Are they really better than Filipino mangos from Guimaras? (those are really, really really really good!)

[Domestic Goddess]

Rona - Indian mangoes are not better than Guimaras mangoes. Indian mangoes have a weird aftertaste especially when they are ripe. And they are not as sweet. Guimaras mangoes are very sweet, succulent and even better than the best peaches in the world. A lot of my foreigner buddies who have tried it agree on the description of the Guimaras mangoes. My husband longs for it now.

[prasantrin]

Rona - Indian mangoes are not better than Guimaras mangoes. Indian mangoes have a weird aftertaste especially when they are ripe. And they are not as sweet. Guimaras mangoes are very sweet, succulent and even better than the best peaches in the world. A lot of my foreigner buddies who have tried it agree on the description of the Guimaras mangoes. My husband longs for it now.

This will be cruel of me to say, but my mother's family bought about 50lbs of Guimaras mangos in different stages of ripeness a short time ago. This allowed them to eat mangos for several weeks straight, since when the ripe ones were gone, lesser ripe ones had just ripened.

Prawncrackers--I think that's what you need to do! But don't post pictures here, because then I'll be forced to hunt you down and steal them!

I'd still like to try an Alphonso mango. Why are they cheaper than the Kesar ones? When I buy mango puree for my mango pudding, I always get the Alphonso one. Do I need to try Kesar ones, too?

Edited by prasantrin, 22 April 2009 - 05:28 AM.

[Prawncrackers]

This will be cruel of me to say, but my mother's family bought about 50lbs of Guimaras mangos in different stages of ripeness a short time ago.  This allowed them to eat mangos for several weeks straight, since when the ripe ones were gone, lesser ripe ones had just ripened. 

Prawncrackers--I think that's what you need to do!  But don't post pictures here, because then I'll be forced to hunt you down and steal them!

I'd still like to try an Alphonso mango.  Why are they cheaper than the Kesar ones?  When I buy mango puree for my mango pudding, I always get the Alphonso one.  Do I need to try Kesar ones, too?

That is exactly what i did last year, buy them by the box so there was a constant supply of mango goodness. But i will wait a week or two for the price to drop a little first. I've never heard of the Guimares mango but it's not surprising as goods from the Phillipines are non-existent in the UK. So i can't comment on their flavour. What i do know is that Alphonso ones are world renowned for their sweetness and incredible flavour. They are nicknamed King of Mango for good reason. Kesar are less well known but just as good hence they are named Queen of Mango - it's true!!

For me, out of the ones i've eaten, Kesar and Alphonso rank as the best. Next would be the Pakistani "Honey" ones. I tried some Thai "Elephant Tooth" the other week which were pretty good but ones from Brazil/Kenya/Caribbean i would not even class as mango! I would love to try a Filipino one because as you can tell i am a bit of a mango fiend.

Would i ever post a photo of my food Rona? As if you don't know me by now

Edited by Prawncrackers, 22 April 2009 - 06:11 AM.

[Domestic Goddess]

Aaargh! You guys are killing me. I'd give an arm and a leg, ok maybe an arm for one of those mangoes, even if they're not the Guimaras kind.

Rona - tell your mom she's very, very, very lucky that I am not in the same city/country where she is right now.

[sabiha]

From family back in India who own a lot of mango farms, this season has been especially terrible. In many places there are literally no mangoes on the trees! They said it's down to the fact they didn't have much cool weather during the winter this year which apparently isn't good for mangoes. The crop in Gujarat where my family is from is 80% down on normal years which sounds pretty terrible for them.
I'm not sure about the whole country, but I guess that's why prices are so high this year. They're still £10 for a dozen where I live, don't know how far down the prices will get, usually they end up £6 a box.

Edited by sabiha, 28 April 2009 - 03:13 PM.

[prasantrin]

From family back in India who own a lot of mango farms, this season has been especially terrible. In many places there are literally no mangoes on the trees! They said it's down to the fact they didn't have much cool weather during the winter this year which apparently isn't good for mangoes. The crop in Gujarat where my family is from is 80% down on normal years which sounds pretty terrible for them.
I'm not sure about the whole country, but I guess that's why prices are so high this year. They're still £10 for a dozen where I live, don't know how far down the prices will get, usually they end up £6 a box.

Thanks for the update! It's helpful to hear from people involved. I hope your family's mango crop is better next year, so they can help supply us mango-deprived folks. (had a not-so-good Filipino mango the other day--Y300 down the drain!)

[Prawncrackers]

Indeed thanks for the news Sabiha, sad though it is. I will cherish and savour every fruit even more than I normally do this year.

[sabiha]

It's a shame, many families will probably be affected. My parents are going to India next week, their original plan was to go during mango season so they can gorge on fresh mangoes for 3 weeks. I don't know what they'll be doing now, guess they'll have to actually buy them!

[weinoo]

I saw what were purported to be Indian mangoes at Dual on 1st. Ave. in New York City the other day; they were $3.75 a piece.

[Prawncrackers]

Is that it, is Alphonso season over already? I haven't seen any for 8 days now (i've been counting). They were available for about 6 weeks this year, wow it really does feel like it's getting shorter with every passing year. No Kesar either to be seen. Though there are still Indian Badami for sale, sweet but not as perfumed as Alphonso or Kesar.

Nevermind, the Pakistani ones are coming in now, just bought two boxes of Sindhri - £6 per dozen.

[Prawncrackers]

Whisper it quietly but I've seen the first box of Alphonso this year. Wow, first week in March is early indeed. Unfortunately all of the dozen or so in the box were badly bruised in some way so I didn't buy any. Though for 69p each I should have bought one at least. They were very green these mangoes so I suspect that not only they were picked very early but they were from manipulated trees.

It's made me very excited though, apparently it's been a good winter and the main crop should be here by mid-March, yippee!

[percyn]

Anyone spot Alphonso mangoes this year in the US?

[Prawncrackers]

That's it for another year, no Indian mangoes have been seen for a whole week. It's been a very long season, almost four whole months - nearly twice as long as previous years. Not many Kesar or Badami but loads of Alphonso, I could and did buy boxes every week. However the top quality examples didn't come in till late April. The first half of the season had me sucking a few wrong uns! How is it where you are?

Anyway I have one Alphonso left from a box bought last week, pictured below amongst a box of fat Pakistani Chaunsa mango bought today. Last one of the year, I really need to savour it:

[Prawncrackers]

It feels like I've been hanging on for weeks for the first sight of my beloved Indian mangoes this year, it looks like I've found the reason why in this BBC report posted last week. Now I am sad. Hopefully other mangoes from other regions are not as badly affected as the famous Alphonsos.

[Prawncrackers]

The reports from the mango growing regions of India this year have been uniformly downbeat. Very wet weather has affected the flowering cycle of the mango plants leading to a reduction in yield and a later yield at that.

But now the good news, the first mangoes are here in UK. I went to the wholesale market with hope in my heart and was rewarded with the sight of many boxes of Alphonso and Badami mango. I bought a box of each, £6 for 6 and £13 for 12 respectively. So although the yield is low the mango have come on the market at the same time, keeping prices down. So what you waiting for, go go go!

[emilyr]

I am in Mid-Missouri, and saw them last week at Sam's Club for $6.98 for 5 pounds, but my brother is a local grocery store produce manager, and he's selling them at $.79 each. He says that's a big mark-up, too. Other grocery stores are in the $.99-$1.29 each range here.

[Prawncrackers]

Wow, that is really cheap, almost half of the UK wholesale price. I thought Indian mangoes were harder to come by in the USA, more common are the Caribbean, Central and South American varieties. Are you sure they are Alphonso?

Early season Alphonso are never as sweet as they can be and whilst waiting for this first batch to ripen a little I made a salsa with one and served it with scallop ceviche and avocado:

[thampik]

Beautiful looking dish, Prawncrackers.

I have just taken delivery of two boxes of Alphonso mangoes - a box that is ready to eat now (£11 for a dozen) and second that will be ready in a week or so (£9 for a dozen). I am eating Alphonso after several years now and these do not taste as sweet as my memory would have it....slightly underwhelmed.

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[Prawncrackers]

I think you're right, they're not as sweet as previous years. Maybe due to the bad weather, have you tried any other varieties this season?

[thampik]

Not really - are there any other varieties available in the UK that compare favourably with Alphonso?

[Prawncrackers]

Yes the Badami this season are better than the Alphonso but still not as good as last years. I will always buy a box of each if they're available as they're very different in flavour but are both amazingly sweet when they're at their best.