2008 Miami Mango Festival, Coral Gables Fairchild Garden
The 16th Annual International Mango Festival was a hit at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden this past weekend. more than 8,000 patrons enjoyed the festivities.
Mango pie anyone? How about a little mango rice for the kids? Ever tasted a Zebda mango from Egypt or the Champagne mango? Anything mango was the craze at this year’s International Mango Festival held at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.
”There is no other mango festival of this size anywhere in the United States,” said Richard Campbell, senior curator of tropical fruit at Fairchild. “We are celebrating the mango in all of its forms, including all the different varieties, culinary uses and education in terms of growth. Basically, anything regarding mangoes people need to know.”
In its 16-year history at Fairchild, the mango festival is the garden’s most popular event.
More than 8,000 people attended last weekend’s three-day festivities.
Entrance to the event was $20 for non-Fairchild members and free for members. Once inside, a wide array of mango-themed activities awaited people.
Visitors became their own mango critics at the mango tasting exhibit, where they were asked to taste 10 different types and score them accordingly. There was a tie for first place between the Indian Mallika and the Thailander Nam Doc Mai.
”The fruit tasting went very well. They had different exotic varieties like some from Thailand or Africa. All the flavors were so different. My favorite was the Mallika,” said Celia Steger, who came to the festival with a mango from her own tree to identify its species.
The Mangoes of the World display boasted 240 different types. All had very different appearances like the small orange Nelpetite from South Africa or the fat purple San Felipe from Cuba. At the end of the event, all of the fruit was auctioned off to the highest bidder.
If visitors really enjoyed one specific species, they had the opportunity to take home their own tree for $40 a piece.
”What is special about these cultivars is you cannot go to Home Depot and get these mangoes, especially with the African ones,” said Jeff Wasielewski, a horticultural consultant selling trees for Fairchild at the event. “We have about 16 different kinds and all these fruits are low fiber and have excellent flavor.”
He expected to sell all 1,200 trees by Sunday afternoon.
”All of the trees we offer for sale were selected by me to perform well for the people who live here in South Florida. We have worked very hard to pick wonderful varieties that homeowners could grow,” Campbell said.
The most popular trees sold were the Cogshall from Florida and the Fairchild from Panama.
”I came out to buy some mango trees and taste the different types of fruits being offered. I like to try different things and there is some types of mangoes here I have never heard of,” said Chad Phillip, with a 3-foot mango tree wrapped in his left arm.
Live African music entertained culinary enthusiasts as they munched on mango cuisine from around the world. And an international fruit market was available for those who wanted to take home their favorites out of 40 different species.
”Maybe this event is so popular because different cultures down in Miami and from all over the world enjoy tasting mangoes from their native homelands,” Phillip said.
Afternoon lectures from the top mango experts from around the country taught spectators everything from proper pruning and management to the eccentrics of African mangoes.
”The best part of this event is that it is not just about getting trees and fruit, but it is also about education. There is a lot of great information going to the public,” Wasielewski said.
Apparently, as several Fairchild employees said, Miami is just crazy for mangoes.
”The bottom line is if you have any interest in mangoes you should be here. Mangoes are about quality of life and it will always be a fruit that grows very easily here,” Campbell said.
The original source of this article can be found at:
www.miamiherald.com / Thu, Jul. 17, 2008
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