Mt.Isa is mango heaven...not the usual ones you buy in the shops like those in the photo above although those two have been sitting in the fridge for a week or so and are looking the worse for wear and need to be eaten soon.
As you drive around the city numerous homes have one of these mango trees growing in the front or back yard and, if you don't have one of your own as my daughter's family doesn't....
...then you might be fortunate enough to have one growing over the fence from your neighbour's yard and then you can pick up the fallen mangoes off the ground. These mangoes may not look as good as the ones in the shops but they taste absolutely delicious.
One day the girls and I made some Mango Ice Cream which I gave the recipe for a few weeks ago. It was a hit and they enjoyed it. It is so nice to eat home made ice cream.
However, you have to share your mango tree with the local Flying Fox colony. I tried to take a photo of a few of them as they flew over the house but they were too far away for my little camera to capture them very clearly. A couple of nights before we had been driving around having a look at the Christmas lights when I suddenly noticed hundreds of silhouettes of bats in the darkening sky on their way to find the fruit trees to have their nightly supper. Unfortunately there weren't so many over our side of town when I tried to photograph them later on. It is quite an amazing sight.The ones in Mt.Isa are possibly Little Red Flying Foxes.
While I was trying to take photos of the critters while the sun was setting, I checked my watch and the time was7.46pm. The time the second post photo of the mango tree was taken was 7.34pm!!!
When I came home I took a photo at 7.33pm and it had been dark for some time. You can see why people who live up in the north of our state don't want Daylight Saving Time like many residents of South East Queensland do.
However, this little man wasn't interested in the wildlife around town or whether he was saving an hour of daylight every day, he had other things on his mind...to have a good solid sleep during the day so he could play all night and keep mum and dad awake!
Bats are mesmerizing - we watch them too every night rise out of the lowlands and flock across the sky in search of food - it can be quiet dramatic at full or rising moon too.
ReplyDeleteThe Hispanic markets carry those yellow mangoes, and very rarely they show up in the regular grocery stores.
ReplyDeleteAll mangoes are delicious, but the yellow ones sold here are just lovely.
Not nearly as lovely and wonderful as your little guy, though.
He is a little cutie, J. Hopefully he will soon learn to sleep a little longer at night.
DeletePhil, tourists who don't know about the bats would get quite a fright I would think :-)
ReplyDeleteLoving the blog layout - good work. I had one of your Qld mangoes for breakfast!
ReplyDeleteThe bought ones are nice but the mangoes from one's neighbour's tree taste delicious, Lynda :-)
Deletei come from nsw & don't miss daylight savings at all, up in england my daughter is enjoying daylight savings but it's in the winter! now why is our daylight savings in the summer when it's not needed? i think it's a silly idea
ReplyDeletethose mangoes look delicious! love the fruit bats! we get a few here, they like my moreton bay fig tree. fascinating creatures.
have a great weekend
The bats can be a nuisance if a colony decides to settle in your back yard though. Thankfully we only get a few in our fruit trees.
DeleteYes, it is freezing up here and they do look wonderful.. Thank you.. xo
ReplyDeleteFaye, I can't imagine the cold of your winters. Brrr! I dare say you are well and truly used to it though.
DeleteWe pay exorbitant prices down this way for mangoes. They are definitely a treat where we live. We love them and because we cant have them all the time they taste so much better. They go well together with strawberries :)
ReplyDeletexTania
I would have thought they would grow there as your temps are similar to Mt. Isa's. They are dearer here than they used to be.
ReplyDeleteWay down south we can pay $4.98 per mango !! when they first come into season. Usually around Christmas they even out when they seem to arrive riper in store so they want to move them quick. Prices are then 2 for $3.00 or $4.00. At the moment they are $2.48 each.
ReplyDeleteI have been adding one to our fruit salad, just to tropical it up!
Cheers - Joolz xx
Joolz, I think I paid $5 for three in one of the supermarkets but they would probably be cheaper in our local fruit shops which I normally visit if I have a chance. I doesn't seem that long ago that we were able to buy a box for $10 and I think there were 10 or 12 mangoes in it.
ReplyDeleteWe've been revelling in the mangoes for the last few weeks. Just love summer! Thanks so much for putting my blog button on your sidebar. Hugs, Val
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Val. You do such beautiful and intricate work. I am sure that all sewing enthusiasts will love your blog and be inspired by it.
ReplyDeleteI seem to have a constant battle with the fruit bats here Chel. First they attack the peaches and nectarines, then the mangoes, on to the grapes and then the bananas - as they all ripen in succession. No other choice I have to cover them all with netting.
ReplyDeleteI hope you end up with some fruit, Sandi. We did have a couple of pawpaws growing that came up from seeds from the compost and we heard you can pick them green before the bats gets them and they will ripen but they weren't nice. You have better weather for growing tropical fruit up there so it would be a shame to lose it all to the wildlife.
ReplyDeleteNanna Chel,
ReplyDeleteI was just pointing out a loaded mango tree in someone's yard as we were driving around to the shopping centre. It was full. Those flying foxed are quite a thing to be seen and make some noise too. And mess. But mangos this time of year is always yummy.
The little guy looks so innocent sleeping.
-Shiralee.
Shiralee, that is interesting as I didn't think they would grow here but I guess we didn't have a lot of frost last winter.
ReplyDeleteOh I have tried SO hard to love mango but I just cant! I didnt grow up with them as they don't grow where I'm from.
ReplyDeletexx
Emma, I am sure you would love them picked fresh from the tree as they taste so much better than the ones in the shops which are often somewhat bland.
ReplyDeleteHi Nanna Chel. We just gorged ourselves on Mangoes in the Noosa Hinterland as they grow prolifcly there as well. I don't think I could eat another one if I tried! Your little grandson is just perfect, What a grown up little face he has :)
ReplyDeleteMimi, I was at Caloundra in November and was a bit disappointed as there weren't many in the fruit shops there as they are usually delicious when eaten fresh. I was there a little too early for the harvest I think. When I was out this morning I passed a tree laden with mangoes in a backyard so I am going to speak to my hubby and see if we can grow some. There wasn't a lot of frost last winter and the summers are hotter so perhaps they will grow okay here on the Darling Downs.
ReplyDeleteWe are fortunate to have mango trees in our garden. I have been enjoying cold rolled oats with mango for breakfast. The recipe includes yoghurt, milk, sweetener, chia seeds and fruit of choice. Very tasty. Got the idea from The Yummy Life.
ReplyDeleteYou are indeed fortunate, Lyn. That breakfast you had sounds delicious.....more so than All Bran :-)
ReplyDelete