Preserving mangoes by dehydrating/drying

Mark

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This is a discussion thread for preserving mangoes by dehydration (drying) to go with the article I wrote giving step by step instructions on how to dehydrate mangoes - Preserving Mango Through Dehydration

Any questions or feedback is welcome :)
 

Steve

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If only I had a mango tree..... or three!

And if I do get my hands on some they don't last long enough in my house.

Good article though Mark. Cheers.
 

Mark

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If only I had a mango tree..... or three!

And if I do get my hands on some they don't last long enough in my house.

Good article though Mark. Cheers.
Thanks Steve :)

Mangoes grow really well in the subtropics (as everyone knows) but it's surprising how many backyards don't have one - I mean, a mango tree costs $25 - $35 and within about three years you're pulling a dozen fruit @ $4.00 a pop that's a good savings and money back! Pretty soon you've got 50 + mangoes per season and more than enough to make gourmet preserves or just eat fresh.

Actually, we've had our fill of mangoes this season - the last one we fed to our ducks :D We do still have a few left on the trees though (just a couple).

I posted the image below on fb the other day because I know producers need to make a living but $5 a mango - come on! No wonder we're becoming a fat nation because in the same store you can buy two pies and a can of softdrink for the same price... :crazy:

mango supermarket vs my backyard.jpg
 
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Steve

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Yeah I hear ya Mark. Good point.

Do have any troubles with bats (or other mango preditors) with your fruit? Do you use any netting or other system?

Just interested that's all.

Cheers
 

Mark

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Oh yeah, you would have seen the movie Caddy Shack... well instead of gophers I've got possums (zillions of them) and it's only because of sheer numbers of fruit, some fancy bagging, a strategically placed night-time watering system, and some black ops, that enabled us to get our fair share.

Truthfully, the bagging doesn't work very well because the possums soon work out how to rip through the nylon/cloth bags so I had a secret weapon - Vics Vapour Rub, just smear a little bit on the bag and it keeps the possums away (they hate the smell). I'd really like to invent an easy and quick cage system to go over the fruit for protection but I've tried a few prototypes and they weren't very good.

I'm keeping my mango trees at a manageable size so I can net them if I need to in the future (and I probably will have to) and that's why I have 10 + trees instead of just a few so I can keep the trees smaller but still get a good crop - plus I like the diversity of different varieties with different traits and staggered ripening times to extend the season.

My neighbour reckons he can get me some good quality tree netting at a reasonable price but that's the key because all the proper nets I've priced are way too expensive to make it viable.

One last trick is to pick the fruit just before it starts to become a target which means picking it green several days before it begins to ripen and mangoes will ripen nicely off the tree but the second that mango starts to turn (even slightly) on the tree the wildlife will get it. :D
 

Letsgokate

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Hi Mark,

Looking forward to our trees providing us with lots of mangoes. I've dehydrated Mangoes and didn't put them in citric acid and didn't have any issues with the browning at all. Tasted good. Some oxygen absorbers help keep them dry by not allowing too much air left in the jars. Also some Food Grade Silica Gel sachets help with the moisture.

Keep up the awesome posts, the information you provide is excellent :)
 

Mark

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Thanks Kate, yep mangoes will dehydrate fine without lemon or citric acid dipping. Ours haven't lasted long enough to require oxygen absorbers but this is a great tip and if I get a big crop of mangoes this season (and I'm expecting to) then I might just have to use some Silica Gel sachets as you recommend! Well... I hope to get a lot of mangoes because there is a lot set on the trees but that doesn't always translate into lots of mature fruit as we all know. Fingers crossed!
 

Mary Playford

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Mango is my favourite fruit ever and I would like to get one growing here in Adelaide. I have a few small plants that I grew from seeds. They got some beating from our last winter but they are still alive. A gardener from my area got one to fruit and managed to get one to ripe earlier this year. Her mango tree is nearly four years old and she grew it from a fruit she bought from the supermarket. That means I have hope for my lot :D

I prefer to eat them fresh but if you can extend their lifespan, why not dehydrate or freeze them.
 

Mark

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I think mangoes can suffer a bit of cold (even though they are a tropical) and if you can get them through the initial growing as a young tree it should go well hopefully!
 

ClissAT

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Last year I had quite a large crop from 4 trees but lots of the fruit had some sort of fly strike. Not fruit flies but some little critter that made soft spots next to the seed.
I did manage to sell lots of the best fruit but the rest added up to a huge amount, far too much for my freezer.
So I experimented with drying in my commercial sized oven.
I got the hang of slicing the fruit even & thinly enough after a couple of batches & dried bucket loads of yummy slices over 2 days.
I was able to put 6 lamington trays in the oven for each batch. I didn't use any additive.
I wasn't really expecting such success & since it was the weekend I didn't have enough new take away containers to pack the slices into.
Then it rained before I had a chance to put them away & lots of the previously crispy slices went soft so I rolled lots into fruit roll-ups & stored them.
The rest we started eating.
They were so compulsively delicious I could not stop eating dried mango.
I ate so many I got a massive headache that lasted 3 days! :vomit:

Lesson learned! Dried mango is a massive source of fruit sugar & to be eaten in moderation!
This year I have been working hard to make the trees much more healthy as well as growing insect attracting flowers around the whole fruit & veg garden.
This week I have hung fruit fly & bug traps in the hope of having much more saleable fruit this season.
I do also have my eye on a generic brand 12 tray drier on ebay 'just in case'! :idea:
That way I can keep the slices dry & crispy until I have the containers ready.
 

Mark

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That's a LOT of dried mango! You could sell or trade it :D Seriously though, what a delightful fruit it is... and to have so much for free is what self-sufficiency is about - saving a fortune. Good stuff. :twothumbsup:
 

Ash

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Dehydrated foods are a great way of preserving them for the off seasons, but the temptation is to eat them straight away- because it's there staring at you in the pantry! Indeed dehydration concentrates the nutrients (that survive the dehydration process) and makes it easy to overindulge.

Headaches are one symptom of overeating dried fruits as you found out Clissy ;) but so are diarrhoea and nausea because of saturating the gut enzymes that beak down the sugars leading to undigested sugars travelling through the small intestine, drawing water out with it by osmosis. Without getting too technical this is the reason why dehydrated fruits in particular need to be moderated.

The fresh fruit has so much more water in it that you feel full from all the water consumption before overconsumption of sugars becomes a problem. So beware the lure of dehydrated fruits!
 
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Steve

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I dont have a mango tree but I found some semi-cheap in a tray so I ate a couple and dehydrated the rest.
They were awesome but like you ClissAT I couldn't stop eating them. Sooo good!
 
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