How to Pick and Peel a Mango

Mangoes continue to ripen after being picked.

Mangoes come in a variety of shapes and sizes. This exotic fruit is available all year long in supermarkets and is a good source of vitamins A and C. Like peaches, the fruit is picked before it is completely ripe and it will continue to ripen. Mangoes can also be frozen and used later, according to the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Cutting board
• Paring knife

1. Look for a mango that is oblong shaped and firm to the touch. The color should be similar to that of a ripe peach, rather than a light green.

2. Smell the mango when selecting it. It should not have an alcohol scent to it, or it may have already gone bad

3. Place mangoes that are not ripe in a brown paper bag for a few days to ripen. When the mango is ripe, it will have a fruity aroma and be slightly soft to the touch. The stem should also be round and firm, not dried out. A few small brown specks on the skin are also an indication that the fruit is ripe. You can refrigerate a mango for about three or four days after you have ripened it.

4. Remove a thin piece of the fruit from one end, so that you can stand the mango upright on a cutting board when you are ready to peal it. Hold the mango, cut side down, and use a paring knife to remove the skin in thin strips working from top to bottom.

5. Cut off the top and the bottom of the mango once it has been peeled, leaving a pit surrounded by fruit. Slice lengthwise down the fruit and back up, cutting the fruit in half down to the pit. Remove the flesh from the pit. One the flesh is removed, discard the pit and slice the fruit as needed.

Resources

• University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension: Exotic Fruits and Vegetables
• University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension: Summer Fruits & Veggies: Q & A