Monday, May 31, 2010

Tis the Season for Mangoes

The months of April and May are scorchers for a large part of India - Chennai included. Not only does one have to bear the oppressive heat and dew point, resulting challenges such as power outages and water shortages also arise. Perhaps the only redeeming item and reason to look forward to India's summer is the arrival of the mangoes. India grows over 1,500 varieties of mangoes and is the dominant cultivated fruit (42% of fruit trees) of the country. India's climate is ideally suited to growing mangoes, with varieties thriving in the dry states of Gujarat all the way to more lush areas - the main exception being areas over 3,000 feet. Tamil Nadu is one of the mango major growing states - lucky for me. I am not versed on the different types of mangoes found here, but I do love their taste. Hopefully the mangoes will continue to stick around for a couple of weeks - long enough to hold me over until I return back to Wisconsin for the summer and begin to enjoy the strawberries.

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