While having a mango tree in your yard is an excellent factor, there’s one downside: It appears as if each mango on the tree decides to drop directly, leaving the tree proprietor on the lookout for houses for all the additional mangos after the squirrels get their justifiable share.
Miamians normally deal with their all-at-once mango state of affairs by having fun with contemporary mangos, mango juice, and mango bread. Then, they’re going to minimize up a bunch of mangos to freeze for smoothies. Finally — with dozens of mangos left — they’re going to ask each neighbor they know to take some mangos off their palms earlier than the iguanas have a feast.
Zak Stern of Zak the Baker has the reply to your mango overage downside: a mango change program at his Wynwood bakery.
From now till the top of June, deliver a bag of six mangos to the bakery and commerce them for a loaf of bread.
Stern says this system began as a foolish thought among the many employees however rapidly solidified right into a plan. “I grew up in Miami and realized everybody has a Publix bag filled with mangos, and in some unspecified time in the future, it turns into a burden. So why not protect the harvest?”
Stern says the bakery will take the mangos, clear them, course of them, protect them, and use them all year long. “Instead of strawberry jam, we’ll have a neighborhood jam.”
Of course, in keeping with Stern, there are some guidelines to the mango change: “Bring us six mangos, and we’ll commerce you for a loaf of bread. But we’ll solely do one commerce per individual day by day, so please do not usher in 50 kilos of mangoes at a time.” Mangos have to be at the least the dimensions of a closed grownup fist and cannot be crushed, mushy, or broken. “Please do not usher in mangos which have been bitten by a raccoon — which is one thing that occurs in my very own yard,” says Stern.
If you do occur to have an acre of mango bushes producing bushels of fruit, Stern is keen to make a deal (however DM the bakery on Instagram as an alternative of filling your pickup truck mattress, please). Oh, and if anybody has lychees to commerce, Stern want to hear from you.
So far, Stern says individuals have already been bringing in mangos, they usually’re being utilized in mango jam and cheesecake. Stern says he loves working with the tropical fruits that develop so nicely in Florida, like mamey, lychee, guava, and (in fact) mango. Zak the Baker is at present providing lychee soda made with lychees from Tiny Farm and mamey tres leches, along with the mango choices.
Stern says these flavors assist give Miami its culinary identification. “I believe Miami has an fascinating potential for regional delicacies. I imply, individuals love meals from Italy — however can Italy develop guava?”
Zak the Baker. 295 NW twenty sixth St., Miami; 786-294-0876; zakthebaker.com.