There's only one thing better than hooking up with some old friends...hooking up with old friends to sit around and eat lots of mangoes! This is prime mango season in Florida and I hate like hell to miss it. The stars were in proper alignment and the work arrangements were perfect for this occur. So I made sure that I had plenty of room in the suitcase for the trip
down...cause if things went according to plan, it would certainly be full coming back! I've got an early morning flight out on Thursday morning direct to Miami.
This is my buddy Warren. As you can see, he's pretty serious about mangoes too. I normally stay with Warren when I come to Florida. He's also who I drag with me to tramp thru the rare fruit farms and parks in Puerto Rico and Thailand. So it's always good to hang out with him. He's a great host and seems to have an endless roster of things to do and see.
The first thing we did Thursday morning after he picked me up from Miami International airport, was to head way north to Lake Worth to visit Zill's High Performance Plants. Neither of us have been here before, so this was a treat for both. Gary Zill is one of the top mango breeders in the world and this place certainly reflects it.
We were mixing business with pleasure today. The main reason for the visit was to pick up new trees for the Fruit & Spice Park. Warren and I had a short chat with Gary about mangoes before we were driven around in a big golf cart picking up mainly mango trees...what else?! There were mango trees as far as you could see in any direction!
Once we were done picking out trees and loading them into the truck, I picked out some delicious looking mangoes to take back home with me. Names like Coconut Cream, Triple Sec, Juicy Peach, Fruit Coctail, and Sugarloaf. One of the nice ladies at Zills opened a Sugarloaf for us to try and wow, was it delicious. The depth of flavors was just crazy.
Once we finished up there, we had to drive back south and drop off the trees at the park. This is where I first met Louise King. What a fantastic person! She is quite the busy bee and will be our coordinator for our work at the park on Friday. More on her later.
By this time it was getting on 6:00 p.m. and we were hungry for something other than sweet. It's been a long, hot day and we were both about done in. We got back into Miami and had a great meal at Chewy's. We eventually made it back to Warren's before dark in time to take a quick tour of his yard.
The first thing we did Thursday morning after he picked me up from Miami International airport, was to head way north to Lake Worth to visit Zill's High Performance Plants. Neither of us have been here before, so this was a treat for both. Gary Zill is one of the top mango breeders in the world and this place certainly reflects it.
We were mixing business with pleasure today. The main reason for the visit was to pick up new trees for the Fruit & Spice Park. Warren and I had a short chat with Gary about mangoes before we were driven around in a big golf cart picking up mainly mango trees...what else?! There were mango trees as far as you could see in any direction!
Once we were done picking out trees and loading them into the truck, I picked out some delicious looking mangoes to take back home with me. Names like Coconut Cream, Triple Sec, Juicy Peach, Fruit Coctail, and Sugarloaf. One of the nice ladies at Zills opened a Sugarloaf for us to try and wow, was it delicious. The depth of flavors was just crazy.
Once we finished up there, we had to drive back south and drop off the trees at the park. This is where I first met Louise King. What a fantastic person! She is quite the busy bee and will be our coordinator for our work at the park on Friday. More on her later.
By this time it was getting on 6:00 p.m. and we were hungry for something other than sweet. It's been a long, hot day and we were both about done in. We got back into Miami and had a great meal at Chewy's. We eventually made it back to Warren's before dark in time to take a quick tour of his yard.
Fruit & Spice Park - Friday Morning
The Fruit & Spice Park is definitely one of the rare fruit "go to" places when you travel to Florida. Gobs of acres with nothing but mainly rare fruit trees. It's open to the public, a fee of course. But we were there early Friday morning to work. Yeah...work...on vacation! But I was okay with this...cause we would be picking mangoes and I was confident that some of them would find their way into our bellies.
We met Louise again and she got us squared away with maps and varieties they needed for the tasting on Saturday. The park had been picked pretty hard the weekend before for another festival and again earlier in the week by other volunteers. So it seemed like we did a lot more searching for mangoes than picking. The park has a huge selection of mango trees and we were at it for nearly five hours. Yes...it was freaking hot and freaking humid, but we were mostly in shade and having a ball.
We made a brief stop in their big greenhouse and hooked up with Louise again. Damn! Wish my greenhouse was this size!! So jealous! This is where they keep their more tender, rare fruit specimens like in the pics above. From top left to right: Cherapu(garcinia prainiana), Warren and Louise looking for more cherapu flowers, Breadfruit, and Lakoocha...which is related to breadfruit, pedalai, marang, and kwai muk...which is very tasty.
We met Louise again and she got us squared away with maps and varieties they needed for the tasting on Saturday. The park had been picked pretty hard the weekend before for another festival and again earlier in the week by other volunteers. So it seemed like we did a lot more searching for mangoes than picking. The park has a huge selection of mango trees and we were at it for nearly five hours. Yes...it was freaking hot and freaking humid, but we were mostly in shade and having a ball.
We made a brief stop in their big greenhouse and hooked up with Louise again. Damn! Wish my greenhouse was this size!! So jealous! This is where they keep their more tender, rare fruit specimens like in the pics above. From top left to right: Cherapu(garcinia prainiana), Warren and Louise looking for more cherapu flowers, Breadfruit, and Lakoocha...which is related to breadfruit, pedalai, marang, and kwai muk...which is very tasty.
Like I said, it wasn't all fun and games. Picking mangoes is exhausting work. Even with the long extension pole/picker, we had to pull the truck under some of the trees in order to get some of the higher fruit. And as the last pic suggests, we had to sample some of of course! The Dot mango was the most outstanding mango of the day.
Louise King's Place - Friday Afternoon.
After the picking, Louise needed a ride back to her home just down the road a ways from the park. She had a lot of the packing material we would need to ship my plants back home and offered it all to me to use. How great is that?!
But first...she invited us to tour her yard. What a lovely lovely place! They kept an acre or two for the home and just grow native plants. Everything you can imagine to invite butterflies and birds. There were beautiful fruit and ornamental trees. Stuff growing in and hanging from trees. It was beautiful and very peaceful. They also had a lychee and longan orchard that was kept nice and tidy. Time permitting, it would have been an ideal place to hang out and just relax. Unfortunately, time wasn't something we had in abundance. Thank you again Louise!
It's nearly 2:00 p.m. by now and we still have to get back up north again to Brandon's house to meet up with the rest of the gang at 3:00 for mango tasting. A quick stop at a roadside eatery for tamales was first though. There was no way in hell we were going to make 3:00 p.m. so there was no sense in rushing. We wouldn't be too late though.
But first...she invited us to tour her yard. What a lovely lovely place! They kept an acre or two for the home and just grow native plants. Everything you can imagine to invite butterflies and birds. There were beautiful fruit and ornamental trees. Stuff growing in and hanging from trees. It was beautiful and very peaceful. They also had a lychee and longan orchard that was kept nice and tidy. Time permitting, it would have been an ideal place to hang out and just relax. Unfortunately, time wasn't something we had in abundance. Thank you again Louise!
It's nearly 2:00 p.m. by now and we still have to get back up north again to Brandon's house to meet up with the rest of the gang at 3:00 for mango tasting. A quick stop at a roadside eatery for tamales was first though. There was no way in hell we were going to make 3:00 p.m. so there was no sense in rushing. We wouldn't be too late though.
Brandon's Mango Tasting - Friday Afternoon
Brandon is another one of the PR gang. He's got a lovely family and is incredibly generous. He's been hosting mango tasting events for several years now. Not only did I get to try numerous varieties of mangoes, I got to hang out with my buds. It's great to sit down with these clowns. We would debate each mango and Noel would give a star rating to each. One thing everyone enjoyed was giving huge amounts of shit to Sheehan! He just invites abuse. All in good fun.
Last pic on bottom, the guy in the center is Abayomi. He's from Bermuda and man does he love mangoes! He really knows his mangoes too. Very knowledgeable and eager to learn more. He was up here with two friends who also loved mangoes. A great bunch.
Last pic on bottom, the guy in the center is Abayomi. He's from Bermuda and man does he love mangoes! He really knows his mangoes too. Very knowledgeable and eager to learn more. He was up here with two friends who also loved mangoes. A great bunch.
Brandon has an awesome property that is just filled with all types of tropical fruits. I've lost count as to how many different jackfruit he has growing and fruiting. He also has lots of mango varieties. A lot of work, but well worth the effort.
We normally take a tour around the yard, but only got a short way into it when a monster storm rolled in cutting the tour short. Inside to eat more mangoes! We ended up sampling at least 52 mango varieties. Unfortunately, the big hitting names fell a little flat tonight. A few of the older varieties actually stole the show for me at least. I believe Fairchild was one of my fav's of the evening.
We had a great time as always. A huge thanks to Brandon and everyone else for supplying mangoes.
It was another late day and man, we were stuffed! Warren and I both were not even remotely interested in stopping someplace for dinner. My body was craving something salty and savory after all the sweet mangoes, but I was just too full to act on it. We were beat and called it a night as soon as showers were done.
We normally take a tour around the yard, but only got a short way into it when a monster storm rolled in cutting the tour short. Inside to eat more mangoes! We ended up sampling at least 52 mango varieties. Unfortunately, the big hitting names fell a little flat tonight. A few of the older varieties actually stole the show for me at least. I believe Fairchild was one of my fav's of the evening.
We had a great time as always. A huge thanks to Brandon and everyone else for supplying mangoes.
It was another late day and man, we were stuffed! Warren and I both were not even remotely interested in stopping someplace for dinner. My body was craving something salty and savory after all the sweet mangoes, but I was just too full to act on it. We were beat and called it a night as soon as showers were done.
Fruit & Spice Park - Saturday Morning
Saturday morning it was back to the Fruit & Spice Park. We helped pick all those mangoes so now we were back to present them to club members for tasting. But first, we got a great lecture from Dr. Jonathan Crane about what else? Mangoes of course! This guy knows his shit let me tell you. He's a great source of info and easy to talk with as well. The presentation was interrupted several times by a nasty storm that was skipping thru. A very informative presentation covering mango growth, breeding, pollination, disease and insects, and economic impact.
On to the tasting! This was a lot more fun that I initially thought it might be. Everyone was excited about all the mangoes and was eager to begin tasting. Our job was to cut pieces of mangoes from a variety someone wanted to try. As a cutter/presenter, I needed to know a bit about the mango so it was important that I try each of them first! Lots of interesting textures, smells, and flavors...not all of them good, but most of the mangoes I tried were very good. Again...I believed the Fairchild was my favorite.
After the tasting, members were able to fill a bag with mangoes for $25. As they were occupied filling bags, I went around around the tables tasting mangoes that had been cut open for the tasting. It's a dirty job, but someone had to do it!
By the time we finished up, it was getting well past 1:00 p.m. We still needed to hit Richard Campbell's place, have time to crate and box up my plants, and get them to the post office. Unfortunately, Campbell's was a bust. I do understand that he is a busy man, but we sort of got brushed off. So much for this visit! The good news? It gives us more time to work on my plants and I had a feeling we were going to need every minute we could get.
After the tasting, members were able to fill a bag with mangoes for $25. As they were occupied filling bags, I went around around the tables tasting mangoes that had been cut open for the tasting. It's a dirty job, but someone had to do it!
By the time we finished up, it was getting well past 1:00 p.m. We still needed to hit Richard Campbell's place, have time to crate and box up my plants, and get them to the post office. Unfortunately, Campbell's was a bust. I do understand that he is a busy man, but we sort of got brushed off. So much for this visit! The good news? It gives us more time to work on my plants and I had a feeling we were going to need every minute we could get.
Professional Packers
The above pics are actually after I got the plants delivered at home. I was too damn busy brainstorming the crate designs and building at the same time to take pictures. As mentioned, Louise provided most of the materials which included a pre-built crate, extra wood braces, and perfect sized boxes for this project. All this saved our ass for sure!
Warren and I discussed ideas for this project all week and while my brain was getting over loaded, he calmly suggested ideas that were Eureka moments for the design and boxing. As you can see from the pics above, all the plants were kept in their original containers as-is. We debated this and both agreed that it was probably best to do so. I went to too much trouble to get the damn things, there was no sense in stressing them out by trying to remove them from the containers and get rid of most of the soil. I didn't want to take the chance in damaging the roots.
The first pic above is the Butterscotch sapodilla. Total height was like 24". The crate and boxes for both were 12"x12". This little bastard weighed a freaking ton...almost 30 lbs! We took the crate Louise provided and removed one end cap then cut the side pieces down to size. We cut thick cardboard pieces and used these and wadded up newspaper to hold the soil in place...and to keep the plant and roots from shifting. Added cross braces to keep the container in place, cut the box to size, and tape it up. Worked out perfectly.
The two mangoes however, were a little trickier. Total height of this package would be 60". We were going to put both mangoes in this crate...one at either end. So we really needed to make sure the containers were secured. We had extra wood for the end caps already. We were going to use 2x2's for the supports since the crate was so long. We wanted more support in the middle figuring the package would get abused along the way. Two boxes were needed for this. We cut one down to the size needed to overlap the first. This box was put together now I tell ya. Heavy as hell too. Oh well.
A huge thanks to Warren. I might still be on his porch trying to put these damn things together if it wasn't for him. Not only catching an idea I missed, the extra hands were invaluable in building these...and carrying them into the shippers!
UPS was my first choice. I honestly think USPS sucks ass and should normally not be allowed to deliver anything more than a postcard. But UPS was being a little bitch. We arrived at the UPS Store at 4:45. They close at 5:00. No problem there. The problem is that we were told that the earliest the packages would be delivered was next Friday! Their truck had long since picked up all of the packages. WTF?! Why the hell stay open then? I certainly did not want these plants sitting in these dark boxes for an entire week. I hated the thought of going to USPS, but shit, their priority mail should get the plants home by Wednesday at the latest. So off to the mall where the only open USPS office was located.
We had to carry the boxes all the way thru Macy's. The big box was 48 lbs I believe. I was already exhausted and I prayed the USPS office was not on the other side of the mall. Thankfully, it was just outside of Macy's. The best part? They said delivery would be Monday!! Wow! Well eat shit UPS!
This was a cause for celebration. We hit Longhorn for some tasty steaks. And boy did that beer taste great.
Warren and I discussed ideas for this project all week and while my brain was getting over loaded, he calmly suggested ideas that were Eureka moments for the design and boxing. As you can see from the pics above, all the plants were kept in their original containers as-is. We debated this and both agreed that it was probably best to do so. I went to too much trouble to get the damn things, there was no sense in stressing them out by trying to remove them from the containers and get rid of most of the soil. I didn't want to take the chance in damaging the roots.
The first pic above is the Butterscotch sapodilla. Total height was like 24". The crate and boxes for both were 12"x12". This little bastard weighed a freaking ton...almost 30 lbs! We took the crate Louise provided and removed one end cap then cut the side pieces down to size. We cut thick cardboard pieces and used these and wadded up newspaper to hold the soil in place...and to keep the plant and roots from shifting. Added cross braces to keep the container in place, cut the box to size, and tape it up. Worked out perfectly.
The two mangoes however, were a little trickier. Total height of this package would be 60". We were going to put both mangoes in this crate...one at either end. So we really needed to make sure the containers were secured. We had extra wood for the end caps already. We were going to use 2x2's for the supports since the crate was so long. We wanted more support in the middle figuring the package would get abused along the way. Two boxes were needed for this. We cut one down to the size needed to overlap the first. This box was put together now I tell ya. Heavy as hell too. Oh well.
A huge thanks to Warren. I might still be on his porch trying to put these damn things together if it wasn't for him. Not only catching an idea I missed, the extra hands were invaluable in building these...and carrying them into the shippers!
UPS was my first choice. I honestly think USPS sucks ass and should normally not be allowed to deliver anything more than a postcard. But UPS was being a little bitch. We arrived at the UPS Store at 4:45. They close at 5:00. No problem there. The problem is that we were told that the earliest the packages would be delivered was next Friday! Their truck had long since picked up all of the packages. WTF?! Why the hell stay open then? I certainly did not want these plants sitting in these dark boxes for an entire week. I hated the thought of going to USPS, but shit, their priority mail should get the plants home by Wednesday at the latest. So off to the mall where the only open USPS office was located.
We had to carry the boxes all the way thru Macy's. The big box was 48 lbs I believe. I was already exhausted and I prayed the USPS office was not on the other side of the mall. Thankfully, it was just outside of Macy's. The best part? They said delivery would be Monday!! Wow! Well eat shit UPS!
This was a cause for celebration. We hit Longhorn for some tasty steaks. And boy did that beer taste great.
Noel's - Sunday Morning.
Noel is an awesome guy and another one of our PR gang. After eating a few delicious mangoes, the Sunrise variety was fantastic, he took us for a tour of his small, but very impressive yard. He has it packed with all sorts of cool plants...a few standouts: durian, rambutan, various garcinias, mangoes, and his pride and joy...abiu.
After the tour, Noel was taking us to Delray Beach to see the Sundy House and then on to Parkland to visit a buddy of his.
After the tour, Noel was taking us to Delray Beach to see the Sundy House and then on to Parkland to visit a buddy of his.
Sundy House - Sunday Afternoon.
Sundy House is the oldest house in Delray Beach. Built in 1902. The home also served as Delray's first church, bank, and schoolhouse. It is nestled within a one acre botanical garden. It features coral rock paths, gazebos, benches, streams, ponds, and waterfalls. There are numerous tropical fruit trees...planted by none other than Excalibur's Richard Wilson himself. There is a classy restaurant as well as beautiful guest rooms.
We could feel the nostalgia as we walked the gardens. It really was beautiful...and peaceful, even with the number of people having lunch throughout. The food looked good and the rooms looked nice. Although starting price per night this time of the year is $336 and goes up from there. So I can only imagine how much a meal costs.
We could feel the nostalgia as we walked the gardens. It really was beautiful...and peaceful, even with the number of people having lunch throughout. The food looked good and the rooms looked nice. Although starting price per night this time of the year is $336 and goes up from there. So I can only imagine how much a meal costs.
The Royal Poinciana was massive and some of the branches were held up with huge supports to keep them from sagging onto the roof. This tree is the oldest documented RP in Palm Beach County. The black bamboo was really unique and would be a cool addition to any landscape.
All-in-all, it was quite a neat experience. Noel was very informative during the walk around the gardens. I guess he is asked to occasionally do tours...A Stroll With Noel! It didn't take long to walk the acre. While it was much cooler in the shade of the gardens, it was still mighty hot. We were on the clock as well. There was still one more stop before Warren and I had to head back south to the house. I still had to pack and get to the airport for my evening flight out.
George Barish's Home - Sunday Afternoon.
George is a buddy of Noel's who lives in Parkland. He has just a tad over one acre and it is planted out with all sorts of tropical fruit trees...82 of them are jaboticabas! George sells fruit: jaboticabas, jackfruit, and mangoes. It was quite obvious he enjoyed his trees.
Gearge was also very generous. We ate mangoes and he also sent us home with mangoes. He also let me take some mango cuttings and a huge branch of his red mombin that would get cut up and hopefully root out later.
Chock full of information, George is the kind of guy you could sit around and just listen to for hours on end. Thank you George for the tour and thank you Noel for the great day. This was a very cool way to end my trip.
Chock full of information, George is the kind of guy you could sit around and just listen to for hours on end. Thank you George for the tour and thank you Noel for the great day. This was a very cool way to end my trip.
Mangoes Mangoes Mangoes!
I have like 30 mangoes weighing almost 30 pounds. There was no way in hell they were all going in my suitcase. Sure, they'd fit, but I would be well over the 50 lb. limit. I was wrapping each mango in multiple layers of newspaper for cushion too. Plus, all my clothes were to help protect the fruit as well.
And while I was figuring all this shit out? Warren was outside digging up seedlings beneath his wonderful lemondrop mangosteen tree, two nice sized peanut butter fruit seedlings, and clipping some cuttings from his lemondrop also. This is all in addition to other cuttings I collected as well as that huge red mombin branch that I just cut up and filled a big ziplok with. All of this had to go into the suitcase also.
And while I was figuring all this shit out? Warren was outside digging up seedlings beneath his wonderful lemondrop mangosteen tree, two nice sized peanut butter fruit seedlings, and clipping some cuttings from his lemondrop also. This is all in addition to other cuttings I collected as well as that huge red mombin branch that I just cut up and filled a big ziplok with. All of this had to go into the suitcase also.
First weigh in with the luggage put me well over 50 lbs. So I took out enough mangoes to fill my backpack and another bag I would carry onto the plane. With all of the plants, cuttings, mangoes, and clothes still in the suitcase, it was all I could do to get it closed. But! the weight came in at just under 50 lbs! The two bags were still pretty heavy. They were awkward as hell and cut into my shoulder big time. Sacrifices man!
But all went well as can be expected with the airlines. There was a couple minor snafus that are normal with these jackasses, but I made it home safely and somewhat timely...and so did the mangoes!
But all went well as can be expected with the airlines. There was a couple minor snafus that are normal with these jackasses, but I made it home safely and somewhat timely...and so did the mangoes!
Conclusion - Monday
First off...Warren...dude, thank you for a great four days! It was fun hanging out and sharing experiences of the hobby we both love. Thanks for driving my ass all around Florida...so it seemed, and thanks for a place to stay as well. Definitely looking forward to our next PR and Thailand trips!
Man...Monday was a busy freaking day. It was a real scorcher here too. Was like I never left Miami! I had lots of stuff to get potted up after mixing up a bunch of soil: lakoocha seeds, lemondrop seedlings, peanut butter fruit seedlings, red mombin cuttings. I had lemondrop and mango cuttings that needed to be grafted. The tracking for my plants showed they were supposed to be delivered today so I had that to look forward to.
Man...Monday was a busy freaking day. It was a real scorcher here too. Was like I never left Miami! I had lots of stuff to get potted up after mixing up a bunch of soil: lakoocha seeds, lemondrop seedlings, peanut butter fruit seedlings, red mombin cuttings. I had lemondrop and mango cuttings that needed to be grafted. The tracking for my plants showed they were supposed to be delivered today so I had that to look forward to.
Will wonders never cease?!! USPS actually delivered the plants when promised. Know what is even harder to believe? They delivered both packages unscathed! This is almost unheard of! An anomaly for sure. I've already showed you pics of the crates earlier in the blog so won't show them again. Will show a few other pics with some detail. Not a leaf was lost in the transport. I believe that the weight of the packages discouraged the postal employees from moving the boxes any more than necessary. This probably contributed to the lack of damage more than anything. Sorry...I've had them lose and/or damage more plants than I care to recall. So no breaks given.
By the time I was finished with planting, grafting, and uncrating plants, it was late evening and I was beat. A very satisfying beat I will admit. Hopefully the cuttings will root and the grafts will take.
By the time I was finished with planting, grafting, and uncrating plants, it was late evening and I was beat. A very satisfying beat I will admit. Hopefully the cuttings will root and the grafts will take.
And lets not forget the main reason for going to Florida in the first place...mangoes.
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