Mango Madness

This past week, we have been enjoying one of the beauties of the hot season - Niger's incredible MANGO harvest.  For a few short weeks of every year, we are flooded with sweet, juicy, delicious mangos.  They are incredible.  We make mango muffins, mango coffee cake, mango fruit crisp, and fresh mango smoothies.  We eat them fresh, frozen, baked, blended, then fresh again.  Since we only have a few weeks to store up for all year long, we spend a few days in intensive mango madness - washing, cutting, bagging, and freezing - mangos, mangos, mangos!  We do mangos until we can see them in our sleep!  But at least our dreams are sweet... :)  Here's a look at the process:

 

 Stocking up - 

Anna is Daddy's big helper picking out mangos in the market.

 

Okay, let's get started...

Let the mango madness begin!

 

Calling all Bitty Bowdens!  Here they are, ready to get started.  And we have some extra "helpers" along for the ride - Welcome, Monkey and Bearie.

Ready, set, WASH!

Hard at work...

Resting already?!

Oh, I see, you just couldn't resist a sampling.

Yummy giggles.

Good job getting those mangos out, Bearie and Anna!

 

My friend, Rebecca, is helping me with this batch.

Making progress!

 

Here comes the afternoon shift!

Welcome to the kitchen, Jonathan!

My multi-talented, incredible husband!

Isaiah and Anna like to eat the leftover fruit from the seeds.  We call Anna Our Mango Girl.  She could eat them all day! 

She's in mango-heaven today.

Yum!  Ready to bag and freeze.

 

Safe in the freezer.

Taking a minute to taste just how yummy these are!

Hmmm...  small spoon, big spoon, small spoon, big spoon...

BIG spoon!  Yes, that's better.  Now that's a Papa-Bear-Sized Spoon!

And even the Wee-Baby-Bowden-Bear got some mango in her mesh snacker.  She's a pretty happy little tyke.  It looks to me like she's saying, "Come to Niger and we'll make sure you get some mangos, too!"  Sounds like a good deal to me.  :)

  

  

"Taste and see that the Lord is good:

Blessed is the man that trusteth in Him."

~ Psalm 34:8 ~