Summer Activity: Mango Picking!

Everyone knows how bad the Indian Summer can get, and this year is no different. It's getting worse by the day, and everyone is hoping for the arrival of a good monsoon. So is there anything good at all about the Summer, apart from school vacations? Of course, Mangoes! The golden, juicy, sweet fruit is one of the best things about the harsh Summer. I remember as kids (and even now), how we'd gorge on these delicious fruits throughout the day- be it at breakfast or lunch or dinner. Not to forget the various mango-based recipes. 

Last weekend, my Grand-aunt called to inform that the large tree at the edge of our field had a lot of mangoes this year, and every morning 20-25 ripe ones could be found under the tree from the past week. We wasted no time, and set off to try and pick some. This was my first such experience of picking mangoes, and boy, wasn't I excited!

Dad made a contraption with a short stick tied at an angle to the edge of a long one. Below, a cousin and I stood with a large sheet (actually an academic poster that I'd presented at a conference earlier, and currently being used to dry tamarind!). As the mangoes were pulled down, we'd accordingly change directions and try to catch them. A couple of them landed straight on my forearm- that did hurt! A few of them were low enough, to jump and pluck directly (when I felt like Mowgli). We also spotted a few dry coconuts, and Dad picked those too.

The haul was quite good, and we collected over a hundred mangoes, which was only about 10% of the total mangoes on the tree! In addition, my Grand-aunt gave us some authentic hand-ground raw mango pickle to take back home. Plus, she also suggested we salt a few mangoes for the rains, to make a spicy tangy chutney later on. All in all, it was a wonderful evening spent in the fields, with new things learnt! 
Below is a photo of the parched fields in the soft evening light, awaiting a monsoon better than the last.

See also: Picking Ice Apple (Palm Fruit), Tamarind Harvest