Hot weather is good for Mangoes. They love it and we have
plenty of that this summer of 2012. Mike of Northampton said they cover
all the fruit with brown paper bags. The bottom of the bags are cut off and
then slid over the fruit to form a sleeve and held by two staples at the top.
This prevents the fruit from being sunburnt and scratched by branches in the
wind. Quality, not quantity is their mojo here. These quality ripened mangoes are
sent to Perth and our farmers markets.
This year’s crop is small so they will be marketed locally. Mangoes tend
to have a big crop one year followed by a smaller one the next one or two years.
I met Michael and Shirley at the Railway Station
Sunday morning markets and we arranged to meet again at their small plantation
on the outskirts of Northampton. They
have been there for eleven years, he grew up as a youngster on a banana
plantation in Carnarvon and Shirley is from Lancashire in England. After traveling through England and India for two years they returned to W.A. and
spend another two years finding this place. The farmlet is set on a gentle
slope with rows of healthy mango trees on the lower part. Originally there were
lots of palms, ferns and tropical plants. They removed them and replaced with
native plants that flower for most of the year for the bees. Just next to the house was a neat small gum
Mike called a Citronella scented Mallee for want of a better name, as it is a
gum that has naturally crossed itself with another and created a unique
species.
They also grow some citrus and a crop of special garlic
which has a real hot component in it. The trees and garden are watered from a
bore by drip irrigation Mike said to never wet the trunk of the mango tree with
the drip or watering system as it encourages rot and disease to start. (Mangos
can’t handle salt water).
Animal manures and fish based fertilizer are used plus worm
juice from their own worm farm. The mango fruit is very sensitive to strong
feeding and will not go a golden colour on ripening if the fertilizer is too
much and too rich. Mangoes ripen from the bottom up and when we see yellow spots
on the bottom they are ready to pick to ripen in cool storage. No chemical
insecticides are used here. They prune the mangoes a lot. They do three or four different
types of pruning a year. The tops of the trees are taken down about a metre or
two every year to keep down the size of the tree. Mike told us the Northampton
soil is unique in that although rich it is very shallow with rock not far below
the surface. Any root competition from other trees like gums robs the moisture
and nutrients from the mango's.
Bees are an important part of the eco-cycle of this orchard.
They have a few hives and he learnt all about bee’s years ago from a library
book initially and now swaps information with other bee keepers. Honey is
collected for private use and for sale. Honey chilli sauce is one of those.
After the two years in India Mike said he could not eat the
boring Aussie food and set about making chilli and hot sauces to add to the
preparation of their own food. They use small mango's and windfall fruit plus
herbs, garlic etc in his secret recipes. Exotic spices like nigella sativa,
turmeric, fennel etc are purchased from India through a Perth based importer. The
jars of finished products are available at the Sunday markets along with
quality mango's in season. Mike and Shirley just recently announced their
retirement and their family have taken over the show with the recipes and
support where necessary.
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