Mangos, Lychees and More: Where to Celebrate Tropical Fruit
It’s South Florida’s tropical fruit season! This year’s mango crop looks abundant. Lychees, always a fickle crop, are making their appearance in farmers markets and fruitstands. Here’s the latest roundup of places to enjoy our tropical bounty.
Mango Men Homestead: Good Season Forecast
This year, Dr. Richard Campbell and his family’s weekend mango sales promise to be much better than 2022, when weather conditions led to one of the worst mango harvests in recent memory. “There will be diversity, volume and most importantly, quality,” he says.
This year, Mango Men Homestead featuring their wangos – interspecific hybrids between the mango and her wild relatives. “These surprising new creations have stunning flavors and will eventually form the basis of a brave new world for the mango industry,” says Campbell. They are also offering their new generation of cultivars: ‘King Lion’, ‘Hubble’, ‘Carioca’, ‘Orange Sherbet, ‘CeciLove’, ‘Diamond’, ‘Sunny’, ‘Big Saturn’ and ‘Nectar of Neptune’, to name a few.
Mango Men Homestead sells fresh and dried mangos, local honey and a limited number of trees from their porch every weekend until the mangos run out. Follow their Facebook page and sign up for their emails to find out when Mango Men Homestead will be open for business.
Mango Mania, Fruit and Spice Park June 24
The Tropical Fruit & Vegetable Society of the Redland is partnering with the Fruit & Spice Park to present this much-loved event! This starts off with a lecture Saturday, June 24, 9am at the Miami-Dade County Extension, 18710 SW 288th Street. Alex Salazar, who has been studying mangos since childhood, is owner of Tropical Acres Farms, where he grows over 300 varieties of mangos. His lecture title is "Modern Florida Mango Culture." https://www.tropicalacresfarms.com/ Then top it off with a delicious sampling of an incredible variety of locally grown mangos at the Fruit & Spice Park, 18701 SW 248th Street. Registration is $60 online or $75 at the door (if space is available) and includes a light breakfast with mangos and a bag to take home some favorites. The bag holds 12-14 small mangos like Pickering or 8-10 medium size mangos like Glenn. Buy tickets here.
Summer Fruit Festival at Fruit and Spice Park June 25
Redland’s Fruit and Spice Park is once again hosting the annual Summer Fruit Festival on June 25, showcasing the abundance of fruits in season, including mangos, jackfruit, passion fruit, avocado and many more tropical fruits that grow in this county park. Taste different fruits and learn more about them at educational workshops. Vendors will be selling food, tropical fruit trees and arts and crafts. There will be music and lawn games all day for kids. Bring lawn chairs and sunblock. Adults 16+ $15, children 6-15 $8, 5 and under free. Buy tickets online for a discount.
Mango Fest Key West June 22-25
You’ll find all the hallmarks of a Key West event at this annual festival: a lavish brunch, kickoff party, fun merchandise, silent auction and art contests. But this event is more than a southernmost city shindig. Mango Fest Key West benefits the city’s Police Athletic League (PAL), whose initiatives are aimed at getting kids involved in sports and educational programs and providing a safe place where they can go after school and on weekends. Members of the Key West Police Department donate their time and effort to help with activities that include boxing and basketball. Buy tickets online.
Kick-off Party, Thurs., June 22, The Garden Cafe and Kiki’s Corner Wine Bar, 1105 Simonton St. Celebrate the start of the festival at this cafe owned by two sisters who brought the flavors of Transylvania to the sunny island of Key West.
Mango Mania Vendor Village, Sat., June 24, Bayview Park. Splash the town mango with mango-related items from galleries, jewelry stores, bookstores, restaurants and gift shops.
Everything Mango Brunch, Sun., June 25, The Lost Kitchen Supper Club, Stock Island. Start off with a mango margarita or mimosa, followed by lobster benedict with mango hollandaise sauce, mango bourbon French toast casserole and house-cured thick-cut bacon with mango wood smoke. Finish with chili-lime mango and mascarpone pastry and mango cream cheese crostata.
Love & Limes: Key Lime Festival in Key West June 30-July 4
Celebrate the Keys’ favorite citrus fruit and pie flavor in Key West from June 30-July 4: five days of culinary events, a cocktail sip and stroll, key lime rum samplings and lots more. More info here.
Friday, June 30
Key Lime Bike Tours, 122 Ann St.
keylimebiketours.com
Mini Key Lime Pie Class, 511 Greene St.
305-517-6720
Key Lime Rum Tasting, Key West First Legal Rum Distillery
Key Lime Kick-Off, Curry Mansion
Cookbook signing and champagne reception
Key Lime Trivia, The Marker Hotel
Tickets
Miss Key Lime Pageant, 423 Caroline St.
Must be 21 to enter
Living The Key Lime Life Dinner Kaya Island Eats
305-395-0123
Sat., July 1
Key Lime Bike Tours, 122 Ann St.
keylimebiketours.com
Mini Key Lime Pie Class, 511 Greene St.
305-517-6720
Mary Ellen’s Cooldown Lounge
keylimefestival.com
Key Lime Sip & Stroll
Check-in: First Flight Restaurant, 301 Whitehead St.
Flamingos Love Key Lime, too! Hyatt Centric, 601 Front St.
Key Lime Unity Table Dinner at William’s Hall, 729 Fleming St.
keylimefestival.com
Sun., July 2
Key Lime Bike Tours, 122 Ann St.
keylimebiketours.com
Red, White and Brunch at First Flight Island and Brewery, 301 Whitehead St.
305-293-8484
Key Lime Pie Drop, Key West Lighthouse, 938 Whitehead st.
keylimefestival.com
Mary Ellen’s Cooldown Lounge
keylimefestival.com
Key Lime Scavenger Hunt, Conch Republic Seafood Company, 631 Greene St.
keylimefestival.com
Wheeling and Dealing Hot Wheel Race, Mary Ellen’s Bar
Tickets
Key Lime Dewey Deck Dinner and Wine Pairing, La Mer & Dewey House, 506 South St.
Tickets
Mon., July 3
Key Lime Bike Tours, 122 Ann St.
keylimebiketours.com
Mini Key Lime Pie Class, 511 Greene St.
305-517-6720
Key Lime Pie Hop, Conch Republic Seafood Company, 631 Greene St.
Tickets
Mary Ellen’s Cooldown Lounge
keylimefestival.com
Key Lime Tree Master Class, MARC Plant Store, 1401 Seminary St.
Tickets
Record-Breaking Key Lime Pie, Big Pine Key Community Park
Tues., July 4
Key Lime Bike Tours, 122 Ann St.
keylimebiketours.com
Mini Key Lime Pie Class, 511 Greene St.
305-517-6720
World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship, Southernmost Beach Café, 1405 Duval St.
keylimefestival.com
Dante’s Fourth of July Pool Party, 955 Caroline St.
keylimefestival.com
Patriotic Dinner Under the Fireworks, Ed Knight Pier
Tickets
Frozen Pie Pick-Up & Ship
Kermit’s Key Lime Pie Shoppe
Key West Key Lime Pie Co.
Fairchild Mango Festival, July 8-9
Celebrate the King of Fruit in July with a weekend of mangos! Enjoy tastings, smoothies, and mango-inspired cocktails. Details here.
