Mango Marmalade in Nayarit

Thanks to Bobb who posted this on the forum. The original was written by Bob Howell, may he rest in peace.

Bob (in the mango splattered shirt)

Bob is holding the two main ingredients for making good mango marmalade. The main ingredient is a shot of tequila for getting into the spirit of the thing. The second, of course, are quality mangos.

All of the ingredients necessary for making good mango marmalade.

Seen from left to right are: A mango, a box of pectin, limes, a copita of tequila and sugar from the local mill.

A Manila mango

Here in this part of Nayarit, Mexico the mango season starts in May and ends in September. I like to select my mangos toward the end of the season because they seem to be tastier than in the beginning. Choosing the right mango is not only important for taste, but for ease of peeling and one that has the most fruit with a small seed. Manila is only one of the many types of mangos that are to be found in this area.

Limes

These are limes from my back yard. I also use them for making margaritas, salsa, etc. When choosing limes try and pick those with at least a faint hint of yellow. The pretty dark green ones look nice but they don`t contain as much juice. I use the smaller limes because they are more acid than the larger ones.

Peeling a mango

First cut the skin from top to bottom in at least four places on the mango. Then peel down. Continue until all of the skin is peeled off.

Slicing off the fruit from the seed

The seed is oval shape. When you slice you will get more fruit from two sides. Slice until you can`t get closer to the seed. After slicing put in a large bowl and chop them up.

Chopped mangos are now in the bowl. Mash them down to a consistency just above a pure.

Put all in a large pan or kettle along with the limes, lime juice and pectin. Bring to a boil, stirring constently. Add sugar and bring to a boil that cannot be stirred down. Continue boiling for 2 minutes. Put in hot jars and process in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Process in boiling water for 10 minutes

Here are the amounts of ingredients that I use for 20 half pints. 8 lbs of mango pulp (about 10 kilos of mangos) 2 lime slices for each half pint 11 cups of sugar (Dieters beware) 1 1/2 boxes of pectin 1/4 cup of lime juice

Mango “marmalada” (marmalade)

We serve this to our Bed and Breakfast guests along with Vicky`s famous Mexican breakfasts.