Exploring Mango Festival at Fairchild

Mangoes for sale at Fairchild include some grown on its farm in Homestead.

This time of year, I dream of mangoes. Their sultry, sweet taste calls out to me. I really wanted to return to the International Mango Festival at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, but I didn't want to pay the $25 entrance fee.

Then I remembered my membership to the Mounts Botanical Garden in suburban West Palm Beach. It has a list of reciprocal gardens that offers free admission, and Fairchild is on that list. I called to make sure Fairchild would accept the Mounts card to enter the Mango Festival.

Next, I needed to find another Mounts member who would travel with me. I thought of Carol Carnevale, friend and former boss, who went to the Tropical Fruit Festival at Mounts. She readily agreed to drive with me the 70-some miles south to Fairchild.

Watching weather

I carefully watched the weather mainly because Tropical Storm Chantal had formed early last week. But when it dissipated and was forecast to be off in the Bahamas, I declared the road trip a go. To play it safe, I suggested we bring rain gear.

For me, that meant a rain poncho. For Carnevale, the rain gear included a hooded rain jacket and a never-used umbrella purchased at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. The umbrella, with its tag still attached, displayed pictures of pandas.

An unusual palm foretold the great adventure that
awaited us.

First stop, the Mango Tasting room where for $1
each, we were able to vote on our top three choices.

After we received a Tropical Grilled Cheese sandwich to split, we looked for a table under the large, white umbrellas on the Garden House lawn. We spied one where a family was leaving, and quickly sat down.

A photographer with press credentials from the Examiner.com soon joined us. An older gentleman, he and his wife write for the Miami section of the website. He writes about travel and takes photos, she would come the Sunday to write about the brunch for the food and dining experience.

Soon the skies opened, and the rains began.

Carnevale (right) and me hunch under her panda umbrella. We remained
hopeful by continuing to wear our sunnies. (Photo by Examiner.com/miami)

The rains, though, didn't dampen the festivities. As seasoned South
Floridians, we simply waited out the rain to begin our tour of the festival.

Our first stop was the Garden House, where a lecture on Mexican mangoes was underway by Richard Campbell of Fairchild. I was impressed when he responded to a question by saying, "There is no good reason -- horticulturally -- to paint the tree trunks white. It's done all over Latin America."

Another woman from California said, "They paint the avocado tree trunks there to prevent sunburn."

But Campbell said that's when they severely prune the tree, a practice not recommended by Fairchild.

Then another person asked how the hot water treatment, required for the Mexican mangoes before exporting to big box retailers in the U.S., would affect the taste. Mangoes are a quite sensitive fruit, easily damaged. Campbell hesitated, then simply said, "Hot water changes the taste of the mango."

I took that to mean buy mangoes grown in the U.S.

Julie tree needs partner

For Carnevale, the festival provided a tip that told her the Julie mango tree she purchased at a Mounts' festival would need a partner in order to produce fruit. No one told her at the Mounts festival, but Noris Ledesma said so in her lecture on the mango legacy of David Fairchild. Carnevale wouldn't necessarily need another Julie tree, but another mango variety would do.

The Hawaiian Trio provided the ukelele-based music that set a magical
 tone for the afternoon.

The walk to the butterfly conservatory was full of lush
landscaping, including these orchids sitting on a log
that bridged a stream.

The line to conservatory was long, at least a 30-minute wait. We asked the guide about another place where we could see into the conservatory. She suggested the nearby Glasshouse Cafe where we ordered Mango Fruit Bars and watched people walk through the conservatory, trying to get butterflies to land on them.

This girl successfully attracted butterflies that she proudly showed
to her mom and her grandmother.

Inside the conservatory, people delighted showing their butterfly pictures
to each other. 

Butterflies enjoy mangoes left out in the sun on a tree trunk inside the
conservatory. Are they caligo idomenius butterflies?
 I forgot to ask before I left Fairchild.

On the walk back to the Great Lawn for more mango treats, we saw this
pink bromeliad growing high in a tree.

Next, we spied this red bird-of-paradise growing on the
forest floor.

When we returned to the Great Lawn, the festival was nearly over for the day. We decided to have one more mango treat, mango sorbet from Gaby's Farm in Homestead. It was a quiescent end to the wonderful day.

By the time we arrived at my car, I checked my pedometer for the day. It read 4.38 miles, meaning I had walked 3 miles around the festival.

And now, for my numbers

I had my best walking day last week on Saturday, July 13, 2013, when I walked:

Steps: 10,798

Miles: 5.4