Happy SATURDAY everyone! Here in the Bahamas, “Mango season” is in full swing and everybody in this busy household loooovessss mangoes! Hairy mangoes, hairless mangoes, juicy mangoes, green mangoes (yep even the green ones), little ones and huge ones (what we call mangolas). It really doesn’t matter what, shape, color or size! If there are mangoes, we will find something to do with them.
But unfortunately, our mangola trees didn’t bare at all this year. We really didn’t expect it to, it being the Shemitah year and all, but even last year was kind of so-so too(at least for us) . Strange enough, only one side of our tree grew mangoes and trust me, they didn’t last very long either!
Last Year’s Mangolas
Thank God, my neighbors also has a huge mangola tree, and boy did their tree bare a motherload!! (and I’m not kidding either) I don’t know why, but I’m not complaining! Especially because they are awesome neighbors and their tree is like our tree. Plus, Mrs. Thompson (That’s her name), stopped by a few days ago and brought us two huge bags worth and I could’ve sworn I’d died and gone to “Mangola heaven”. Instantly, my brain went into overdrive dreaming up all the goodies I could make with such a bounty. (That’s if my pesky kids and hubby didn’t eat them all first)
The first thing I thought of (as my mouth was full of a juicy mango) was to make mango jam! I quickly took about 8 of the the mangolas that were really ripe and full of juice to set aside for my jam-making and continued to devour my own. Yum! After eating another mango or two….or three, (heck..who’s counting), I went to work making the most delicious, sugar-free jam that I knew the whole family would enjoy.
Chopped Mango Flesh
So if you get your hands on a good lot of these delicious mangolas this season, give this jam a try and enjoy a bit of mango heaven!
Sugar Free Mango-Lime Jam
Author: Bettina Bullard
Sugar Free Mango-Lime Jam
Ingredients:
· 3-4 pounds peeled and diced mango (hairless)
· 1/2 cup lime juice
Instructions:
1. Using a blender or food processor, puree the mango in separate batches until medium thick in consistency. (You do not want it too thin)
2. Place the mango and the lime juice into a preserving pan and bring mixture to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to medium high and allow to simmer, stirring frequently for about 20 minutes.
4. Raise the heat and and cook the jam (again stirring frequently) until thick and a drop mounds on a chilled dish.
5. Ladle the jam into pint or half-pint mason jars and refrigerate.
Notes: Jam can be preserved by processing jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Busy B's in da Bahamas 