Where to buy fresh mangos

All summer I have been buying Mexican mangos at Valli Produce grocery store in Evanston. Yummy, juicy and not very expensive. For the last few weeks, the mangos have been unripe, rock hard and do not ripen well. I take it they are now out of season. Is there another store where I can find good mangoes perhaps sourced from another region of the world? Any help is most appreciated. Thank you.

This is a tough one. You might have some luck with mangoes from Mexico. In general, the growing season there is summer but there are some regions where they grow year-round. Maybe check some Mexican carnicerias? Other than that, this time of year, southern hemisphere origin would be your best bet but I'm not sure if countries like Brazil or Peru export fresh fruit into the U.S.

It's my understanding that mango is the most widely grown fruit on the planet. That makes their seasonal availability even more frustrating, doesn't it?

=R=

You might also try one of the Indian groceries on Devon Ave. The best time of year to buy mangoes there is late April through early July (when the pricey alphonso and kesar varieties are available) but they seem to source decent mangoes year round and at fair prices.

Can confirm Devon Avenue is a good bet - I live over there. I've seen those rock hard mangos you speak of lately, however I can usually trust that at least one of those stores on Devon will have some ripe options available. Mangos are a staple for me and I haven't had to go without yet this season.

Also this might help someone - for ripe sweet mangos you want to look for a good amount of green on the outer skin in addition to some red/orange, and they should be soft obviously. I think I read that they shouldn't smell too 'sweet' - that's a sign they may be overripe and the flavor will be bland.

Went to Devon Ave. and found at Ted's grocery mangos from Brasil ($1.49)-same as now Valli Produce in Evanston ($1.79 each $9.99 for a box of . Not quite ripe so giving it a few days to see if they ripen without issue. Thanks for all of your help.

The mangos I purchased (origin Brasil) were not very juicy. They were sweet but a tad stringy. Maybe it is the start of the season and as more come in they will be better.

If quality far outweighs cost in your value equation, Awami Bazaar, a Pakistani grocery store on Devon just east of Western, usually gets a shipment of fresh mangoes from Pakistan every Thursday or Friday, which it sells in box form. They are not cheap--IIRC, the last box I got was either $24 for six or $28 for eight--but they're better than any North American-produced mango you can find in the grocery store.

The boxes go quickly--the owner does not display or advertise them, and there's a loyal clientele who purchase them weekly. But if you ask him in advance to hold you a box he will--provided you come get it within about 24 hours of its arrival. In other words: run, don't walk.

Awami Bazaar
2340 W Devon Ave,
Chicago, IL 60659