The Julie Mango
Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 10:53 pm
Coconuts and Plumeria are a bit unusual among St. John villas; located on the flat summit of the westward facing ridge of Gifft Hill, they feature level driveways, lushly landscaped and walkable grounds, and even lawns. These lawns include a number of mature fruit trees: guavaberrys, key limes, papayas, soursops, and mangos. The mangos are our favorites, although we are not always there when they ripen in late July and early August. There is a large mango tree down at the western boundary between Coconuts and Plumeria, and another on Coconuts' ocean-view lawn. The one at the boundary between the properties tends to bear ever other year, but the one on Coconuts' lawn has a good set in most years, and several unusual attributes: its fruits are elongated, a bit misshapen, and don't get very red; they also dangle on the end of vines from their original branches. It turns out that this is the locally revered Julie Mango, and we can attest to its fruits being especially delicious.
Well, it turns out that we aren't alone in savoring the fruits of the Julie Mango. Late last summer, the Thirtieth Legislature of the Virgin Islands submitted a bill, #30-0201, naming the Julie Mango the "Virgin Islands Fruit of Choice", and encouraging every VI homeowner to plant at least one Julie Mango in their yards. The bill was promptly signed into law by Governor de Jongh in the following month. We were inspired to plant a young Julie Mango on a side lawn at Plumeria, so now both homes will have one. A link to the bill follows, which I would encourage forum members to read. Legislation often makes for very dry reading, but despite all of the "Whereas", this one is awesome. Here's a link to the bill (now law):
http://www.legvi.org/CommitteeMeetings/ ... 0-0201.pdf
And here is a photo of the Julie Mango on the ocean-view lawn at Coconuts (facing north, towards Plumeria). The tree on the right is a Guavaberry, whose small fruits are made into a holiday liquor.
For folks interested in learning more about the Julie Mango, here is a great YouTube clip, and its Wikipedia entry. Fitting comment: "This is like eating desert!":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P37yVdS0PR4
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_mango
July and August of this year are already fully booked at Coconuts and Plumeria, but for mango aficionados, there is always next year...
Oh, and no discussion of mangoes would be complete without a link to this tune, sung by Diana Coupland, from the very first James Bond film, Dr. No:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-3Qtu6YA9s
All the best,
Kevin
Well, it turns out that we aren't alone in savoring the fruits of the Julie Mango. Late last summer, the Thirtieth Legislature of the Virgin Islands submitted a bill, #30-0201, naming the Julie Mango the "Virgin Islands Fruit of Choice", and encouraging every VI homeowner to plant at least one Julie Mango in their yards. The bill was promptly signed into law by Governor de Jongh in the following month. We were inspired to plant a young Julie Mango on a side lawn at Plumeria, so now both homes will have one. A link to the bill follows, which I would encourage forum members to read. Legislation often makes for very dry reading, but despite all of the "Whereas", this one is awesome. Here's a link to the bill (now law):
http://www.legvi.org/CommitteeMeetings/ ... 0-0201.pdf
And here is a photo of the Julie Mango on the ocean-view lawn at Coconuts (facing north, towards Plumeria). The tree on the right is a Guavaberry, whose small fruits are made into a holiday liquor.
For folks interested in learning more about the Julie Mango, here is a great YouTube clip, and its Wikipedia entry. Fitting comment: "This is like eating desert!":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P37yVdS0PR4
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_mango
July and August of this year are already fully booked at Coconuts and Plumeria, but for mango aficionados, there is always next year...
Oh, and no discussion of mangoes would be complete without a link to this tune, sung by Diana Coupland, from the very first James Bond film, Dr. No:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-3Qtu6YA9s
All the best,
Kevin