Florida Man Loots Fruit
Motivated thieves pluck Miami mangoes by the truckful
Winter bud break in South Florida is like leaf season in New England: A riotous coral flames from the mango trees and a palpable sense of change tinges the air. Whether they’re leftover from defunct commercial groves or planted by owners, the trees — dozens upon dozens of treasured varieties — liberally pepper the urban landscape.
Then, we wait. Soon enough, the tiny green mangoes emerge. As they grow bigger, they drop off, until only one remains on each panicle to mature and ripen. We watch the shoulders of our fruit gently blush, and photograph the first mangoes of the season for our social media feeds.
But as every dedicated gardener knows, pride goes before a fruit fall.
In a good year, a fully grown mango tree can set hundreds to thousands of mangoes. And when our trees are doing well, it’s usually the case that our neighbors’ trees all over the tri-county region are also flush with fruit. During these summers, we can’t give the mangoes away. Our freezers are stuffed by June, and the jam pots simmer all day, sending up volcanic wafts of cinnamon, vanilla, rum, and…
