Down memory lane- Mangrove

"Mangrove" was always part of our postal address ,when i got married things started changing.From then a lot of changes started.. what ever empty land which was in our family was all sold. All the wonderful tasty mango trees were cut down, all those who used to get free mangoes from my family may miss it. My mum is trying to grow some in what land is left around home;she has a hard time keeping the young who have no sense of right/wrong throwing stones climbing walls and doing things one never could think off.
How sad.Every time i cut mangoes which are sweet and juicy my 20 odd yrs at home and our eating mangoes for breakfast, lunch , snacks, dinner,serving them to guests, cutting them and putting small forks,in bowls, giving every Tom ,Dick, Harry -my grand parents used to go with dozens to peoples homes and gave.People who worked for us got.My cousins,brother we used to even have competition as to who ate the most. Ate them with peels, without cutting , all the ways one could think off.We even had receipe for mangoes nuts(seeds).Grew some with seeds.
Eating mangoes from when they are small, raw ,to big ;climbing trees to get the biggest, going with sacks, baskets to collect mangoes which had fallen during storms.
when the branches get heavy with fruits some break collecting them. sorting mangoes according to variety,size, if smashed/cracked after fall ;making pickles, chutneys,all these used to be our summer months at home.Never ending work.
Clearing rooms, under staircase and other places putting hay down in a very level way keeping mangoes slowly with space between, laying hay on top, checking every day or other to see if they are ripe , taking those out , after few days everything will decide to get ripe at once, then comes, juice making,mango dry sweet making(that means keeping nets run behind the areas where sun is,keeping it in- bringing it out.. oh..worth it)
putting them in fridge, cupboards, packets with who to give lists...
With age caught up problems like touch hay, allergy, no more raw mangoes,teeth will start its pains, now ripe mangoes cause my tongue to itch, even if i eat more than 2-3 pieces. juice is fine !
lunch used to be bread with jams.
Wonder how many have such memories of receiving. Other than our family.we had a person who came put medicines before and come to collect small ones falling , come to pluck them, they used to harvest it and take it in trucks for sale after giving certain nos to us.
we have done our share of plucking too.
Gone mango trees, land, grand parents,even the man who took for hire all those trees for years.My memory thoughts and prayers with all of them.
Spoke with my cousin yesterday (monday- labor day'), back from home.. was telling how they went and climbed and plucked mangoes like how we did as kids and she had fun!