Q&A for How to Ripen Mangoes

There are several indicators that a mango is ready to be eaten. First, press the skin gently; it should give a little (if it gives too much, the mango is overripe and is best in a smoothie or used for deserts/baking). Second, the mango will smell sweet, fruity and delicious. Third, the color will no longer be green but will appear orange or red, or a combination in between (color on its own is not an indicator though - the other indicators must also be present). You’ll find more help here: How to Tell if a Mango is Ripe .

Ethylene gas is the natural gas used to ripen mangoes. Placing an unripe mango in a paper bag will cause the mango to release ethylene naturally, helping it to ripen. In some countries, calcium carbide has been used to ripen bananas but it is now considered carcinogenic and causes a wide range of health problems––this, it is not suitable for ripening fruit intended for human consumption.

Once sliced, mango deteriorates quickly, so act quickly to stop it from browning. One method is to squeeze a fresh lemon and sprinkle the juice over the slices; the ascorbic acid will slow down the browning. Or, you could use ascorbic acid derived from a vitamin C tablet; just crush a 250g tablet and add to 1 cup ice water, then brush the mango slices with this. Freezing the slices will also stop them from browning.

A mango is ripe when it gives off a sweet fragrance, gives slightly when pushed gently and has an orange, red or blushed color to it.

Yes, mangoes will ripen after being picked from the tree. The mango can be ripened in a paper bag or wrapped in newspaper and left on the kitchen counter. Check it the next day to see how much it has ripened; leave longer if needed. There are various other ripening methods suggested in the article above.

Use a vegetable peeler. It peels the skin really closely so that none of the mango goes to waste.

Go to Indian/Pakistani stores and look for the ones imported from either of those countries. They are by far the sweetest mangoes I've ever had.

Only water your mango tree if it has gone a long time without water; over-watering your tree isn't good. Also, be sure to cover your tree if it gets cold enough to frost outside as that can also damage the plant.

If you want to stop a mango from ripening, put it in the fridge. You can also cut it up and freeze it.

Mango will not ripen once sliced into pieces. You have to cut up fruit that is already ripe. Determining if fruit is ripe or not is a skill worth cultivating.

Yes but you have to add honey water. Just enough that the mango may absorb enough to transfer around. The sweeter the honey water, the better. Warm the honey water up and pour over seal it up and in the next day or two, it will be good to go.

Once a mango is cut up, it does not continue to ripen. To ensure as much of the mango can be consumed as possible, the fruit must be fully ripe before being cut.

Room temperature is the ideal temperature for mangoes to ripen.

Fresh fruit will not last for six months. You can cut up ripe mangoes and freeze them, but there is no way to preserve fresh fruit for more than a few weeks. a

It's not very effective. It halts ripening and the mangoes will rot sooner. A mango is naturally ripened when it does not smell like gas. Try to buy Florida or California mangoes.

Put them in the fridge. Although this does not massively extend the shelf life of mangoes, it will allow them to keep a couple extra days.

Follow the instructions listed in the article above.

If it is hard to remove from the stem, then yes, leave it for longer. It also depends how fast you are going to eat them. If you are picking a mango to eat it immediately, then it should be somewhat soft.

Unripe mangoes are usually green on the outside with a harder, more bitter flesh on the inside. Ripe mangoes have more orange and red coloring on the skin with juicier flesh inside.

If they are a decent size, it's worth ripening them.

Room temperature is required. Avoid cold temperatures as tropical fruit can be damaged by cold if exposed to it before ripening.

Depends how long they're in the rain. They were grown in the rain, so it' doubtful a bit of rain water will have any effect on them.

No, don't wash them until they're ready to eat. When they are ready, they can be washed.