22 THE MANGO IN PORTO RICO. 



with sirup, as before. There may be a difference of opinion as to the palatablenesa 

 of canned mangoes. A considerable number of those persons who have tasted the 

 results of our work have pronounced the canned fruit excellent, while others have 

 declared their indifference to it. A like diversity of opinion, we note, holds respect- 

 ing the raw fruit, particularly to those unaccustomed to its peculiar flavor. Mangoes 

 stewed in the form of sauce will be found a welcome addition to any dinner table. 

 "As good as stewed peaches," we have heard them pronounced. 



MARMALADE AND JELLY. 



The same writer also gives the following directions for making the 

 fruit into marmalade and jell}" 



Marmalade. — Peel and slice the mango, cutting close to the stone, and cook, using 

 plenty of water. Boil until the fruit is thoroughly disintegrated, when the pulp 

 should be run through the colander with the purpose of extracting the "wool." 

 Sugar should now be added to suit the taste (about three-fourths of a pound to the 

 pint of pulp), and the mass boiled until clear, when it should be poured into the 

 molds or jars in which it is to be kept. This marmalade is of a rich golden-yellow 

 color; it retains the form of the mold perfectly, and seems in all respects to satisfy 

 the most exacting taste. In the absence of the experience necessary to test the 

 keeping qualities of mango marmalade, it would be the part of wisdom to seal the 

 jars designed for future u.se while hot with wax, or better yet, with a plug of cotton 

 wool. 



Jelly.- — For jelly, prepare the mangoes by slicing as for marmalade, boil the fruit 

 with water, prolonging the boiling only to the extent of extracting the juices. Great 

 care should be taken in boiling, as the mango rapidly "boils to pieces," in which 

 case it is impossible to make satisfactory jelly. Pour off the juice, strain, and boil 

 down to a jelly, an operation that occupies only a few moments, as the mango is rich 

 in gelatinous materials; the pulp remaining after the jelly has been removed may be 

 used to advantage in making marmalade. In the amount of sugar used in iMaking 

 jelly, the housekeeper is safe in following old practices in this respect with other 

 fruits. It is impossiVjle to give exact rules in all the operations connected with 

 working up this fruit. In general, it will be well to use, in boiling, water somewhat 

 to excess, and as the mango "cooks" readily, constant watchfulness is needed to 

 prevent l;urning. 



To show something of what is possible in the way of results with this fruit, I may 

 say that in our experiments 13 good-sized mangoes gave 1 pint of jelly and 5 quarts 

 of marmalade. This certainly must be counted a very favorable, not to say remark- 

 able, result. 



About Acapulco Dr. Edward Palmer found the foreign residents 

 making the unripe mangoes into an excellent jelly, with the mango 

 flavor so modified as to please even those who do not care for the fresh 

 fruit. At the same place the experiment had been tried of making 

 sweet pickles of the green fruit, with very satisfactory results. 



During the height of the season in Porto Rico, mangoes can be 

 bought at retail at the rate of 5 to 25 cents per hundred, at which 

 price the cost of the fruit in making jellies and marmalades is nominal, 

 and as the cheap sugar made in Porto Rico is suitable for making pre- 

 serves, and the transportation charges on the finished product low, 

 it would seem that if a salable article could be produced, its manufac- 

 ture ought to be profitable. In view of the abundant supph' and the 



