Cayman Mango Mania

Franklin Smith, owner of New Hut Gardens, skillfully
slices the season’s harvest

Franklin Smith shares mangoes and laughter with
customers

Elorine Augustine and Jonathan Woods, from East End,
select the best of the best

by Brian Buckley

Friday, May 28, 2004

If you’ve been wondering recently why there seem to be two turn-ins at the Seven Mile Beach parking lot, you may have come to realise that there is now a seasonal turn-in for mango seekers.

With the arrival of mango season at New Hut Gardens in East End, owner Franklin Smith heads west to set up a mango stand next to the entrance of the Seven Mile Public Beach entrance.

“My father, Ashton Smith taught me the grafting skills I use everyday,” Mr Smith shares proudly. “On some of my trees, I have 12 different varieties growing,” he said.

Started in September 1982, New Hut Gardens first began bearing mangoes by 1985, when the farm was able to begin supplying Fosters and Kirks with its delicious bounty.

The business was blossoming until Hurricane Gilbert ravaged the fruit trees on 13 September 1988, with winds ranging from 93mph to 120mph.

Realising that the forces of nature which had just struck a serious blow were also the forces which brought him prosperity, he stepped forward undeterred and had mangoes back on the market by 1991.

For those curious about the various types of mangoes Mr Smith grows and reaps, a simple question can lead to a fascinating lecture on the names and differences of those displayed on his table.

At the moment Mr Smith’s offers the following types of mangoes: Nam-doc, Julie, Carrie, Jakarta, Nelson, Springfel and East Indian. The Nam-doc, the island’s most popular mango due to its novelty and striking taste, stands out with its elongated and curved shape.

Anyone who does choose to visit Mr Smith’s stand will not just come across a wide variety of mangoes, but a diverse group of customers from all walks of life and all corners of the universe.

Caymanians pull in with the most frequency, from West Bay to East End, and tourists from nearly every continent satiate their curiosity and hunger by filling their bags with the locally-grown treasures.

This stand truly represents a miraculous intersection of peoples and fruits, as the mangoes themselves carry their own international stories within their seed. In fact, the word mango comes from the Portuguese manga, which is derived from the Malayalam (southern India) word mAnna.

Deanna and Suzanne Look Loy, a mother and daughter mango-loving team from George Town, took home a number of East Indian mangoes. Suzanne said: “This is the season. I have to enjoy my East Indian mangoes. The flavour is so good. East Indian is the only kind I eat.”

One could sense from the joy with which she spoke that while East Indian was the only type she ate, she probably rarely ate just one.

On their way to brunch, Elorine Augustine and Jonathan Woods from East End, could not help but stop. “We were just passing by and it’s hard to drive by mangoes.”

Trying her first mango ever, Julie Gatewood from Maryland (USA) stated: “It’s good and really juicy.” She was further interested in trying a Julie mango.

For the future, Mr Smith hopes the government could intervene and establish a system where tourists could take a dozen back to Canada or the UK, in hermetically sealed bags or containers.

Until that time, he is pleased to offer these fruits of the Cayman Islands to all his customers and to carry on in his father’s footsteps.

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