Why Our (Wong's) Mangos Are Better Than Your (grocery store's) Mangos
September 30, 2024
- News
Sqirl first met our now-partners- in-crime at Wong Farms back when we were looking for a tomato for the foundation of Sqirl’s now-locally- famous tomato jam. We found the perfect match in Wong’s “Shady Lady” tomatoes, but in the years since Wong has transitioned into primarily farming mangos, a venture they had only just embarked on when we originally crossed paths. As they say, ‘When one tomato closes, another mango opens’, or something like that.
In order to explain our love for Wong Farms’ Valencia mangos, we have to peel back 3 layers of differentiation:
The first and most obvious is that the mangos from Wong are not imported. This means, among other things, that they are not washed with exceedingly hot water in order to kill foreign insects, a process that also has the unwanted effect of obliterating the mango’s fantas- tic perfume-like aroma.
The second is that they are not a typical store-bought varietal. Your classic grocery store mango is an imported Tommy Atkins, which despite its vibrant blush, actually has quite a sinewy texture and lackluster flavor.
The third and final aspect of the Valencia prides that we cherish them for is that Valencias, even among the tasty varietals grown on Wong’s Land near the Salton Sea, is far and away the most intense in both flavor and aroma.
So if you’re looking to significantly up your mango game you can either wait about 10 months until mango season is back in full swing, and head to the Wong stand at the Santa Monica Farmer’s market, OR you can grab a jar of one of our two jams using the Valencia and taste peak mango flavor at the pop of a lid.
