Mangoes – they’re not just for your salsas, salads and fruit plates anymore! I’ve blended them up with a dash of ginger and frozen lemonade concentrate for a super fast, super refreshing Mango Ginger Lemonade. (That’s it up there. Isn’t is pretty?)

Mango 101 – How to Tell When Mangos are Ripe

The key to making this lemonade great is making sure your mangos are ripe. How can you tell they’re ripe through their yellow-orange-red-green skin? There are two things you should look for. First, as mangos ripen the green patches on their skin disappear. That doesn’t mean you should rely solely on skin color to choose the best mangos. To check for ripeness, give your mango a gentle squeeze. A ripe mango will be firm to touch but will give slightly under a little pressure from your fingers. If you squeeze and your fingers leave an impression or dent in the skin, your mango’s overripe. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it, but the soft fruit might be best put to use in a smoothie or this lemonade, where shape isn’t an issue.

Mango 101 – How to Ripen Mangos

Most mangoes available in grocery stores are distributed before they’re fully ripe to compensate for the time they’ll spend sitting in your produce section waiting to be purchased. If left at room temperature, they’ll continue to ripen slowly over a few days. If you need to speed up that process, place your unripe mangoes in a brown, paper bag. When I don’t have a paper bag handy, I’ll pop my unripe mangoes in a drawer. It’s room temperature, a confined space and it works just as well. Once they’re ripe, store your mangoes in the fridge if you’re not using them immediately. The cooler temps slow down the ripening process.

Mango Ginger Lemonade

This lemonade relies on fresh, ripe mangoes for it’s refreshing flavor. You’ll need three cups of diced mango, from two to three mangoes, depending on their size. The result is a mango-intense lemonade with an almost creamy mouth feel. If texture’s not your thing, you can strain the lemonade before serving.