Mango
Carrie
History
Bred by Laurence Zill in Boynton Beach, Florida, as a seedling of Julie. Never became a commercial variety because of its small size and delicate skin, but it became one of the most sought-after dooryard mangoes in South Florida purely on the strength of its flavor.
Taste profile
Deep orange, completely fiberless flesh with an intensely rich, spicy, almost resinous flavor that's often compared to an Alphonso mango. It's polarizing — mango lovers who grew up on Indian-type varieties tend to rank it among the best, while people used to milder commercial mangoes can find it overpowering. Some tasters pick up a faint coconut note.
Growing habits
Semi-dwarf tree with a slow-growing, dense, rounded canopy that needs little pruning and shows good resistance to fungal disease. Early-to-mid-season, typically ripening May through July. The fruit is very soft once ripe and bruises easily, so it should be hand-picked rather than left to drop.
Shipping
Does not ship well. Extremely soft and easily bruised — best eaten within about 48 hours of full ripeness. Not a variety that tolerates handling or distance well.