Nissa, Author at Under the Mango TreeUnder the Mango Tree

Mangoes & Thanksgiving

November 10, 2018

Three mango-centric recipes that don’t mess with tradition

I love to cook, I assume that’s obvious. I also like to go rogue in the kitchen when it comes to tradition. That, after all is how change is made, by pushing boundaries. I used to loathe cooking Thanksgiving food. It didn’t matter where I was, or who I was with, the Thanksgiving table, in my mind, was filled with foods and flavors that I didn’t like; carbs, sugars and blandness. The added element of massive elbow grease needed for both the prep and cleanup for just one BIG, quick meal, seemed like a bunch of bullshit; especially as my Thanksgiving’s always seemed to have more football fans than helpful dishwashers; unless you count my loyal dog friends.

Featured, Kitchen

Spooky Goblin Blood Punch & Ghost Toppers

October 29, 2018

A quick and easy Halloween drink for kids, spikeable for the adults!

Most Americans celebrate Halloween in some form or another. Whether you are giving out candy to trick-or-treaters, dressing up for work or partying it up somewhere festive- hoping to win best costume; we all tend to get extra jolly on this dark evening. I’m always trying to get mangoes in on the fun, but as I teeter more on the verge of boundaries these days then pushing through them, I recognize, we can’t incorporate mangoes into every single thing- one has to be clever about it…… it has to be tasty and not scream “Im trying too hard.” This is my Halloween attempt. Continue Reading…

Featured, Kitchen

Autumn Spiced Pavlovas with Mango Curd and Concord Grapes

October 29, 2018

Pumpkin spiced mango curd, seems like something Starbucks should have, no?

Pavlovas are a super simple and make one of the most versatile desserts there is. It’s sort of a marshmallow and sort of a merengue cookie and usually topped off with whipped cream and fruit. Summer versions are quite spectacular, filled with berries and stone fruit and dripping with succulent in season nectars. We see fewer autumnal versions and I truth be told I kind of only accidentally came up with this idea, while embarking on the recipe/idea for Goblin Blood Punch and Ghost Toppers. I had some extra merengue from testing and some extra spice so the idea was born to not only spice the pavlovas, as I knew that would taste great, but to flavor mango curd with the spices and see if I could tame mango’s bright and sunny, summery essence and make it quieter and more introspective than it’s used to. Continue Reading…

Farm, Featured, News

Hurricane Willa Floods Southern Sinaloa

October 25, 2018

Much needed water pours down on the mangoes despite the ensuing chaos

The hurricane, which gained massive, unforeseen, rapid strength, morphing into a Category 5 storm, with wind gusts exceeding 160 mph, was projected to be one of the most powerful storms to hit the Mexican Pacific coast. Eventually, just before making landfall, the storm weakened- slightly- into a (still extremely dangerous) Category 4 storm, and upon landfall a powerful Category 3 hurricane, arriving near the Isla De Bosque, Sinaloa, Mexico which is about an hour and half south of Mazatlán and about 45 minutes south west of El Rosario, where Crespo Organic’s main Mexican offices and our main pack house Empaque don Jorge, live.

Farm, Featured, News, Secrets & Lies

South American Predictions are In

October 10, 2018

Pronatur mango farm, Peru

Ecuadorian Small Fruit Abundance and Limited Peruvian Volumes

This article originally published -edited- for Organic Produce Network
click here for the published version
Below is the unedited version, written by Nissa Pierson

If the Mexican organic mango season can give us insight into the approaching Ecuadorian and Peruvian seasons, it’s that increasingly unpredictable weather patterns complicate predictions; especially in the midst of burgeoning mango markets that continue to ripen as global consumers gravitate towards fresh mangoes and organics, at a rate that has proven difficult for organic growers to keep up with, consistently. Continue Reading…

Culture, Featured, Kitchen, People

Celebrating Mexico & All Things Mango

August 1, 2018

Bay Area Consumers and Buyers Co-Mingle with Farm to Table Mangoes

“The experience of being alongside consumers in this format was so rewarding. It wasn’t about selling or being sold to, so it was natural and easy. Everyone was there to enjoy food (heavily featuring mangoes in all different ways, some obvious and some creative.) I found the conversation was comfortable because everyone has the common experience of great food, drinks and company. Loved the evening and the excitement it created. The “party favor”, a case of Crespo Organic Mangoes was the perfect send-off to keep the evening fresh in mind.” Maroka Kawamura, Produce/Floral Program and Category Manager New Leaf Community Market

Featured, News

Crespo Organic Summer Mango Mania Displays

July 31, 2018

Educating, Engaging, Enticing and Exciting Consumers Nationwide

As we head into the tail end of peak Mexican Mango season, the nation is abounding with #MuchosMangoes. The growing excitement over mangoes continues and retailers, small and large, all over the country, are chalk-full of mango mania. Consumer engagement in learning to choose, store, cut and use mangoes has been at an all time high and we here at Crespo Organic and the Crespo Organic take the job of educating consumers seriously, demonstrating our prowess to enlighten consumers with multiple in-store and digital platforms, as well as through live demos, cooking classes and even our first consumer Supper Club.

Featured, Kitchen

Flowery, Salty Mango-Strawberry Shortcake

July 4, 2018

A dessert for those who lean to the savory side

I make it known often that I do not have a sweet tooth and people usually assume that means I do not like dessert. That’s absolute crap. I love dessert, I just enjoy it more savory than sweet.

What does that mean?

It means I don’t like a lot of sugar in it. I like more earthy elements to shine through and prefer naturally sweet items to take center stage. I like a little salty nature to my dessert and a perfumy aspect really gets me excited. Flavorful ingredients like fresh herbs in desserts give dessert more character and depth than sugar does. I also enjoy a tad of acid, balanced by some fat; butter, cheese or cream.

Featured, Kitchen

Elevated Summer Sangria

July 2, 2018

Red, white, rosé and sparkling sangria recipes for next level mango lovers

As one who has indulged in the intoxicating bliss of good wine for over half my life, I find sangria to be a complicated subject.

But, if you are going to do it, do it well……….. Continue Reading…

Featured, Kitchen, News

The Crespo Organic Kitchen Celebrates Summer Mango Mania with #MuchosMangoes

June 26, 2018

Indulge in mango-centric events and experiences

The Crespo Organic Kitchen is essentially the test kitchen for all things Crespo Organic, managed by my company Ger-Nis Culinary & Herb Center ; a small food education, sales & marketing and media company, specializing in local, organic, fairtrade, and sustainable food and agricultural; supporting small global growers around the world in multiple approaches. In addition to over 20 years in organic produce, I have over 20 years under my belt in the culinary world as well, offering culinary instruction and food education to both kids and adults throughout the country. I have earned my fair share of respect for not only my mango expertise, but my fresh herb expertise, food writing and recipe development with a deep focus on fresh and healthy as well as organic. I live in the Bay Area- Bolinas, CA to be exact and big portion of Crespo Organic’s mango experiences and events are located out here in the west, mainly because of logistics. We hope to launch more events and experiences next year throughout the country, but first we have to sell more mangoes and focus on building the brand up and gaining loyal followers and fans for the hard work we do at the farm level as well as in our test kitchen! As always the support of the many customers and consumers is what drives and sustains us!

If you are here in the Bay Area this July and want to indulge in one of our mango-centric events or experiences, click the links below for the sweets details. Likewise, if you want to start planning an event or experience with us for next year, reach out! We love mangoes and love sharing our expertise with consumers anywhere we can!

Enjoy your summer, eat lots of mangoes!

💙 nissa