- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
wiltznucs
| Favorite team: | South Florida  |
| Location: | Apollo Beach, FL |
| Biography: | |
| Interests: | |
| Occupation: | |
| Number of Posts: | 9364 |
| Registered on: | 9/23/2005 |
| Online Status: | Not Online |
Recent Posts
Message
I think the mango grove restoration is complete. Pickings are getting slim and price escalation is real.
Added Zill M-4 today. In a 25g pot; but, probably a very recently potted up 15g tree. Not worried; it’s from my local mango/nursery who got wiped out by the freeze. Happy to overspend if it helps get them back on their feet.
M-4 was my second choice to Little Gem for a late season mango. Turns out; the larger Little Gem trees are extremely difficult to find. Talked to a couple of people who said it’s because the jury of public opinion determined that M-4 is better. So I may be better off.
Anyhow; M-4 is a Zill developed tree that is a seedling of Keitt. Stays green in color with no color break even when ripe. Notes of coconut; some say more than Sugarloaf and rivaling Coconut Cream. It produces in August to September which will hopefully extend my harvest for a month or more. Supposedly stays compact; let’s hope so because I sandwiched it between a Super Julie and a Glenn.
1
quote:
There is NO ONE trying cherry of the Rio Grande here
I actually got to play with these a few years ago in Brazil. I certainly wouldn’t describe them as tasting like a typical black cherry. The ones I had were more tart and had some other flavors. Good; but, definitely not the same. They were often used to make juice. The vendor I worked with said their issue is shelf life. Indicating that you had 24 hours or less once harvested to eat them.
re: Last minute trip ideas
Posted by wiltznucs on 4/15/26 at 8:21 pm to animalcracker
Mexico City/CDMX…
Relatively inexpensive flights. I can get direct flights out of Tampa for less than $400 any time. Often less than $300.
Stay in the Zocalo area. The dollar still goes very far. Amazing street food and you can eat Michelin star rated tacos for less than $10 per person. An underrated cocktail scene. The oldest continuously operating bakery in North America is also found there.
Numerous day trips and excursions are available. Take a look at Viator. A hot air balloon ride over the pyramids is an amazing experience. The local history museums are amazing and dirt cheap. Visit Frida’s house. Eat Al Pastor. Take in a soccer game. Visit their Costco and buy the best dollar for dollar made to order Seafood Paella on the planet. Great town…
Relatively inexpensive flights. I can get direct flights out of Tampa for less than $400 any time. Often less than $300.
Stay in the Zocalo area. The dollar still goes very far. Amazing street food and you can eat Michelin star rated tacos for less than $10 per person. An underrated cocktail scene. The oldest continuously operating bakery in North America is also found there.
Numerous day trips and excursions are available. Take a look at Viator. A hot air balloon ride over the pyramids is an amazing experience. The local history museums are amazing and dirt cheap. Visit Frida’s house. Eat Al Pastor. Take in a soccer game. Visit their Costco and buy the best dollar for dollar made to order Seafood Paella on the planet. Great town…
re: Tampa/St Pete recommendations
Posted by wiltznucs on 4/14/26 at 6:11 pm to LaLadyinTx
Lots of seafood shacks in St Pete Beach.
Crabby Bills, Shrimpy’s and Fresco’s come to mind. Ted Peter’s famous smoked fish is a legit institution down here. A short trek to Frenchy’s in Clearwater is worth it too.
Crabby Bills, Shrimpy’s and Fresco’s come to mind. Ted Peter’s famous smoked fish is a legit institution down here. A short trek to Frenchy’s in Clearwater is worth it too.
re: Sazerac in talks with Brown Forman?
Posted by wiltznucs on 4/13/26 at 9:37 am to The Sicilian
quote:
However, I was soon disappointed to hear the news as she read from their FB that the offerings will be Kombucha/THC and "Elixirs". (Butterfly Girl Kombucha, Metamorphosis Beverages & Blu Morpho Beverages), WTF, not one word about beer!
Craft beer is not dead; but, it’s definitely on life support in many areas of the US. The industry is collectively pivoting towards a different business model which is a more synergistic approach that encompasses not only beer; but, often a restaurant plus a cocktail and NA program which often involves THC products. They are also leaning hard into becoming an event space. Stand up comedy, trivia night, local bands. Anything to get people in the door.
quote:
This can't be true, can it? Consumption has dropped that much? Then I should be able to get some Stagg under 3x MSRP in DFW
There is currently more bourbon in barrels than at any time in history. In Kentucky alone there’s an estimated 17 million barrels aging. That doesn’t even take into consideration what MGP has in Indiana and elsewhere. At the same time; per capita alcohol consumption is at its lowest point in recorded history outside of the prohibition era.
There’s definitely been some warning signs. Layoffs have hit Buffalo Trace, WhistlePig, Beam and Old Forrester to name just a few.
Kentucky Owl/Stoli is out of business. Old Elk liquidated and sold to avoid bankruptcy. Beam has shut down one of its distillery sites completely and laid off hundreds. Old Forrester closed their cooperage operations last year. In other words; they stopped making their own barrels. Which indicates that they intend to fill so few that simply buying them from someone else is more cost effective than supplying, maintaining and staffing their own operation.
Right now there’s a cat and mouse game being played. The large established producers know that once the dominoes start tumbling they’ll be able to buy already filled barrels for less than it may cost to make it themselves. We are going to be covered up in 8-10 year old bourbon in just a few years. For bourbon aficionados a positively gilded age is coming.
Where things get dicey is pricing. The distilleries are very much dependent on the high dollar bottles for their survival right now. That’s why you are being inundated with new labels, different proofs, new age statements, etc.
The price escalation is real and it’s turning a lot of people away from bourbon. As an example; I ran a bottle club and have purchased numerous barrels of bourbons over the years.
I bought an entire barrel of 15 year old Knob Creek and had it bottled at 120 Proof back in 2018. It produced a little more than 130 bottles. They cost me $24 each delivered. That’s easily a $150+ bottle now some 7-8 years later.
So there is a consumer group willing to pay the $200 price tag. What happens when those consumers figure out that the distillery bought the entire barrel used to make those bottles for $200 or less at a bankruptcy auction? Nobody likes the feeling of being ripped off. Could be interesting times ahead.
re: Sazerac in talks with Brown Forman?
Posted by wiltznucs on 4/12/26 at 12:41 pm to thegreatboudini
quote:
I'm really interested in watching this play out over the next 20 years as boomers truly die off. This goes for all alcohol businesses from beer to wine to bourbon.
It’s going to be wild. I’ve been in the alcohol industry for the past decade and exited last year. I still have many industry connections and keep up to the extent possible.
I think it’s important to remember that while what’s happening in the US is huge; it’s not necessarily a leading indicator of what’s going to happen elsewhere.
During my time I had the occasion to pour at events in South America, Europe, Asia and even Africa. Alcohol is woven deeply into the societal fabric in some countries. Alcohol consumption in places like the Czech Republic or the Baltics and former Soviet Bloc isn’t going anywhere. Mexicans aren’t giving up cerveza any time soon. The Spaniards will always have a relationship with red table wines.
Marijuana/THC while certainly gaining acceptance is still highly illegal in much of the world. So this substitution effect we’re seeing here isn’t necessarily a viable alternative elsewhere just yet.
I do agree with many others that the next decade or so is going to fundamentally reshape the alcohol business in the US. It’s why I got out. Although I also believe things are cyclical and what was once old always becomes new again as a future generation adopts it and puts their own spin on it.
quote:
Potted a Bell's Starfruit (thought i ordered an Arkin but guess thats what happens when drinking and buyinng)
You actually upgraded significantly. Be sure to drink while tropical fruit tree shopping from now on. It’s clearly in your own best interest. LOL..
Been a busy week; but, we’re back in the saddle again. Digging holes and playing in the dirt.
The January and February freeze really put a beating on our mango trees. We lost over a dozen trees in total. We said that once we returned from Spring Break we’d make a decision whether to try all over again or not.
Turns out; growing mangoes is a disease and you just can’t stop. So we took what we learned over the previous few years and got after it again. The trees are surprisingly scarce as much of the State got wiped out.
Mango Row Version 2.0 is just about done…
RIP to the fallen soldiers…
Sweet Tart
Mahachanok
Angie
Nam Doc Mai
Pickering
Orange Sherbet
Kesar
Dusari
Glenn
Bolt
Cecilove
Pineapple Pleasure
Lemon-esh
Monty
The new recruits are a mix of some old favorites we replaced with new trees, new varieties we’ve discovered and a handful of survivors from the freeze…
The new crew…
Sweet Tart
CAC
Coconut Cream
Pickering
Lemon Zest
Orange Sherbet
Lemon Meringue
Super Julie
P-22
Kathy/K3
Glenn
Seen here; Super Julie and Lemon Meringue.
Let’s cross our fingers and hope for some rain and a very mild winter!
The January and February freeze really put a beating on our mango trees. We lost over a dozen trees in total. We said that once we returned from Spring Break we’d make a decision whether to try all over again or not.
Turns out; growing mangoes is a disease and you just can’t stop. So we took what we learned over the previous few years and got after it again. The trees are surprisingly scarce as much of the State got wiped out.
Mango Row Version 2.0 is just about done…
RIP to the fallen soldiers…
Sweet Tart
Mahachanok
Angie
Nam Doc Mai
Pickering
Orange Sherbet
Kesar
Dusari
Glenn
Bolt
Cecilove
Pineapple Pleasure
Lemon-esh
Monty
The new recruits are a mix of some old favorites we replaced with new trees, new varieties we’ve discovered and a handful of survivors from the freeze…
The new crew…
Sweet Tart
CAC
Coconut Cream
Pickering
Lemon Zest
Orange Sherbet
Lemon Meringue
Super Julie
P-22
Kathy/K3
Glenn
Seen here; Super Julie and Lemon Meringue.
Let’s cross our fingers and hope for some rain and a very mild winter!
re: Sazerac in talks with Brown Forman?
Posted by wiltznucs on 4/9/26 at 8:16 pm to SloaneRanger
Alcohol; in general, is in a bad way. Americans are drinking less, Gen Z doesn’t drink and THC has entered the equation.
The boom in bourbon faded faster than expected and they’ve collectively overproduced on a positively massive scale. Some estimates suggest that every bourbon distillery could shut down tomorrow and it would take nearly a decade to go through what’s already in barrels at current consumption rates.
Sales are down and the distilleries know bankruptcies are coming. They’ll be able to buy barrels of aged juice for pennies on the dollar at liquidation. Now we’re at that point where closures (Kentucky Owl/Stoli and more) and consolidation/sales are happening. Four Roses to Gallo Wines being the most notable sale recently.
Brown Foreman has been in discussions with Pernod. Saz has entered the discussion. Saz wins either way. If they get BF at a good price they have virtually locked up bourbon in the US. In years past there would be anti-trust discussions. If their presence drives up the price for Pernod it’s still a victory of sorts for Saz.
The boom in bourbon faded faster than expected and they’ve collectively overproduced on a positively massive scale. Some estimates suggest that every bourbon distillery could shut down tomorrow and it would take nearly a decade to go through what’s already in barrels at current consumption rates.
Sales are down and the distilleries know bankruptcies are coming. They’ll be able to buy barrels of aged juice for pennies on the dollar at liquidation. Now we’re at that point where closures (Kentucky Owl/Stoli and more) and consolidation/sales are happening. Four Roses to Gallo Wines being the most notable sale recently.
Brown Foreman has been in discussions with Pernod. Saz has entered the discussion. Saz wins either way. If they get BF at a good price they have virtually locked up bourbon in the US. In years past there would be anti-trust discussions. If their presence drives up the price for Pernod it’s still a victory of sorts for Saz.
quote:
Looks like you are short on late season mangos. Maybe honey kiss or Venus
It’s definitely a gap in my production. For a late season I’m thinking about finding an M-4 or Little Gem. I’ve not tried M-4 yet; but, Little Gem is a Julie seedling and has a good Indian flavor profile. That’s probably the direction I’ll go. Venus is certainly an option as is Honey Kiss or Neelum.
quote:
Have you ever had any success with coconut cream
I’m using this freeze and subsequent rebuild to be a bit of a reset for my grove. I had a few mango trees in there that just didn’t grow well like Cecilove and Bolt that I won’t replace.
I had some others that are pretty widely available at local markets like Nam Doc Mai and Mahachanok. It feels sort of silly to be growing them when I can buy them relatively easily at my local Asian market or mango farm when they are in season. So I’m not replacing them either.
So I’ve decided to add some new ones in their place. I’ve got Super Julie (an Indian/Alphonso type) coming along with Lemon Meringue (a citrus mango and the parent of Orange Sherbet and Lemon Zest). Coconut Cream is my sons favorite mango; so he asked for it to be added.
Coconut Cream is a delicious mango with some known growth and productivity issues. It’s also been known to have rootstock compatibility issues with trees breaking at the graft under high winds. So we’ll see I guess.
Right now that leaves me with 2 openings for future consideration.
So as of now the grove consists of…
Sweet Tart
CAC
Coconut Cream
Pickering
Lemon Zest
Orange Sherbet
P-22
Kathy/K3
Glenn
Super Julie
Lemon Meringue
Dwarf Hawaiian
All of which are in the ground and minus the Coconut Cream are 25 gallon examples or larger.
Continuing to rebuild the mango grove a bit today. Picked up one as a replacement and another as a new addition.
Grabbed up a solid 25 gallon Orange Sherbet and a 15 gallon Coconut Cream mango from Long View Family Farm in Balm, FL. About 10 miles from my place and I’ve been dreading coming by for the last few weeks. I knew they were just a bit further inland than I was and it wasn’t going to be good.
The second pic shows the damage. Estimates of 500+ mango trees lost; most of which are 6-8 years old.
On a related note; mango tree pricing is escalating in a hurry and some species are effectively nonexistent in sizes above 7-15 gallons as people are trying to replace trees. I was at a nursery in Valrico yesterday and saw a modest 25 gallon Pickering that was probably potted up from 15 gallons very recently. They were asking $320 for it. That was a $150-200 tree all day every day before the freeze.
Grabbed up a solid 25 gallon Orange Sherbet and a 15 gallon Coconut Cream mango from Long View Family Farm in Balm, FL. About 10 miles from my place and I’ve been dreading coming by for the last few weeks. I knew they were just a bit further inland than I was and it wasn’t going to be good.
The second pic shows the damage. Estimates of 500+ mango trees lost; most of which are 6-8 years old.
On a related note; mango tree pricing is escalating in a hurry and some species are effectively nonexistent in sizes above 7-15 gallons as people are trying to replace trees. I was at a nursery in Valrico yesterday and saw a modest 25 gallon Pickering that was probably potted up from 15 gallons very recently. They were asking $320 for it. That was a $150-200 tree all day every day before the freeze.
Arkin is definitely popular. Probably the one I see the most of in nurseries. My little Bell I picked up a few weeks back has shown some growth. So far so good.
quote:
Man that OS looked awesome. Sorry it broke. Love OS.
The challenge with so many of the tropical fruit trees in FL is that they stack them up like cord wood in the nursery.
So the trees are forced to grow up instead of out to seek sunlight. Tall and lanky is quite common.
That OS broke about 3 feet up simply by being laid on the ground to remove the pot and then set upright. It encountered the slightest amount of pressure from being top heavy and snapped.
My advice is to look for big thick trunks and short, wide trees. They are a rare breed; but, will better produce and are less likely to have such problems.
quote:
Was this Montura?
This is from a small nursery just outside of Tampa. About 25 minutes from my place. He doesn’t have many mango varieties to choose from; but, what he does have are generally freakishly large and priced very well. I ended up getting a 25g Glenn plus this oversized Sweet Tart and that OS for $600 delivered. Best deal in town for sure.
I’ll probably hit Montura this week in search of Dusari, Kesar and others.
Second replacement mango is in…
Not bad for a $200 Sweet Tart tree with delivery included.
This was the $225 Orange Sherbet I had delivered. Unfortunately; a mishap broke it shortly after this image was taken. Hopefully get a new one soon.
There’s no large Ceci’s to be found in FL right now. I grabbed this Pickering today; mostly because larger trees are a rare find and inventory is disappearing fast. The February freeze was catastrophic. It’s honestly just a potted up 15g tree of yesterday at a modern 25g tree price point. I’ll take what I can get.
The good news is this. We’re just a few weeks away from hearing the deets on cold hardy mangoes. Who is; and who is not. Visited my local mango grove this week. They lost 900 trees which were on average 6 years old.
Bought my tickets to the Florida Mango Fest last night. Will be an interesting event. Looking forward to learning more about what it takes to move forward.
The good news is this. We’re just a few weeks away from hearing the deets on cold hardy mangoes. Who is; and who is not. Visited my local mango grove this week. They lost 900 trees which were on average 6 years old.
Bought my tickets to the Florida Mango Fest last night. Will be an interesting event. Looking forward to learning more about what it takes to move forward.
quote:
HELL. YES. I knew you'd rebuild. Life is too short to not grow the king of fruits.
It took a lot of soul searching. I’ve lost a lot of money on those damn trees. Ended up having a grad school friend hitting me up last week to tell me a local nursery had some oversized trees at a great price. With a bit of luck they’ll be delivered tomorrow. You’ll be shocked by their size and price point.
The mango grove rebuild starts today.
A 25 gallon Pickering to replace a lost soldier.
Got Sweet Tart, Orange Sherbet and Glenn coming soon.
Been away for a bit. Did some international travel with the family for spring break.
Variegated Musa Pink Nono apparently more cold hardy than expected. Looked like hell two months ago. Namwah is bouncing back already. Most mango trees have died. Only surviving are CAC, Lemon Zest, Dwarf Hawaiian and P-22 which actually has flowered after a hard prune to remove freeze damage. The reverse zone pushers are doing okay. Golden Dorsett and Anna apples both have fruit set. The Florida Grande and Tropic Prince peach trees have some fruit left; however, the local squirrels have virtually cleared them out.
Found a nice Minneola Tangelo tree at Costco today. Need to figure out what I’m going to do with it.
Popular
28
