Talk about a tropical summer tradition.
The mamey tree outside a historic Key West firehouse, which is now a museum, is about 110 years old, and for nearly as long, Key West natives have been turning its fruit into ice cream and milkshakes.
The tradition continued on June 22 at Alex Vega Key West Firehouse Museum on Grinnell Street, where more than 100 residents gathered for the annual Mamey and Mojitos ice cream social.
Alex Vega, a retired Key West firefighter and founder of the firehouse museum, recalls his days working out of the old firehouse, when the tree would fruit.
Sometimes it produced 30 of the football-shaped fruit and sometimes 300, but it was always shared around, Vega told WLRN’s Nancy Klingener in 2019.
“Every watch got a bagful — two for you, one for your mother. They would give them out to their family and stuff,” he said. “Some people ate them raw, but they’re really good in milkshakes.” The tree at the museum is the largest of its kind in Florida, making it the state’s champion mamey tree.
“It’s no wonder this is so many people’s favorite event — mamey and mojitos have a way of bringing the community together, and the Firehouse Museum’s supporters are some of the finest people you’ll have the pleasure of knowing,” said local entrepreneur and museum board member David Sloan.
