The mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata) is a small citrus tree that resembles an orange. The mandarin orange is not one citrus fruit but many. Some mandarin oranges are called mandarins, some are called tangerines, and some are called clementines. Most mandarins are half the size of an orange or smaller, but some are just as large. Most…
Mandarin Oranges
How to Plant, Grow, Prune, and Harvest Citrus
Citrus—oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, and kumquats—thrive outdoors where summers are warm and winters are mild. But citrus is not only for warm climates. Citrus fruits can be grown in cool regions in pots or planters that can sit outdoors in warm weather and be moved indoors in cool weather. Citrus fruits take months to ripen—six…
Mandarin Orange: Kitchen Basics
Mandarin oranges are smaller than oranges and less acidic. They are perfect for eating out of hand or for cooking. There are more than 200 varieties of mandarins. The most popular are the swet Satsuma, the smooth juicy Clementines, and the spicy red-orange Dancy. Mandarin cultivars–crosses with sweet oranges or grapefruits–include tart Temple tangor and…
Mandarin Oranges and Tangerines: Kitchen Basics
Mandarin oranges are mostly small, easy to peel, and perfect for snacking out of hand. You can choose a mandarin for a sweet treat or a mandarin for a sweet-tart treat. Mandarins can be sectioned and added to fruit, green, chicken or seafood salads. They can be juiced to flavor sorbets, marinades, and dessert sauces,…
Tangerines: Kitchen Basics
Tangerines are among the earliest harvested mandarin oranges. They are distinguished from other mandarins simply by their red-orange to red peels. They have a rough skin and sweet flesh. All tangerines are mandarins but not all mandarins are tangerines. (Other mandarins are the tangelo and the clementine.) The tangerine is named for the port city…
Mandarin Orange and Tangerine Varieties
Say mandarin orange and you are describing a large and diverse group of citrus varieties and hybrids that vary from very sweet to tart and from egg-sized small to medium grapefruit-sized large. The one thing that mandarin oranges have in common is that their peel or skin easily pulls away from their flesh and their…
Satsuma Mandarin Orange
The first or earliest harvested mandarin orange is the Satsuma mandarin. Satsuma is a small bright orange mandarin with a delicate, sweet flavor. It is seedless and contains less acid than most other mandarins. If you have ever bought a can of imported mandarin oranges, you have probably tasted the Satsuma. At the farm market,…
A History of the Mandarin Orange
Mandarins oranges—in all their forms–are probably descended from wild oranges that grew in northeast India as long as 3,000 years ago. From India, mandarins made their way to China and from China to Europe, North Africa and Australia before they traveled on to other parts of the world. The first of these small, loose-skinned oranges…
