Peel the Love

Mandarins are a class of citrus that includes a large group of loose-skinned, deeply colored, and highly flavorful fruits. It covers mandarin oranges, satsumas, tangerines, and tangerine hybrids. The terms mandarin and tangerine are used interchangeably for many of these fruits, depending upon where they are grown. Satsumas grow extremely well in Georgia. The tree has fruit that ripen early, will withstand colder temperatures, thus requiring less cold protection, and produce more consistent crops over a longer period of time. Tangerines, especially Clementines, also have great success here. Unlike other types of citrus, crosspollination is required for optimum fruiting of a number of tangerine varieties and hybrids.

Tangerines are smaller than oranges with bright orange skins and slightly looser peels. They are great for eating raw and adding to salads. You can also juice tangerines for a slightly sweeter and brighter take on classic orange juice, making it a nice option for cocktails too. Clementines (often marketed in the U.S. as “Cuties” or “Sweeties”) are very small seedless oranges that are like tangerines in their honeylike sweet flavor. Their compact size makes them best eaten out of hand, but they are delicious in salads and when used in desserts. The tight, shiny orange skins also make them beautiful for display and creating casual, edible centerpieces.

Mandarin oranges are a small and sweet tangerine variety. They do have some seeds, which makes them a bit less desirable for snacking than seedless clementines. It is also a popular canned fruit, sold packed in juice. Slices are often used in salads.

The satsuma is a tangerine that is considered a variety of small mandarin oranges. It originally hails from Japan, where its status as one of the sweetest (and conveniently seedless) citrus fruits makes it an especially popular snack when harvested in the fall. Their skin is loosely attached to the fruit making them extremely easy to peel. Clementines and satsumas are often marketed and sold interchangeably, but you can spot the difference easily because clementines have tight peels and satsumas have loose peels.

Tangelos are the product of super-sweet tangerines that have been crossbred with either pomelos or grapefruit. The result is a sweet, easy-to-peel treat that has the color of a tangerine, but a more mild sweetness. You can tell a tangelo from an orange by the telltale “knob” at the top that gives the fruit its nickname, “honeybell.”

The kumquat is the smallest commercially available variety of orange. A relatively common find here in south coastal Georgia, this olive-sized orange fruit, native to Southeast Asia is something of a contradiction.

Unlike oranges and most other citrus fruits, however, you can eat an entire kumquat, peel and all, and it’s the skin that is the sweetest part of the fruit, while the flesh packs a tart punch. The kumquat’s flavor is distinctly citrusy. While the fruit is slightly sweet, its overwhelming flavor is sour and tangy.

It’s unknown how long the fruit has been cultivated, but the earliest known reference to kumquats appeared in twelfth century China. Though it has been a staple for centuries in Southeast Asian countries, the kumquat wasn’t brought to Europe until the mid-1800s. By 1850, it was being cultivated in North America. The English name “kumquat” comes from a Cantonese word meaning “golden orange” or “golden tangerine.” While the kumquat tree can survive low temperatures, it produces larger and sweeter fruits in warm climates. The tree is ideal for growth here in our temperate coastal environment.

Because kumquats can keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator, you will have plenty of time to try out the many ways to enjoy them. The kumquat’s sweet-yet-sour flavor makes it perfect for marmalades, and the pectin in the fruit’s seeds will make it extra thick. Kumquats are easy to preserve and they make great gifts or cocktail garnish when candied. You can cook them into soups and add them to meat and poultry dishes too. Don’t be afraid to be creative with these little gems!

OPPOSITE PAGE: Imagine you’re relaxing in a citrus orchard by indulging in a long soak with fragrant bath pastries, surrounded by gorgeous candles featuring dried fruit slices and scents like Roman lavender and lemon lychee by Rosy Rings. All available at Restoration Imports, 125 Gary Moore Ct.

NATURAL AND FRESH