Heirloom Thursday: Clementines

Oh my darling, oh my darling - it's that time of year again.  Boxes of "Sweetie" clementines are showing up in all of the supermarkets, straight from Mulholland Citrus.  These little mandarin oranges are indeed heirlooms.  They were first named in 1902 after Father Clement Rodier, an Algerian priest.  They have been grown commercially in California since 1914, although their popularity really took off after 1997, when a bad frost wrecked the Florida orange harvest.

Adapted from original post (November 12, 2008):

History: Tangerines come from, of all places, Tangier (Morocco). The word has been around in the English language since 1710. There are quite a few varieties that mostly vary in the taste, and a bit in the color.  Whether they are called tangerines or mandarins or clementines, they're all the same thing.

Growing: Like most citrus, clementines like and need a lot of water and warm sunshine. Commercial tangerines are usually fertilized but it's probably more important to make sure the pH of the soil is appropriate. Tangerines are no. 22 (out of 45) in pesticide contamination as evaluated by the Environmental Working Group.

Harvesting: Those tiny little clementines need to be carefully harvested before they get too ripe.  The trees themselves can live 30 to 40 years.

Processing: For the most part, minimal.  People enjoy peeling these easily peeled fruits.  There is a market for tangerine juice which I personally prefer to orange juice (it's tangier) that is very seasonal, right around now.  Direct your peels to the compost please!

Health Information: One of these is worth about 35 kcal, and has 60% of your daily vitamin C.  Not bad.

Bottom Line: Eat as many as you can from November to January, the height of clementine season. Wash before peeling or buy organic.

Relevant Blog: Vegan Epicurean: She's a seriously prolific blogger, with 583 entries this year alone!  This week she happens to write about a recipe for clementine slices, brussel sprouts, and a poppy seed dressing.

References:
1. Wikipedia
2. Tangerine guide
3. Clementine nutrition facts