Meet the Mandarinquat | Rare Fruit

At Gold Ridge Organic Farms, the ripening of our Estate-grown Oregon Tilth Certified Organic Mandarinquats signals the advent of sunnier, longer days. Coming into fruit around the winter solstice, our California citrus is at peak in late winter into the early spring.

Often mistaken for a giant kumquat, the Mandarin-Kumquat or mandarinquat Indio is a cross between a Nagami kumquat and a Dancy Mandarin, tracing its roots back to an open-pollinated seedling living under a grand old Nagami tree on the UCLA campus. The fruit is bell-shaped and much larger than your average kumquat, ranging in size from that of a table grape to as large as a golf ball. The best part about these delicate, ephemeral beauties may be that you can eat them whole, skin and all, in one sweet-tart bite.

Our Mandarinquat trees typically blooms during the summer months and the late fall. If the season has been favorable, it will produce an abundant crop that remains throughout the winter months and into the late spring. The fragrant blossoms attract our favorite pollinator friends, such as hummingbirds and a multitude of bees - and humans alike! The aroma is intoxicating, perfumey, and sweet.

The best part about these delicate, ephemeral beauties may be that you can eat them whole - skin and all - in one sweet-tart bite. The sweetness of the mandarin is expressed in the peel and paired with its tart flesh thanks to the kumquat, this little fruit boasts a uniquely punchy flavor and an abundance of juice, far more so than the typical kumquat. Jam packed with Vitamin C and flavinoids, it makes for a healthful and delicious treat, perfect for a tasty immune system boost during the wintertime.

How to enjoy: Thinly slice or quarter and add to a cocktail or mocktail made with Gold Ridge Organic Farms Mandarin-Kumquat Shrub. Use in combination with Meyer lemons, grapefruit, or as the star of the show in your favorite citrus-based desserts such as citrus curd, olive oil cake, coffee cake, poundcake, or lemon meringue pie.