Easy Peelers

J

JonathanM

Joined
3 Sep 2022
Messages
2,554
Reaction score
426
Country
United Kingdom
I regularly buy what the supermarkets now call Easy Peelers.

Throughout the year, they vary enormously. So, for the past couple of years I've been tracking what they actually are. Timings are approximate:

mid Nov-Jan: Clementines from Northern Hemisphere

Feb-May: Mandarins from Northern Hemisphere

Jun-mid August: Clementines from Southern Hemisphere

mid August-mid Movember: Mandarins from Southern Hemisphere

The ones from Peru generally seem to be pretty awful. South Africa are the best SH ones.

NH, it varies, one year Morocco was better, the other year Spain.

Mandarins have a much stronger flavour, very orangey. Clementines milder, and a bit more like grapefruit.

Best of all, I think, are the Mandarins called Nadorcott. They are probably the most common mandarin. Tango aka Tang Gold is the other big seller, and is supposed to be an improved version of Nadorcott, but not as tasty usually.
 
Last edited:
Sponsored Links
I just wanted to add, that I'm only taking the info from the labels. There doesn't seem to be universal agreement about what are clementines, and what are mandarins, but the UK supermarkets all label in the same way. And then they sell satsumas and tangerines separately.
 
We (me and the dog) love our sweet oranges, like me she will only eat them when they are sweet with a decent flavour - which is a lottery. A few weeks ago, I got a bag of 'sweet easy peelers' and we both enjoyed them. I bought another bag a couple of weeks ago, same description, but they tasted terrible - they went in the bin.
 
Sponsored Links
Harry Bloomfield said:
We (me and the dog) love our sweet oranges, like me she will only eat them when they are sweet with a decent flavour - which is a lottery. A few weeks ago, I got a bag of 'sweet easy peelers' and we both enjoyed them. I bought another bag a couple of weeks ago, same description, but they tasted terrible - they went in the bin.
Click to expand...

That's what's happened in the last couple of weeks. We had beautiful "easy peelers", labelled as Nadorcott mandarins, from South Africa, from late summer this year. Sweet and very tasty. But they have stopped in the past two to three weeks. Now we are onto what the supermarkets are labelling clementines, from Spain, which have been tough, tasteless, and quite sour, so far. They usually improve through the season, but I look forward these days to the Nadorcotts or Tango, coming from Spain and Morocco, after Christmas.
 
There's been significant water shortages in Spain this year, and, i daresay, Morocco too, so that will affect the quality of produce from those regions - salad veg has been significantly hit this year and i was reading of the hipster's favourite fruit, avocado's, being reduced because they take up so much water to produce.
 
Odds said:
A mandarin is chinese and a clementine is australian, no?
Click to expand...

It's a minefield. So many varieties and hybrids. I gave up trying to work it out. I think the mandarin did originate in China, and is actually the ancestor of normal oranges, after being crossed with pomelo, the ancestor of the grapefruit.

EDIT: and I think clementines are a sub species of mandarin, through hybridisation.
 
Last edited:
I always wondered that these were, and wondered what happened to the mandarins and clementine's.
I really should ready labels more often!
 
JonathanM said:
I think the mandarin did originate in China, and is actually the ancestor of normal oranges, after being crossed with pomelo, the ancestor of the grapefruit.
Click to expand...

I used to love the very regular small sized mandarin orange segments in tins, which to me, seemed to have a slight hint of a liquorish taste. I've not been able to get them for years, but the nearest acceptable ones for my taste has been the present Lidl ones - even then, they vary from the same source, they didn't suite my taste last year - yet same name (Freshona) on the tin.

If it's something which will keep, I tend to buy one - then if the taste suites, I go back and buy a stock of them.
 
The "clementine" easy peelers have almost gone (hooray!) and we're starting to get really nice Nadorcott "mandarins" now. Aldi seem to be stocking these all the time. Other stores have mainly had Tang/Tango so far, which is a seedless development of Nadorcott, but they just aren't as tasty. There's usually no seeds in Nadorcott anyway. Last week Lidl had late season clementines called Hernandina, which I didn't buy, but I've since read they are a really good late clementine variety. I really wish I'd bought them now to try.

The contrast between these mandarins and the ones we've had labelled clementines is stark. I don't think I really enjoyed any of those this season. They were often tough, dry and not very tasty. The Nadorcotts I've just eaten were Aldi ones from Morocco and they have been delicate, juicy, tasty and mainly sweet. These particular ones were quite difficult to peel, but the Waitrose citrus buyer says that often means they have better flavour. If the last two years is anything to go by, then they will continue being good for at least two months now.
 
A fe
JonathanM said:
Last week Lidl had late season clementines called Hernandina, which I didn't buy, but I've since read they are a really good late clementine variety. I really wish I'd bought them now to try.
Click to expand...

A few days ago, from Lidl, I picked a bag of their 'Easy Peelers'. They are marked 'Oaklands', Mandarins, Tang Gold, origin Spain.

They are pipless, not much flavour, nor very sweet and some still had green patches.
 
Harry Bloomfield said:
A fe

A few days ago, from Lidl, I picked a bag of their 'Easy Peelers'. They are marked 'Oaklands', Mandarins, Tang Gold, origin Spain.

They are pipless, not much flavour, nor very sweet and some still had green patches.
Click to expand...

Tango/Tang Gold are often disappointing. They are supposed to be the best and I read they are patented. But usually they are not as tasty or sweet as Nadorcott, from which they were developed. I've just had another two Moroccan Nadorcotts from by bag from Aldi. These are the best so far this year. I think it was last year that Morocco seemed quite a lot better than Spain, so maybe it's happening again.
 
I have the same lottery with easy peelers.

I buy some that are gorgeous so buy them again and they are carp.

But strangely, the ones on sale near Christmas are always good.
 
securespark said:
I have the same lottery with easy peelers.

I buy some that are gorgeous so buy them again and they are carp.

But strangely, the ones on sale near Christmas are always good.
Click to expand...

Everyone seems to have this same experience with easy peelers. That's why I started checking what was in the bag. I've discovered that by finding a variety, and sometimes also country, that you like each year, you can eliminate most of the lottery.

In the Southern Hemisphere season, you might have some lovely Nadorcotts from South Africa. So you buy another bag of easy peelers the next week from the same supermarket. The bag is identical and the fruit looks the same. But if they are from Peru they are likely to be awful, even if they are Nadorcotts. If they are Orri they will be even worse. Since doing this I've been consistently getting easy peelers which I think are beautiful for several months at a time. And then gaps of several months when I think they are pretty awful, so I don't buy many.

The ones we had round here at Christmas this year were pretty ropey! Although not as bad as when the Northern Hemisphere season first started in November.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Sponsored Links
Back
Top