Satsumas

I've never been that into oranges.  Sure, I ate some every weekend during half-time of soccer games growing up, but that was mostly out of a lack of anything else to eat.  It was there, so I ate it.  Isn't that so often the case?  (e.g. me eating those random Cheez-Its in my pantry this weekend - ugh)  Once I graduated from orange-slice halftime soccer, I haven't really had many oranges.  They are a huge pain to eat and create a mess if you're trying to eat them at your desk.  Also they leave a weird film on your hands that makes you look like you have serious skin problems. 

All of this is behind me though, because I have discovered satsuma mandarin oranges.  They peal as easily as tangerines, yet they don't have that weird "I wish I were an orange, but I'm just a tangerine" flavor.  Sometimes they are super sweet, but I like the ones that first hit you with sweetness and then the back of your mouth explodes with a tangy punch.  Yum. 

 

I'd never heard of satsumas until my farmers market filled up with them a month ago.  Apparently this type of mandarin orange is almost exclusively grown in Japan and northern California.  Lucky me!  They sell them at our local Safeways for cheap, and they are great there too, but nothing compares the the farmers market oranges.  They have a much stronger flavor and less of the white fiber surrounding the slices (that has no flavor and an off-putting texture).  I've been eating them nonstop, and I suggest, if you can snag some, that you do as well.