It’s a mandarin—not a mandarin orange—and Placer County has about 200 producing acres of these potent little jewels. The most popular variety grown here, Owari Satsuma, packs quite a punch against the sniffles; just 10 ounces of its juice has as much synephrine as one over-the-counter decongestant pill, according to a 2008 study. Sweet, seedless and easy-to-peel, mandarins are more cold hardy than other citrus (except for kumquats), and do particularly well in our region. Growers began to plant mandarin orchards in the foothills in the 1960s, and many consider mandarins Placer’s new Gold Rush.

SELECTION AND STORAGE

Owari Satsumas are only in season for a few months and are more perishable than typical oranges, but by storing them in a cool place (60-70 degrees), they’ll last up to a week. Their flavor stays truer if they stay out of the refrigerator. Add them to a sack lunch for an easy and healthy (mandarins are rich in calcium, potassium, limonene and dietary fiber) snack. Since mandarins have such a short season, consider freezing the juice in small doses for extended storage; this way you can fight your cold symptoms naturally—even when the fruit’s out of season.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Mountain Mandarin Festival—featuring food, crafts, cooking demonstrations, entertainment and more—takes place November 18-20 at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn. For ticket pricing and more details, visit mandarinfestival.com.

— Carol Arnold
For details on where to buy Placer County farm-fresh produce, wine, meat and other products, visit placergrown.org and foothillfarmersmarket.com.

WEB EXCLUSIVE

Mandarin-Chocolate Cheesecake

Recipe by Courtney McDonald

• 3 lbs. cream cheese, at room temperature

• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

• 2 ¼ cups sugar

• 6 eggs, lightly beaten

• Zest and juice of 4 mandarins

• 1 ½ cups ground chocolate graham crackers

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

Ganache Topping:

• 1 cup good-quality semisweet chocolate chips or pieces
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 325-degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8-inch spring form cheesecake pan, and line the sides with a strip of parchment paper. Grease again. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream cheese with the sugar until smooth and shiny. Add the cream and whisk to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the mandarin zest and juice; whisk until smooth. Set aside. 

For the crust, mix the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter. Pour graham cracker mixture into the cheesecake pan and press evenly into a firm crust. Pour in the cheesecake batter. Place the cheesecake onto a large piece of aluminum foil. Fold up the edges around the pan to make it waterproof (be sure not to tear the foil). Place in a slightly larger baking pan and pour boiling water around the cheesecake, about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan, to form a water bath. Place both pans into the preheated oven and bake until the cheesecake is just set—about 2 hours. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow it to cool in the water bath. (This will keep the cheesecake from cracking by cooling too quickly.) Once the cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, remove from the water bath and chill overnight in the refrigerator.

For the ganache topping (optional), bring the cream to a boil in a medium saucepan. Shut off the heat and add the chocolate pieces. Let sit for 2 minutes, then whisk briskly until all of the chocolate has melted and the ganache is smooth. Pour over the chilled cheesecake and allow it to chill again in the refrigerator to set the ganache, about 30 minutes. Remove the spring form pan’s side ring and parchment from the cheesecake. Serve chilled. Makes one, eight-inch cheesecake.