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Gilroy has its garlic and Half Moon Bay its famous fall pumpkins. But when the temperatures drop in November and December, the Gold Country hills around Auburn, Loomis and Newcastle become satsuma central. Auburn’s Gold Country Fairgrounds will take on a citrusy vibe, too, when the 25th annual Mountain Mandarin Festival takes over the grounds Nov. 16-18.
The tangerine-centric festivities include culinary demos, citrus samples, cooking contests and live music, with food carts serving up chocolate-covered tangerines, mandarin milkshakes, mandarin gelato, wood-fired pizza and more. Browse more than 200 artisan and farm booths for fruit samples and gift baskets, as well as mandarin-infused olive oils, jams, syrups, soaps, candles and more.
As for that cooking contest, the prize-winning recipes — for Mandarin Magic Glazed Chicken, Mandarin Salsa with Avocado, Mandarin Pecan Tartlets and more — are available in cookbook form at the fair, too. (Consider the two recipes here a delicious sneak peek.)
Of course, you’ll have to acquire the tangerines for those recipes first, and you can do it at the source at the festival’s farm stands, the Auburn farmers market or at the orchards themselves. Many open their gates to the public in November and December, selling fresh fruit and tangerine-infused sauces, syrups and jams at their farm stands, and Orchard Days — held on the first and third weekends of December — adds to the fun.
Grab a picnic basket and head for Sunset Ridge, for example, just outside Auburn, where you can pick your own tangerines beginning Nov. 10. During the ranch’s Orchard Days, Dec. 1-2 and 15-16, they’ll be serving their Pulled Pork Ranch Beans, cornbread and samples of Knee Deep Brewing’s Man-Juice IPA — made with local mandarins, of course — and Loomis Basin Brewing’s Golden Eagle Mandarin Wheat.
Details: Mountain Mandarin Festival tickets are $4-$8; parking is $6; www.mandarinfestival.com. Find orchard maps and Orchard Days details at www.mountainmandarins.com, and Sunset Ridge at www.gotmandarins.com. And find details on farmers markets and special events, including a harvest hoedown and the Machado Orchard Apple Festival, both Oct. 20, at Auburn’s PlacerGrown, www.placergrown.org.
Mandarin Magic Glazed Chicken
Serves 4
Instructions:
1 jar mandarin jam, divided use
3 tablespoons mandarin zest, grated
10 to 12 PlacerGrown mandarin oranges, divided
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons sherry
1/3 cup soy sauce
¼ cup finely chopped fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic
Salt, freshly ground pepper
1 chicken, cut into pieces, skin left on
Olive oil
Chopped cilantro and sesame seeds, garnish
Directions:
- Combine 3 tablespoons of the mandarin jam with the mandarin zest, the juice from 2 mandarin oranges, hoisin, sesame oil, oyster sauce, sherry, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat it with marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange chicken pieces in a baking dish.
- Peel and separate 3 mandarin oranges, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and place in another baking dish.
- Roast the chicken and mandarin segments for 40 minutes, using the remaining mandarin jam to glaze the chicken for the last 10 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to a serving platter and garnish with roasted mandarins, sliced mandarins, cilantro and sesame seeds.
— Karen Grunwald, Auburn, Mountain Mandarin Festival 2006 grand prize winner
Mandarin Salsa with Avocado
Ingredients:
6 medium to large satsuma mandarins
2 Roma tomatoes
1 avocado
1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded
1 or 2 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lime
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
Directions:
Peel mandarin oranges and use a knife to slice segment from its membrane. Finely chop mandarins, tomato, avocado, peppers and garlic. Stir in lime juice and seasonings. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.
— Heidi Delvalle, Roseville, Mountain Mandarin Festival 2005