Mikan
Comments: 7
Our landlords live right behind us on a huge block of land, most of which is given over to a wonderful garden (the father is helping the agricultural university nearby with research on organic growing methods). Their mikan (mandarin) tree is just over the fence. I took this photo a couple of days ago, and lo and behold yesterday we received a big bag of the fruit from them.
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Posted to The Good • 2002.11.27 (Wed) • 10:50
Comments
Posted by Mary Beth 2002.11.27, 11:28
I LOVE mandarin oranges, but I’ve only experienced them canned. Are they even more wonderful fresh? I can only imagine the wonderful aroma! Beautiful photo.
Posted by Chris 2002.11.27, 22:05
I took a similar photo recently (though not nearly as good) - though instead of mandarin I believe the fruit was “Sharon Fruit”. Of course, I could be wrong. It might be too hard to tell from the picture, but here’s the url anyway.
http://www.monkeyscry.co.uk/pictorials/pictorials.php?y=jnag02
Posted by jh 2002.11.28, 00:15
Mary Beth — I’ve never had them canned! Aroma-wise, these babies go all out. As soon as you stick a finger in the crown to start peeling them the room fills up with that citrusy sweetness.
Chris — I’ve never heard of Sharon Fruit (couldn’t find it in the dictionary: is the name regional?) but after seeing your photo, I’d say they’re kaki — persimmons. If so, they should probably all be off the tree by now as it must be getting cool up where you are (the birds usually take them before they fall, though, so it’s always a race between man, bird and gravity).
Most people eat them as they are (peel the skin off first) but I only really like them one way: tempura! Take thin slices, dip them in tempura batter and fry them. Delicious!
By the way, is anyone living in that house next to the tree? If not, you ought to start angling to move in. Looks like a nice old place!
Posted by vis10n 2002.11.28, 01:52
You’ve never had canned mandarin? Wow… they’re the Elixir from the Far East from my childhood: a treat of exotic delight.
Little Geisha Brand, for 99 cents.
Very tasty. Even now, I’ll get a tin of them (peeled, sectioned, and canned in a very light syrup), and pour them over a bowl full of ice cubes.
Mmm…
Posted by Chris 2002.11.28, 22:36
I was led to believe they were Sharon, or maybe Sharan fruit by a grocer in the famous Leicester market back home. Still, if he was wrong, it wouldn’t come as much of a shock.
I did think the place next door had a certain charm to it. A couple of houses down a family had left some chestnuts out to dry in the sun - looked fabulous but I didn’t shoot it. Terrible shame.
I woke up this morning to see that the fringe of ice and snow, once a distant reminder of winter’s approach, had reached the mountains behind Zenkoji Temple.
Beautiful.
Posted by Mike 2003.05.24, 03:03
actually, Sharon fruit is closely related to persimmons. They are grown in the Sharon Valley of Isreal.
Posted by Fiona 07 2004.10.15, 17:55
Sharon fruits were named after the Sharon Valley of Israel.
I have also heard it was named after the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon.
Mary Beth, you must try a fresh mandarin and I hope you will, as the aroma is essential to eating!
Canned mandarin segments remind me of my childhood in Scotland, and fresh fruits were only to be had around Christmas! Nowadays, we can have them all year round, but none so sweet on Christmas Eve…!
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