Trader Joe’s Seasonal Favorite Fruit Makes Its Long-Awaited Return!

Nestled next to California, Oregon is blessed with an abundance of exotic citrus varieties each winter. The citrus season is a bright spot during the long, dreary winter months, and I embrace it fully to keep the gloom at bay. Over the years, I’ve eagerly tried everything from mandarinquats to makrut limes to yuzus, often on a whim.

Like any dedicated food editor, I’ve devised a complex hierarchy for these fruits that exists solely in my mind. Leaf and stem mandarins are among my top picks due to their consistently delightful sweet-tart taste, easy peeling, and picturesque appearance that makes any fruit bowl look like it’s straight out of a glossy magazine. Another favorite of mine are mandarinquats. A cross between mandarins and, you guessed it, kumquats, mandarinquats are unique in that you can eat them whole, skin and all. The skin is surprisingly sweet, while the inside packs a sour punch reminiscent of a Warhead candy.

The Charm of Kishu Mandarins

My absolute favorite citrus, however, is the kishu mandarin. These tiny fruits are incredibly sweet and juicy, with just the right amount of tartness to prevent them from being overly sweet. Their skins are loose, which usually signals a lack of freshness in other fruits, but in kishus, it makes them incredibly easy to peel. The skin almost magically peels away in one go, revealing a small orange about the size of a golf ball, sometimes even smaller. I can devour them by the handful.

In fact, I adore kishu mandarins so much that I once named a kitten after them. Kishu (the kitten) got her name because I brought her home during the winter (and I probably had a bowl of kishu mandarins on the counter at the time), and she was irresistibly small and adorable. The name was a perfect fit.

I typically have to search my favorite gourmet shops for kishus, as they’re rarely available in mainstream grocery stores. So, I was pleasantly surprised to find them recently at Trader Joe’s. Not only did they have kishus in stock, but they were also offering them at a great price of $4.99 per one-pound bag. Given that their season is much shorter than I’d like, I make it a point to visit Trader Joe’s whenever they’re available.

On dreary, rainy days, I love to pair kishu mandarins with a hot cup of genmaicha or herbal tea. The citrus oils blend with the aromatic steam from the tea, creating a multi-sensory experience that helps me savor the slow pace of the season. Each bite of a kishu tastes like a burst of sunshine in my mouth.

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