Mandarins: harvest in the Neretva valley, storage and recipes
Neretva mandarins are picked from October to December. They don't ripen after picking, but they keep well.
📅 Season: October – December, mainly in the Neretva valley.
How to tell it's ripe
- The peel is orange, glossy and comes away from the fruit easily.
- The fruit feels heavy for its size — that means it's juicy.
- Early varieties can be ripe while the peel still has green patches — taste one.
How to pick
- Cut the stalk with secateurs right at the fruit; pulling tears the peel and the fruit rots sooner.
- Don't pick wet fruit after rain — wait until it dries.
- Use crates, not sacks.
Storage
- In a cool, airy place they keep 1–2 weeks, in the fridge up to a month.
- Remove any with soft or mouldy spots — mould spreads quickly.
Recipes
Whole mandarin cake
Ingredients
- 4 mandarins (about 350 g)
- 4 eggs
- 180 g sugar
- 200 g ground almonds
- 1 tsp baking powder
Method
- Boil the whole mandarins for 30 minutes, cool, remove the pips and blend with the peel to a purée.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar, then add the almonds, baking powder and purée.
- Bake at 180 °C for 40–45 minutes in a 22 cm tin.
Mandarin, fennel and olive salad
Ingredients
- 4 mandarins
- 1 fennel bulb
- a handful of black olives
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- mint leaves
Method
- Slice the fennel thinly; peel and segment the mandarins.
- Toss with the olives, oil, salt and pepper.
- Scatter with mint and serve at once.
ⓘ These are general tips; at a pick-your-own always follow the host's instructions.
More tips
🍓 Strawberries · 🍒 Cherries · 🫐 Blueberries · 🍎 Apples · 🍇 Grapes · 🟣 Figs · 🍅 Tomatoes