Sunday, February 17, 2013

Top Secret Tangerines Are Back -- And They're Not So Secret At The Front Door Of Wegmans

The Sumo tangerines are back, and they're worth checking out wherever your find them.

Sumo tangerines are a special variety grown in secrecy in California.  Last year, we found them at Family Market in Columbia.  Today, they were right at the front door of Wegmans.  They're sampling, not secrets.

They're also absolutely delicious, large and sweet with lots of juice. The peel pulls away easily. The sections have a skin so thin that it's almost like they're all pulp. You get a strong citrus flavor, less sweet than those tiny oranges and more flavor of great fresh-squeezed juice.

Check out the Sumos at Wegmans.  Anyone seen them elsewhere this year?

(Update:  The Sumos are expensive.  I hadn't noticed the price when Mrs. HowChow grabbed a box.  I had remembered that they were really unique and special.  Even boxed, they're more than $2 each.  So just make sure that's worth it for you.)

17 comments:

  1. Thanks for letting me know! I was hoping you would blog if you saw them again. I've been craving them since you alerted me to them last year. They seem to sell out quickly.

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  2. They are at giant on hickory ridge about 3 weeks ago. I thought they were called tangelos. This is known from my multiple visits to california where i have relatives and discovered these many years ago!

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  3. Picked up 2 boxes at Wegmanns on Tuesdsay.....shocked that the price has almost doubled from last year. Checked out MOMS, H-Mart as well and they do not have any. Still bought them...they are really good! The Family Market where we all stocked up last year, does not have any....or much of anything else this year...

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  4. Giant off Center Park Drive in Columbia also has these as 'tangelos'. Picked up a few the other day and they were great!

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  5. Are Sumos just a brand name for tangelos? I feel like these are bigger than the tangelos that I remember. The folks who bred the variety certainly want to create a special brand (and higher price) for them.

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  6. @HowChow, It looks like Sumos are a particular type of tangelo, and may be a brand name. See http://www.specialtyproduce.com/index.php?item=7513 for some details.

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  7. Sumo's and Tangeloes are completely different. Sumo is a marketing name for a Dekopon Mandarin. I believe a Tangelo is a cross between a grapefruit and a tangerine.

    Strange that I took a trek to Wegmans yesterday thinking these might be in season I didn't see any. After seeing this post I'm going to have to go back this evening.

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  8. Are these in a special location of the store? If they are with the other citrus fruit, they are gone now. If anyone sees them again, let us know!

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  9. @Anon -- Thanks.

    @Penny -- On Sunday, the Sumo were literally in the front entrance. Before you even got the store, they had a pile of boxes and a woman sampling them.

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  10. Went by tonight and they said they flew out of the store yesterday. They should be getting some in tomorrow. At what time I don't know so I'll have my wife go in the morning and if they're not in yet I'll go in the evening after work.

    I think they had these until like the second week in March last year?

    Hopefully Family Market gets them in again this year.

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  11. I got some at Wegmans today. They ARE very good. I asked about being able to buy just one or two, if someone wanted to try them without paying $14 for 6. I was told that they should have enough in two weeks or so to put out individual fruit for sale, but they would still cost $2-$3 apiece.

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  12. Picked up 2 boxes this morning and they are just as good as last year and that is to say amazing. Still expensive but for a month out of the year I'm not going to complain.

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  13. The official web site is www.sumocitrus.com

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  14. These are very good. Very close to a tangelo, but not quite as tart. For citris fruits, the honeybell tangelos are still king in my house (though you can only get them for a couple weeks in January). The standard Minneola/tangelos are a good, cheaper alternative to both the sumos and the honeybells and have a longer season.

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  15. They're at the Safeway at Harper's Farm

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  16. I was just at Safeway at Harper's Farm. No sumps. Only honeybell tangelos. Good, but not as good as sumos. The gal at Wegmans told me the Sumo season is over and they cannot get them anymore.

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  17. Propagating Dekopon had been slow, but few small ones are available. Some are grafted on Meyer lemon. Some larger Dekopon trees with large fruits are also available as well a few large Kaffir lime trees, some with fruits. Meyer & Pink Lemons, Lime & Key Limes, Kalamonsi, and Kumquats with fruits.
    Al Pong: Asianpearmd@verizon.net

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