All about Sumo Citrus Mandarins, from how to pick out sumo oranges, how to eat sumo citrus, how to store them and more.
What are Sumo Citrus Mandarins?
While some may call them Sumo oranges, they’re not actually an orange at all.
The Sumo Citrus mandarin is a variety of oversized mandarins which is known as “dekopon” in Japan. Sumo Citrus are incredibly sweet, seedless, easy to peel, and also have a bump at the top they have trademarked as the Top Knot.
Sumo Citrus Benefits
Sumo Citrus has 163% of the recommended daily value of the Vitamin C which is an antioxidant and also has 3g of fiber and 3g of protein per serving!
When is Sumo citrus in season?
You can find Sumo Citrus from January through April every year.
How to eat Sumo citrus
We first remove the top knot.
Now you can easily pull the peel away from the Sumo mandarin.
Once peeled you can enjoy as desired.
How long does it take to grow Sumo Citrus?
Sumo Citrus is one of the most difficult citrus to grow due to it’s extremely delicate skin which is easily bruised and sunburned.
Due to this it can take several years to get a thriving crop. Typically it takes Sumo Citrus 5 years from seed to harvest.
How to store Sumo Citrus
We store our Sumo Citrus in a cool area, like the garage during the winter or the refrigerator.
How to pick Sumo citrus
When picking out a Sumo orange I like to find ones that give a little with a tiny bit of pressure, but not too much.
They should have the signature Top Knot. Stay away from hard citrus or mushy. The skin shouldn’t have blemishes. The peel should be shiny, not dull.
Can you freeze Sumo citrus?
You can peel and then freeze Sumo citrus. We do this if we’re going to blend into smoothies or make nice cream with them.
How to freeze Sumo Citrus Oranges
- Peel the Sumo citrus.
- Pull the pieces of the orange apart.
- Place the orange segments onto a lined baking sheet with a little bit of space in between them so they don’t stick together. We suggest using parchment paper or a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat on a cookie sheet when freezing, if not the slices of fruit will stick to the cookie sheet.
- Once the orange slices are fully frozen place into freezer containers or bags (we like using Stasher Bags) and enjoy as often as you’d like!
How to enjoy Sumo Citrus
We love enjoying them as is! They’re super easy to peel and enjoy. It’s also great in salads, desserts, and of course our fruit salsa!
How to eat Sumo Citrus
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Print Pin SaveIngredients
- 1 sumo citrus mandarin
- produce wash
- water
Instructions
- First remove the top knot.
- Now easily pull the peel away from the Sumo mandarin.
- Once peeled, enjoy as desired.
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Nutrition
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Last year I absolutely loved the Sumo mandarins I had. I’m a big lover of Honeybells. But found Sumo and found them really sweet and great tasting. But this year I bought some and found them very tart and sour?? I don’t understand??
Hi Diane,
Ooh, Honeybells are delicious! We have also noticed a bit of tang with some of the bags of Sumo citrus we’ve purchased this year as well. I do love a bit of tang though! Another good one to try would be the Kishu mandarin. My kids have been loving those! They’re incredibly sweet and we haven’t noticed much tang at all. They’re so tiny you can eat them in one bite. We’ll be sharing more on them soon! 🙂
I love love love the sumo mandarins!! I look forward to this time of year when they are in season. They are so delicious & refreshing. Absolutely one my favorite citrus fruits!
Same!! I get so sad when they’re not in season 🙁