La Calera and Imported Citrus

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Westlake Weekly Update 7.28.21 

 

Featured Item: Imported Citrus

We have lots of great fruits available during the hot summer months, but that doesn’t mean we don’t crave an easy peeling mandarin or a juicy orange.  After all, what’s easier to eat at the beach, a peach or a mandarin? That’s why Westlake is a proud partner with growers like La Calera.

 

Our grower, La Calera in Peru, is three generations strong. Founded in 1954, they have been sustainably farming and exporting fresh fruit for over 30 years.  Their farm is over 2,400 hectares of planted orchards and is expanding every year.  What’s even more impressive is that they have taken land that was almost unusable desert and turned it into an “oasis of life” with newly planted trees and drip irrigation. As a result, they produce 55,000 tons of citrus each year and increased that already astounding number to 76,000 tons in 2020. 

 

Tango mandarins are one such variety they grow in their perfect Peruvian weather.  Tangos are a triple threat when it comes to mandarins. First, they are seedless, making them easy to eat fresh out of hand, incredibly juicy, with a balanced sweet and tart flavor! Second, their medium size makes them ideal for eating as a snack, juicing, or using in recipes. Finally, like most citrus, they are an excellent source of vitamin C, folate, and contain dietary fiber for good digestive health!  

 

Alongside the Tangos, grow the Orri mandarin.  They are easy peeling and exceptionally sweet, with just the right amount of acidity to balance out the sweetness.  Being seedless, they are high in demand each season.  Tangos are a hybrid developed from the budwood of the orah mandarin in Isreal.  They were created to have an extended shelf life and resilient skin that makes them suitable to survive global transportation.  

 

Satsumas are a variety of mandarin closely related to tangerines.  As with the other mandarins, it is known for its balanced sweet and tart flavor.  You’ve probably had satsumas before and didn’t even know it!  They are the most common variety canned. But let’s be honest, there is nothing like a fresh piece of fruit compared to a can.  Eating the tender red-orange fleshed satsuma is simply delectable.  They tend to be heavier than they look, but that’s an indicator of how juicy they are!  

 

Lastly, let’s talk about clementines.  They look just like a small orange, but they are actually a specific type of mandarin orange.  These sweet, juicy, and tart fruits are a cross between a sweet orange and a mandarin orange.  Clementines are only about 35 calories per piece of fruit, so you can technically eat two as one serving of fruit. In addition, clementines contain high levels of antioxidants.  So double the fruit, double the good stuff!  

 

 

 

 

 

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