Author Topic: just picked up some Gold Nuggets labeled "Dimples"  (Read 4022 times)

ClayMango

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just picked up some Gold Nuggets labeled "Dimples"
« on: May 28, 2014, 11:20:40 PM »
So first you have the Clementines and Tangos being labeled Cuties, now Gold Nuggets being called Dimples....I guess this is good marketing in Prime form...Ironically some of the best Commercial Mandarin get these Pet names attached to them which match perfectly with their shape and size.
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BarbJ

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Re: just picked up some Gold Nuggets labeled "Dimples"
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2014, 11:52:53 PM »
Great marketing for growers.  Pain in the arse for nursery staff.  At least once a month or more I get customers wanting a "Cutie" etc. for their own yard.  I then get to explain they are not one kind of fruit, and when did you buy them? That will narrow down which mandarin they ate, and now want. I made myself a cheat sheet to remember which ones are in the market when, it helps narrow down which cultivar they want.  Amazingly some folks do not believe us, and think we're trying to trick them somehow. Oh well.   ::)

On the other hand, it had made many folks who never thought about growing citrus trees, look into giving it a go, so that is a good thing.   ;)

ClayMango

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Re: just picked up some Gold Nuggets labeled "Dimples"
« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2014, 01:11:11 AM »
I wonder if Kishu is next? I here it is a great deal smaller than the cuties...I can only imagine them slapping on some other pet name emphasizing it size that gives it the great exposure for such a top tier Mandarin...then again I also heard these aren't great for commercial production...so I guess I'll enjoy my little Kishus from my own yard one day and maybe nickname them myself.
Thinking about joining a Fruitaholics anonymous support group...Fruit addiction has taken over my life!

Scott_6B

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Re: just picked up some Gold Nuggets labeled "Dimples"
« Reply #3 on: May 29, 2014, 06:46:06 AM »
BarbJ, I would be interested in seeing your cheat sheet for the "cuties".  The fruit quality does seem to vary quite dramatically with them, sometimes from week to week, out here on the east coast.

Millet

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Re: just picked up some Gold Nuggets labeled "Dimples"
« Reply #4 on: May 29, 2014, 09:59:50 AM »
BarbJ, I also would like to see your cheat sheet as to when the various Cuties varieties are being sold. - Millet

Tom

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Re: just picked up some Gold Nuggets labeled "Dimples"
« Reply #5 on: May 29, 2014, 11:22:08 AM »
Ditto for me too. Quality is variable with all fruit and veggies. A schedule would be great. Tom

BarbJ

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Re: just picked up some Gold Nuggets labeled "Dimples"
« Reply #6 on: May 29, 2014, 12:04:58 PM »
Well I got the info from the Cuties web site. I just wrote it down and took it with me to work, so that's how it's my "cheat sheet" because I'll forget otherwise, lol.  Here's what's on the web site;

Quote
PERIOD
VARIETY
TIMING
One
Early Clementines
November 1 to Thanksgiving
Two
Clemenules
Thanksgiving to Christmas
Three
Clemenules
Christmas to January
Four
Late Mandarins
January 16 to April 1

Here's the Cuties web site;  http://www.sunpacific.com/cuties.html

and Sunkist's web site has a good citrus variety chart, where you can see which are "late mandarins";
                                       http://www.sunkist.com/products/varietal_chart.aspx

So hope that helps,  :)

BarbJ

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Re: just picked up some Gold Nuggets labeled "Dimples"
« Reply #7 on: May 29, 2014, 12:14:57 PM »
I see on their web site they say cuties are available November through April. If they're in you store later than April, they've probably been in cold storage too long, which would make them not so good I suppose.  So even though by using several varieties they can extend the season, they're still only good (tasty) for those months.  Still a somewhat seasonal product.

Tom

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Re: just picked up some Gold Nuggets labeled "Dimples"
« Reply #8 on: May 29, 2014, 04:33:43 PM »
Thanks, that's good info. I bought 3 # of Mini Me from Fresh Market today 5/29/14. They say mandarins/mandarens from California. I counted 26 fruit in the 3 # bag. They were very small and one was tiny and no good. The others are all excellent so far. They had several bags of small fruit and close by were 3 # bags with much larger fruit labeled and bagged as Mini Me also. I'm a sucker for the smaller fruit because usually it taste sweeter to me. These are seedless so far. They are cute but not Cuties. My guess is that these are small Gold Nuggets.  Tom
« Last Edit: May 29, 2014, 10:42:35 PM by Tom »

robbyhernz

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Re: just picked up some Gold Nuggets labeled "Dimples"
« Reply #9 on: May 30, 2014, 05:05:24 PM »
I've given up on Cuties in my area! They were so good at the beginning and now you get one good bag for 5 bad ones. I am amazed at how consistently insipid or bad they are. Definitely not the case with navels, blood oranges, cara cara, Gold nuggets, etc - just the cuties.

Scott_6B

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Re: just picked up some Gold Nuggets labeled "Dimples"
« Reply #10 on: May 30, 2014, 05:16:24 PM »
Thanks BarbJ

The quality on the cuties is definitely hit or miss.  We also get Spanish clementines in the winter here, but their quality is not really any different.

Tom

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Re: just picked up some Gold Nuggets labeled "Dimples"
« Reply #11 on: May 30, 2014, 08:15:32 PM »
I think the quality of all citrus and fruit in general is very erratic. I've had a lot of 'dry' navel oranges. They don't seem as good and juicy as they used to be. I think everything is picked too early to get it into marketing channels. Then they ship too far from where it grew. Watermelons is another fruit that hardly ever has any taste. Sometimes this is necessary but it happens all the time, that's my read on it. Tom