Author Topic: How do you rate your Gold Series mandarins.  (Read 2007 times)

luak

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How do you rate your Gold Series mandarins.
« on: January 11, 2022, 03:28:13 PM »
This year I will rate my Gold Series mandarins again.It will be the third year they fruited. Have to wait till February to find out. Last year they tasted very, very good. Btw, I converted my Page to Lee Nova, a tad better but also much bigger, great tasting and very juicy, another winner for me.

sc4001992

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Re: How do you rate your Gold Series mandarins.
« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2022, 04:04:09 PM »
Which are the gold series you are talking about?
Is it Yoshemite Gold, Shasta Gold, Tahoe Gold  ?

I read that Shasta Gold was the best tasting of the three. I bought a Shasta, my small tree had a few fruits this year (Dec-Jan) that was good but not excellent. A ripe Gold Nugget might be a little sweeter than the Shasta Gold. I also have Ponkan which I think tastes better than the 3 Golds and the Gold Nugget.

luak

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Re: How do you rate your Gold Series mandarins.
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2022, 04:26:01 PM »
If you like super sweets, Gold Nugget is your choice. I am very happy with all three. Tahoe the least but still good to grow. A huge variety is not my thing, because I grow so many different fruits. My quota for citrus is at max.

brian

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Re: How do you rate your Gold Series mandarins.
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2022, 04:40:29 PM »
My first crop of Shasta Gold was the best mandarins I've ever had, I think.  I have never really had a Gold Nugget that impressed me, though some people really swear by them. 

I just planted my Shasta Gold in-ground in my greenhouse (replacing Tango), and it has green fruit that are starting to color

sc4001992

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Re: How do you rate your Gold Series mandarins.
« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2022, 04:42:06 PM »
Luak,

I like citrus fruits that are sweet with some acid. Valentine and Cocktail grapefruits are sweet with hardly any acidic taste so it's not on the top of my list. Same thing with Oroblanco and Melogold, both are pretty sweet grapefruits but I like my pomelo which has a little acidic taste better. Yes, I'm trying to reduce my citrus varieties down to a few of my favorites for each mandarin, grapefruit, pomelo.

Can you tell me between the Shasta Gold and Yoshemite Gold, which one you like better or describe the taste comparison of these.

Oolie

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Re: How do you rate your Gold Series mandarins.
« Reply #5 on: January 11, 2022, 06:09:32 PM »
It must be true what they say about flying dragon producing stronger tasting fruit earlier on. My Shasta gold on FD is in it's 2nd-3rd year and the fruit is already quite good. Very sour this time of year, but sweet enough to eat already and full color.

I do prefer the lee nova, but it's season overlaps with our abundant orange crop, so it would just go to waste where the Shasta gold won't hit peak sweetness until February at the earliest.

I selected xie Shan to open up the season, all our navels +blood oranges for main season, shasta gold late season through may, then grapefruit and valencias until xie shan is ripe.

luak

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Re: How do you rate your Gold Series mandarins.
« Reply #6 on: January 11, 2022, 06:31:21 PM »
You guys from California have a big advantage over my operation in Arkansas zone 7. So, if my citrus fruits taste excellent to me, it might not tops in comparison to yours. My Xie Shan, shiranui and my others they are all tops tome. A lot of fun growing citrus in Arkansas at my place.

gumbo2go

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Re: How do you rate your Gold Series mandarins.
« Reply #7 on: April 02, 2022, 08:17:47 PM »
I am impressed that you have citrus growing in NW AR.  Must be using a good greenhouse!
- Even a blind hog finds an acorn every now & then!

sc4001992

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Re: How do you rate your Gold Series mandarins.
« Reply #8 on: April 03, 2022, 01:57:19 AM »
Ok, I will need to update my review of the best tasting mandarin here in SoCal.

I just tasted the Yosemite Gold fruit from a home grown fruit for the first time today (JohnnyEatFruit). The best tasting mandarin (not including Sumo), of the three Gold Series is the Yosemite Gold, hands down.

I have grown the Gold Nugget tree for over 20 years, thought it was sweet with a little tart, it was different and the fruit ripened on the tree for months so it was ok. The Tahoe Gold was average so I got rid of the tree. My Shasta Gold tasted good, not excellent but it only had fruit last year, tree is still small from nursery.

My taste conclusion on these three Gold Series is Yosemite Gold is the Winner.

Kaz
« Last Edit: April 03, 2022, 12:33:48 PM by sc4001992 »

brian

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Re: How do you rate your Gold Series mandarins.
« Reply #9 on: April 04, 2022, 10:53:09 PM »
I recently had some Gold Nuggets from grocery stores that were fantastic.  Previously ones I had from stores were puffy and overripe, and the ones I grew myself were mediocre.  But I have renewed hope, and I see why others like them so much.

Shasta Gold and Sumo are my favorites right now of the ones I've grown myself. 

sc4001992

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Re: How do you rate your Gold Series mandarins.
« Reply #10 on: April 04, 2022, 11:39:34 PM »
I do like the sumo a lot also, but it has a different sweet taste than the Yosemite Gold. Plus, sumo is so large, my fruits get to 1.4 lbs so one fruit is all you need to eat in a day.

Johnny Eat Fruit

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Re: How do you rate your Gold Series mandarins.
« Reply #11 on: April 05, 2022, 06:02:12 PM »
I have been enjoying my Yosemite Golds for about seven years now. My tree is 10 years old on C-35 rootstock and it produces consistently with no alternative bearing tendencies at my location.  Even after a heavy 2021 trimming my tree still grows back like crazy (See Photo taken recently). There is still some fruit left on the top but my tree now produces 250-300 fruit a year.

The Gold Nugget picked at the right time is a great mandarin (high sugar and low acidity) also but not as rich-tasting as the Yosemite Gold.

It was a pleasure to meet you Kaz. You are truly the citrus and loquat master.

Johnny


Yosemite Gold Mandarin Tree (4-4-2022)
« Last Edit: April 05, 2022, 06:19:32 PM by Johnny Eat Fruit »

sc4001992

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Re: How do you rate your Gold Series mandarins.
« Reply #12 on: April 05, 2022, 10:27:17 PM »
Johnny,

Thanks for showing me your fruit garden. You sure know how to grow them, all very healthy and producing many large fruits on all your citrus trees. I must say that I was so surprised by the taste of your Yosemite Gold fruits that I couldn't think of any other citrus with such rich, sweet flavor I have tasted in 30 yrs. Congrats on your super healthy fruit trees (loquats, mangos, Macadamia Trees, lychee trees) and all the citrus varieties.

Same here, pleasure to meet you finally. When my leg is completely healed and I can clean up my yard, you will be welcome to come viisit my garden.

Kaz