Mandarins to the rescue: Placer's wonder orange

"Manderines!"My 3-year-old son didn't have the name quite right during his tirade, but he sure had caught the bug. Last weekend, I had arrived at the farmers' market too late - the mandarin growers were long sold out of their first picking of the crop. I started to panic. A 3-year-old sliding into temper tantrum mode needs to be avoided at all costs. In a Hail Mary attempt to calm the youngster, I made a desperate phone call to Pine Hill Orchard in Loomis.Secretly, I was pleased. My son knows what he likes, and he likes only the best. And arguably Placer County mandarins are world class. Blame it on what the French call "terroir," the combination of geography, climate and soil conditions that shape the flavor of crops in an area.In the bleak autumnal days of late November, something magic happens in the foothills. Brilliant juicy, orange orbs materialize on the lush green branches of Satsuma mandarin trees. (Local orchards have smaller numbers of other varieties of mandarins; these are definitely worth checking out, too.) Area residents respond by purchasing and consuming huge amounts of mandarins.This should be a very good year. Mandarin trees typically have heavy crops every other year. This is an "on" year, so the supply this winter, barring icy conditions, should be plentiful. The weather can be both an ally and an adversary to the mandarin grower. The fact that foothill orchards are above the fog line means that local fruit tends to ripen up faster and develops better flavors. Cool nights stimulate the production of fruit sugars, giving local mandarins a lot of sweetness to hold up to the high acid levels. The local weather conditions also hold pests at bay, so that area growers don't need to treat their orchards with toxic chemical insecticides. Most local mandarins are consumed shortly after being picked, so the oranges are not treated with wax and fungicides used to control postharvest spoilage.While they're rich with flavor, local mandarins can also be toned down for the less adventurous eater. A couple of days after being picked, the acids start to break down, and the familiar tanginess starts to mellow, leaving the fruit's sweetness to take center stage.Back to the tearful youngster with the quivering lips begging me for "mandarines." Eric Hansen from Pine Hill Orchard came to the rescue with his certified organic mandarin oranges. I bought 20 pounds to start. My son and I both began to devour this, the first of many bags we will consume this season. I was impressed - he didn't even flinch at the tartness. The kid's already a gourmet!Christina Abuelo is market manager for the Foothill Farmers' Market Association. She can be reached at (530) 823-6183.Recipes: Dutch Baby with Warm Mandarin Sauce½ cup water¼ cup sugar1 teaspoon cornstarch2 cups mandarin sections (about 6 mandarins)1 tablespoon lemon juiceFor sauce, whisk together first 3 ingredients in medium saucepan, then bring to boil for 1 minute or until thick. Remove from heat, stir in mandarin sections and lemon juice. Keep warm.Cooking spray½ cup non-fat or low-fat milk3 large eggs, lightly beaten½ cup all-purpose flour¼ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon nutmeg1 tablespoon melted butter For the "pancake," preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine milk and eggs in large bowl. Whisk in flour salt and nutmeg. Stir in melted butter until smooth. Pour batter into well-greased nonstick skillet with foil wrapped around handle. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from pan and cut into wedges. Top with mandarin sauce. Serves 4.Mandarin Orange Pumpkin Bread2/3 cup butter2 2/3 cups sugar4 whole eggs 16 ounces canned pumpkin, or equivalent fresh 2/3 cup freshly squeezed mandarin juice 1 mandarin2 cups whole wheat flour1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 ½ teaspoons salt½ teaspoon baking powder 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 2/3 cups chopped pecans, (optional)Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray non-stick coating on bottoms of 6 to 8 small loaf pans or two 9x5x3 loaf pans. Zest mandarin and set aside peel, then cut off and discard pith. Chop mandarin and pumpkin in food processor. In a large bowl or mixer, cream butter and sugar together, then add eggs one at a time until mixture is smooth. Add pumpkin/mandarin mix, fresh-squeezed mandarin juice, and zested peel. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice together. Slowly add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture. Stir in optional nuts and pour into loaf pans. Bake until knife or toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes for larger loaf pans and 20-25 minutes for small pan. Cool completely, then remove from pan. Slice each loaf into 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices. Makes 12 servings.In the know: Where to get mandarinsThe mandarin season kicks off with the 13th annual Mountain Mandarin Festival from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Gold Country Fairgrounds, 1273 High St. in Auburn. Enjoy music, food, fun and games for the whole family.Admission is free and parking is $5. For more information, visit www.mandarinfestival.com. Locally grown mandarins are also available from these local certified farmers' markets: Old Town Auburn, held Saturdays 8 a.m. to 12 noon across from the historic courthouse at the corner of Auburn-Folsom Road and Lincoln Way; DeWitt Center, held Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Granite Bay, held Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the corner of Auburn-Folsom Road and Douglas Boulevard, Kaiser Permanente Roseville, held Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.