Orchard Days in Placer County begin December 1

Tasty tree-ripened, hand-picked mandarins, with a cold fighting benefit, are set for stardom during this year's Mountain Mandarin Orchard Days presented by Placer County's Mountain Mandarin Growers Association (MMGA). Expect mandarin activities throughout the hills at various orchards during this free family event, including tasting of mandarin based products, crafters, artists, and farm animals. Local Roots Food Tours also available.

December 1, 2, 15, and 16. Most growers open from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., rain or shine. Check website for individual orchard times.

Where: Penryn, Newcastle, Lincoln, Loomis and Auburn.

Who:  Over 30 mandarin growers welcome visitors. Guided bus tours through Local Roots Food Tours also available, stopping at several growers on each tour.

For maps, orchards and complete details, please visit www.MountainMandarins.com

Cold Fighting Owari Satsuma Mandarins

Placer County Owari Satsuma mandarins offer high concentrations of the cold fighting phytochemical synephrine, as reported in 2008 by the USDA's Department of Agriculture and published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. According to the study of mandarins grown in the Placer County orchards, synephrine concentrations were found to be up to six times higher than values previously determined for orange juices.

 About Mountain Mandarin Growers' Association (MMGA)
More than 30 mandarin growers throughout Placer County make up the Mountain Mandarin Growers' Association. From Auburn to Loomis, Lincoln to Penryn and Newcastle, Ca., the warm days and cool nights make it the perfect place to grow this sweet, seedless, popular fruit. The MMGA's goal as an organization is "To provide quality mandarins and expand markets to support local agriculture." The public is encouraged to visit the orchards during harvest season from mid-November through January each year.  

About PlacerGROWN
Supported by Placer County, PlacerGROWN is the information source dedicated to educating residents about the freshest agricultural products the region has to offer.  Through its website, social media channels, and other outreach programs, PlacerGROWN connects community members with the farmers' markets, farms, orchards, ranches, wineries, nurseries, and specialty food stores in one of the most diverse growing areas in Northern California. To discover the bounty of agricultural products produced by farmers who call Placer County home, or for more information about PlacerGROWN, visit www.PlacerGrown.org.