It's hard to know for sure before peeling it, but there's a clue: the weight. If the mandarin feels lighter than it should for its size, it might be dry inside. The most common cause is that it stayed on the tree too long or got hit by frost; keeping it a few days at home doesn't dry it out, it just softens the peel.
How can you tell if a mandarin is juicy before peeling it?
I'll be honest with you: it's very hard to know for certain just by holding it. The clue I rely on most is weight. I pick up the fruit and, based on its size, judge whether it weighs what it should. If it feels lighter than normal for its size, I can guess it's lacking juice. But that's a hunch, not a guarantee: the only way to know for sure is to open it.
There's one exception where I'm more on alert: when there's been a frost. The cold bursts the segments inside, so after a frost I check that fruit more carefully before sending it out.
Why does a mandarin dry out inside?
There are several causes, and they don't all matter equally:
- Too long on the tree. A mandarin that hangs on longer than it should is more likely to dry out inside.
- Too much heat. It causes what we call "ironing" of the fruit: the side that gets the most sun dries out. It happens mostly with hybrids; some varieties are quite sensitive to it.
- Lack of water. An important point here: not enough irrigation mainly affects size, not so much whether it dries out inside.
- How long it's been stored. This needs clearing up too, because people mix it up a lot: keeping a mandarin for a few days softens it and wrinkles the peel, but that's not the same as being dry inside.
- A frost. The cold bursts the segments, and that's when the fruit really dries out.
How long does a mandarin take to get from the tree to your home?
In our case, between picking it from the tree and it reaching the customer, it's usually one day, no more. That's why you have more time at home before it starts losing juiciness than with fruit that's spent weeks in cold storage before hitting the shelf.
Is there a month in the season when it's more likely to be dry?
If winter brings frost, those days you're more likely to come across dry fruit, because the cold bursts the segments. But without frost, this doesn't usually happen in any particular month of the season.
FAQs about mandarins that are dry inside
Is a dry mandarin bad or spoiled?
No. It's a matter of texture and juiciness, not food safety. The segment has simply lost water and doesn't go as far when you eat it.
Does keeping it in the fridge dry it out?
No. Storage time softens the fruit and wrinkles the peel, but it's not what makes it dry inside.
Can you know for sure it's dry without opening it?
Not one hundred percent. Weight relative to size is the best clue we have out in the field, but only an open segment gives you certainty.
If you've had a mandarin that was green on the outside and weren't sure if it was ripe, here we explain why colour doesn't always tell you how ripe a mandarin is. And if it's the look of the peel on other citrus that worries you, here's what happens with orange peel.
Our Valencian Mandarin is picked and shipped the same day, so it reaches you with all the juice it should have.
