newgen,

Do you know how to make preserves/jam? I bet your Murcotts would make a fantastic marmalade! I've made pretty good Meyer lemon preserves myself, so you should be able to make yummy jam even from your very sour mandarins (it's amazing what sugar can do!). If no recipes exist specifically for Murcott marmalade, you can just follow a simple on-line recipe for Meyer lemon preserves/ marmalade, substituting your mandarins for the lemons. Happy cooking!

Tim

Ripe Murcott's are NOT sour. In fact they are very similar in flavor to a Clementine mandarin and are one of my personal favorites. Here are some thoughts/suggestions.

1. After picking them off the tree let them sit at room temperature for 2-4 weeks. This is known to significantly improve the flavor of mandarins in general. I have had great luck using this technique with my Satusuma's that are painfully sour right off the tree, but wonderfully sweet after about 3 weeks on the kitchen counter.

2. Murcotts are known as a late winter/spring mandarin. You usually see them for sale around late February through April. Perhaps they are just not ready yet. Color doesn't necessarily correlate with ripeness.

3. How old is your tree? It is known that mandarins show significantly improvement in fruit quality as the tree ages.

4. Does you mandarin get full sun? Obviously heat and sun affect the ripeness of a citrus.

Good luck.

-Brett

Thanks Tim and Brettay,

I'll wait a few more weeks before picking another one. This tree was planted just over 1 year ago, it gets pretty good sun exposure in the summer, not full sun though.

When I had a Murcott it was 2-3 months later than other citrus.

Because Murcotts are so sweet, they are my favorite for making marmalade. My brother has a grove of Murcotts so I travel to the other coast just to harvest them for my annual marmalade canning.

Florida Murcotts are the best, Sweet, juicy and early. Murcott may not be the best choice for your area. Focus on fruits you like and preform well in your specific area. Dont feel bad about removing trees that do not preform, I sure dont!

I would give it a little longer and hopefully the fruit will ripen to your taste. Also, since it's only been a year in the ground it shouldn't be too difficult to dig up for sale, gifting or trade (don't chop it up - lol). I don't have a Murcott but it is on my short list to obtain. Good luck!