




Gold Nugget Tangerines
Inventory, lb : 0
This item was last sold on : 01/17/23
Description/Taste
Gold Nugget tangerines are a medium to large variety, averaging 5 to 8 centimeters in diameter, and have a slightly flattened, oblate to round shape without a distinct neck. The pale to golden-orange fruits have a textured surface, ranging from glossy and finely pitted with depressed oil glands to semi-coarse and externally bumpy, depending on the cultivation methods used and tree maturity. The rind is also somewhat easy-to-peel, releasing bursts of fragrant oils when torn. Once removed, it reveals a bright orange flesh divided into 9 to 10 segments by thin, white membranes. The flesh is soft, tender, aqueous, and mostly seedless. Gold Nugget tangerines have high sugar content balanced by mild acidity, creating a sweet, fruity, and subtly tangy flavor.
Seasons/Availability
Gold Nugget tangerines are available in the late winter through early summer.
Current Facts
Gold Nugget tangerines, botanically classified as Citrus reticulata, are a mid to late-season citrus variety belonging to the Rutaceae family. The golden-orange fruits were whimsically named for their unique coloring and bumpy rind and are highly favored among citrus enthusiasts for their juicy, sweet, and seedless nature. Gold Nugget tangerines are also known as Gold Nugget mandarins and come into season when many other mandarin varieties are leaving the market. The variety’s long harvest season and ability to store well on the tree provides fresh, tender fruits into the summer season. Despite the fruit’s unusual bumpy appearance, Golden Nugget tangerines have widely increased in popularity as a fresh eating variety and are expanding in cultivation worldwide to meet growing market demand.
Nutritional Value
Gold Nugget tangerines are an excellent source of fiber to stimulate the digestive tract, vitamin C to strengthen the immune system, and folate to produce healthy red blood cells. The fruits also provide vitamin A to maintain optimal organ functioning, antioxidants to protect against free radical damage to cells, potassium to balance fluid levels within the body, and lower amounts of calcium to strengthen bones and teeth.
Applications
Gold Nugget tangerines have a sweet flavor and juicy consistency well-suited for fresh preparations. The fruits can be easily peeled and consumed straight, out-of-hand, or they can be tossed into green and fruit salads, blended into smoothies and shakes, or incorporated into grain and cereal bowls. Gold Nugget tangerines are also a popular juicing variety, using the liquid in cocktails, sparkling beverages, fruit punches, or mixing into dressings, sauces, and marinades. In addition to fresh preparations, Gold Nugget tangerines can be cooked into marmalade, jams, and jellies, used as a flavoring in muffins, cakes, bread, and cookies, or frozen into sorbet, ice cream, and popsicles. Gold Nugget tangerines pair well with dried or fresh berries, other citrus including grapefruit, lemons, and blood oranges, meats such as poultry, turkey, and pork, seafood, shallots, fennel, and fresh herbs including mint, basil, and parsley. Whole Gold Nugget tangerines will keep 1 to 2 weeks when stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator's crisper drawer.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
In the late 1800s, Riverside County became one of California's primary citrus-growing regions, sparking what many experts called the “second gold rush.” Local and out-of-state agricultural workers flocked to the region to pursue newfound citrus opportunities, and over time, Riverside continued to establish itself as a citrus authority with the creation of the Citrus Experiment Station in the early 1900s. In the modern-day, thousands of citrus varieties are currently being studied, grown, and improved at the UC Riverside Citrus Experiment Station, and many new cultivars have been developed and released to commercial growers, including Gold Nugget tangerines. To honor the stories surrounding Riverside's citrus industry, the California Citrus State Historic Park was also established in partnership with the experiment station in 1993. The 248-acre park seeks to record the history of citrus production in Southern California and highlight the voices and stories of the agricultural workers that made the industry thrive. The park features an outdoor museum, picnic area, activity center, and several groves of citrus trees. Tours are offered through the groves, and visitors have the opportunity to sample over 70 varieties of citrus that are grown in the region.
Geography/History
Gold Nugget tangerines were developed at the University of California, Riverside, sometime in the 1950s. The hybrid fruit was created from a cross between non-commercial breeding varieties, kincy and wilking mandarins, and these parent cultivars were also hybrids of mandarins and tangors. Gold Nugget tangerines were selected for commercial cultivation in 1975 by J.W. Cameron and D.K. Soost and were sent to the Lindcove Research and Extension Center in Exeter, California, in 1986 to produce a virus-free budwood source. Today Gold Nugget tangerines can be found through specialty grocers, supermarkets, home gardens, and farmer’s markets in the United States, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand.
Featured Restaurants
Restaurants currently purchasing this product as an ingredient for their menu.
La Costa Resort & Spa Pastry | Carlsbad CA | 760-431-8455 |
Mister A's | San Diego CA | 619-239-1377 |
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Gold Nugget Tangerines. One

Recently Shared
People have shared Gold Nugget Tangerines using the Specialty Produce app for iPhone and Android.
Produce Sharing allows you to share your produce discoveries with your neighbors and the world! Is your market carrying green dragon apples? Is a chef doing things with shaved fennel that are out of this world? Pinpoint your location annonymously through the Specialty Produce App and let others know about unique flavors that are around them.
![]() About 8 days ago, 1/29/23 Sharer's comments : at Jacy Farm ![]() ![]()
Regier Family Farms
Near Santa Monica, California, United StatesAbout 12 days ago, 1/25/23 Sharer's comments : Gold Nugget Tangerines from Regier Family Farms ![]() ![]()
Specialty Produce
Near San Diego, California, United States1929 Hancock St Suite 150 San Diego CA 92110 619-295-3172 https://specialtyproduce.com About 36 days ago, 1/01/23 Sharer's comments : Gold Nugget Tangerines from Rancho Del Sol ![]() ![]()
Specialty Produce
Near San Diego, California, United States1929 Hancock St Suite 150 San Diego CA 92110 619-295-3172 https://specialtyproduce.com About 42 days ago, 12/26/22 Sharer's comments : Gold Nugget Tangerines from Murray Family Farms ![]() ![]()
Arnett Farms
Near Marina Del Rey, California, United StatesAbout 177 days ago, 8/13/22 ![]() ![]()
Specialty Produce
Near San Diego, California, United States1929 Hancock St Suite 150, San Diego, CA 92110 619-295-3172 https://specialtyproduce.com About 181 days ago, 8/09/22 Sharer's comments : Gold Nugget Tangerines ![]() ![]()
Polito Family Farms
Near San Diego, California, United StatesValley Center Pauma Valley, CA About 191 days ago, 7/30/22 ![]() ![]()
Rancho México Lindo
Near Del Mar, California, United StatesValley Center, CA About 226 days ago, 6/25/22 ![]() ![]() About 244 days ago, 6/07/22 Sharer's comments : Gold Nugget Tangerines from Rancho Del Sol ![]() ![]()
Bernardino Loera Farms
Near San Diego, California, United StatesFallbrook, CA About 254 days ago, 5/28/22 ![]() About 274 days ago, 5/08/22 ![]() ![]()
Specialty Produce
Near San Diego, California, United States1929 Hancock St Suit 150, San Diego, CA 92110 619-295-3172 https://specialtyproduce.com About 288 days ago, 4/24/22 Sharer's comments : Gold Nugget Tangerines from Murray Family Farms ![]() ![]() About 316 days ago, 3/27/22 Sharer's comments : Gold Nugget Tangerines from Murray Family Farms ![]() ![]()
Smit Farms
Near San Diego, California, United StatesLinden, CA About 316 days ago, 3/27/22 ![]() ![]()
Kens Top Notch Produce
Near Santa Monica, California, United StatesAbout 324 days ago, 3/19/22 ![]() ![]()
Lee Farms
Near Santa Monica, California, United StatesAbout 324 days ago, 3/19/22 Sharer's comments : Gold Nugget Mandarin from Lee Farms ![]() ![]()
Smit Farms
Near Poway, California, United StatesLinden, CA About 331 days ago, 3/12/22 ![]() ![]()
Central Market
Near Austin, Texas, United States4001 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78756 About 332 days ago, 3/11/22 ![]() About 344 days ago, 2/26/22 ![]() ![]()
Smit Farms
Near San Diego, California, United StatesLinden, CA About 345 days ago, 2/26/22 ![]() ![]()
Smit Farms
Near Fairbanks Ranch, California, United StatesLinden, CA About 358 days ago, 2/13/22 ![]() ![]() About 386 days ago, 1/16/22 Sharer's comments : Gold Nugget Tangerines from Murray Family Farms ![]() ![]()
Troy Regier
Near Santa Monica, California, United StatesDinuba, CA 1-559-779-4704 About 390 days ago, 1/12/22 ![]() ![]()
Troy Regier
Near Santa Monica, California, United StatesDinuba, CA 1-559-779-4704 About 397 days ago, 1/05/22 ![]() ![]()
Heritage Family Farm
Near Coronado, California, United StatesFallbrook, CA About 452 days ago, 11/10/21 Sharer's comments : Sweet, seedless, and too easy to peel! ![]() ![]()
Valley Center Growers Inc
Near Escondido, California, United StatesEscondido, CA About 509 days ago, 9/14/21 ![]() ![]() About 534 days ago, 8/21/21 Sharer's comments : Love the smell and oils released just by peeling these tangerines 😊 ![]() ![]()
Valley Center Growers Inc
Near Coronado, California, United StatesEscondido, CA About 537 days ago, 8/17/21 ![]() ![]() About 689 days ago, 3/19/21 Sharer's comments : Gold nugget Tamgerine from Lee Farms ![]() ![]()
Regier Family Farms
Near Santa Monica, California, United StatesAbout 691 days ago, 3/17/21 ![]() About 693 days ago, 3/14/21 Sharer's comments : Test! ![]() ![]() About 694 days ago, 3/14/21 Sharer's comments : Gold nuggets from Lee Farms ![]() ![]()
Specialty Produce
Near San Diego, California, United States1929 Hancock Street San Diego, CA 92110 619-295-3172 About 713 days ago, 2/23/21 ![]() ![]()
SpecialtyProduce
Near San Diego, California, United States1929 Hancock street San Diego CA 92110 619-295-3172 About 717 days ago, 2/19/21 Sharer's comments : Gold nugget tangerines ![]() ![]()
Specialty Produce
Near San Diego, California, United States1929 Hancock Street San Diego, CA 92110 619-295-3172 About 727 days ago, 2/09/21 |