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View Full Version : Cutie vs Clementine Oranges - Difference?



belovedgandp
05-13-2009, 10:33 AM
Here's my fruit ignorance. Is there a difference?

My kids gobbled up two 5 lb boxes of "Cuties" in the past two months. I loved it. They were easy to peel and everyone liked them.

I bought a different box labeled clementines and so not a hit. They look the same on the outside, but the inside was much meatier. It was harder for my 2 year old to chew. 5 year old didn't like peeling them because more skin stuck to the fruit. I thought they tasted about the same.

So did I just get a funky box of clementines or are cuties a different fruit?

tylersmama
05-13-2009, 04:10 PM
I could be wrong, but I think cuties are just a brand name for clementines. My guess is that you got a funky box.

hellokitty
05-13-2009, 10:15 PM
I could be wrong, but I think cuties are just a brand name for clementines. My guess is that you got a funky box.

That's what I thought too. Cutie is smart, the brand name they picked is really catchy and sticks in your head.

Momof3Labs
05-13-2009, 11:04 PM
Right, Cuties are a brand of clementines. I find that the quality of the clementines (brand aside) are all over the board, which makes me suspect that there are actually a few types of tangerines that are sold as clementines. The season for clementines ended a little while ago, so I wouldn't expect to get good ones again until next winter.

belovedgandp
05-13-2009, 11:57 PM
Thanks ladies. Yes, I think we're out of season now which is probably part of the issue. Bummer, since both kids loved them.

Tondi G
05-15-2009, 12:44 PM
yeah... we just bought our last box of cuties for the season. The boys were begging for them but there were too many hard or funky tasting ones in there! Bring on the summer fruit... peaches, nectarines and plums! YUM!

poppy
05-15-2009, 03:30 PM
I thought cuties had no seeds and clementines sometimes do. I like cuties better. I put out cuties as snacks but none of my guests wanted any.
I don't know why. Is that a good snack?

Melaine
05-15-2009, 03:55 PM
I thought cuties had no seeds and clementines sometimes do. I like cuties better. I put out cuties as snacks but none of my guests wanted any.
I don't know why. Is that a good snack?

I think those are like the best snack ever I LOVE them. However, like pp, I have found a wide range of differences. Whenever the crate of clementines went on sale at Publix I would buy them. Sometimes they were fantastic, other times, less so.

cmo
05-15-2009, 04:29 PM
I've noticed the further away from January (peak season) we get, the more hit-or-miss the quality. The good news is that the next season will start mid-summer, when the south-of-the-equator crop comes in. That is, if you don't mind imported fruit. :-)

DrSally
05-16-2009, 09:59 PM
I could be wrong, but I think cuties are just a brand name for clementines. My guess is that you got a funky box.

:yeahthat: We love them

doggiemom
05-19-2009, 10:33 PM
Cuties are a brand name. Part of the variation depends on the time in the season. In California as the almond season closes you get more seeds in the clementine fruit. Clementines are actually not a species of plant/fruit, but a variety of oranges/tangerines. So a variety of things can be marketed as a clementine. Just an FYI there is a big bru- ha- ha going on about them, because the farmers are mad at the bee keepers in CA because when seedless citrus is pollinated with pollen from other citrus that has seeds (e.g. oranges, etc.) the seedless produce has seeds. So the farmers want all these bans on bees.... kind of silly, but google clementines and bees and you get some interesting reading.

cmo
06-10-2009, 03:09 PM
Went to Whole Foods this morning, and found a 3 lb. mesh bag of Darling Clementines, $5.99. I tried one for lunch, and they are indeed a new crop, very yummy! The skin was thin, it was maybe a bit more pithy than average, and no seeds. These were imported from Chile. So, keep your eyes peeled for new clementines if you're jonesing for a citrus fix!