How to Harvest and Store Tangerines

Tangerines belong to a subgroup of mandarin oranges. They deliver all the nutritional goodness of juice oranges - vitamin C, calcium, potassium, thiamin, niacin, magnesium and folacin - and the loose skin peels off with the aid of a mere fingernail while the neatly divided segments pull apart with nary a drop of juice, a boon for those on the go.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Baskets
• Garden Shears
• Gardening Gloves
• Baskets

1. Harvest tangerines in winter and spring.

2. Pick tangerines - and all citrus fruits - when they're fully ripe. Taste one to tell for sure. Color is not a good indicator of ripeness because it can vary with the time of year.

3. Twist the fruit from the tree gently, or snip it off with clippers. Either way, take care not to damage the twigs on the tree.

4. Store tangerines unwrapped in the refrigerator. They're more fragile than other oranges so expect them to last only a few days.