Growing up, you were probably told to drink your orange juice – everybody needs a good dose of Vitamin C every day to stay strong and healthy. But, as we’ve gotten older, we’ve realized the sugar-packed orange juices aren’t really as healthy as our moms told us they were. So, if you’re like us, you probably ditched the juice for the good old fruit.
And if you like regular oranges, you probably love Mandarin oranges. They’re smaller and sweeter than regular oranges, and just as good for you!
Mandarin oranges originated in southern Asia and were brought to England in 1805. These oranges became really popular in Italy (which is why your Italian-summer-Pinterest-board is probably filled with pictures of these bright orange fruits). To this day, people all over the world indulge in these sweet fruits – including us!
When they’re not in season, we love turning to canned Mandarin oranges. It’s the perfect way to get in some vitamin C and keep our immune systems strong, even when the fruits aren’t in season.
We’re big fans. Whether we add them to our smoothies and salads, or simply eat them on their own, they’re a super sweet and flavourful fruit that leaves us feeling refreshed.
Knowing us though, we couldn’t help but try to shake things up a bit and freeze-dry our canned Mandarin oranges. So how did it go? Well, we’re here to give you our best, honest review to keep you in the loop.
Freeze-drying the Mandarin oranges was interesting, to say the least. These juicy fruits turned out super dry and crispy after we freeze-dried them. It was almost like eating fluff, for lack of a better word. When you bite into the freeze-dried Mandarin oranges, they pretty much turn to powder in your mouth.
So, did we like them? Honestly, we weren’t completely sold. Our rating? 2 stars.
The freeze-dried version is a very airy, light snack. We’ll definitely keep a couple around to snack on when we get a bit curious. But to be honest (which you know we always are with you), the original version is preferable. Nothing can really beat the juicy, sweet goodness of a Mandarin orange, and cracking open a can of Mandarin oranges is still our favourite way of getting our healthy sugar and vitamin C in at the same time.
Freeze-drying them wasn’t a huge success, so we’ll stick to the original, and imagine we’re vacationing in Italy each time we eat them.