Why are the Sumo oranges horrible this year?

[Anonymous]

I'm not a huge fan of oranges in general, but wait all year until the Sumos are available in January. I've tried them from 3 different stores and all have been horrible! They are a fraction of the size they were last year and nowhere near as sweet as they should be.

Does anyone know why this year is different from previous years? Any store carrying some good ones?

[Anonymous]

I got some from Wegmans and they were good and the usual size. Some were maybe a bit tangier than I remember, but I’ve had Covid and my tastes are all out of whack. My DS ate half the box and isn’t a great fruit eater so they must be decent.

[Anonymous]

I thought it was just me! I was hoping it was just early.

I’ve had some from TJs and Wegmans and they are hit or miss. Boo. They are way too expensive to be iffy. Wondering if they just tried to grow too many.

[Anonymous]

The ones I've had have been very sour. Kind of good in their own way, but literally like sour candy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got some from Wegmans and they were good and the usual size. Some were maybe a bit tangier than I remember, but I’ve had Covid and my tastes are all out of whack. My DS ate half the box and isn’t a great fruit eater so they must be decent.

+1. I recently bought some at Wegmans and they were fine.

[Anonymous]

That's a shame. I really love them but haven't had one this year. The navels I bought from Giant were sour, too. Which oranges are sweet this season?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's a shame. I really love them but haven't had one this year. The navels I bought from Giant were sour, too. Which oranges are sweet this season?

I bought a bag of Cara Cara navel oranges from WF earlier this week. They are awesome.

[Anonymous]

The box of Sumos I got from TJs have been delicious. The rinds are a little tougher and thinner than normal.

[Anonymous]

Just bought some tasty Moroccan mandarins at Costco.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's a shame. I really love them but haven't had one this year. The navels I bought from Giant were sour, too. Which oranges are sweet this season?

I bought a bag of Cara Cara navel oranges from WF earlier this week. They are awesome.

I’ve gone through several bags of cara cara oranges from Wegmans and Trader Joe’s and they’ve been awesome. Very sweet and juicy. I tried the sumó oranges for the first time ever this year and I thought they were good. They didn’t stand out as anything special though.

[Anonymous]

I’ve gotten them from Giant, TJs and Wegmans and all have been delicious! Expensive though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a huge fan of oranges in general, but wait all year until the Sumos are available in January. I've tried them from 3 different stores and all have been horrible! They are a fraction of the size they were last year and nowhere near as sweet as they should be.

Does anyone know why this year is different from previous years? Any store carrying some good ones?

Agree! Wondering wtf happened to the Sumos this year. Purchased from Wegman's and Whole Foods and encountered the same.

[Anonymous]

Resurrecting this thread. Have definitely had more bad sumos. My son just peeled one that was black on then inside. Ugh.

[Anonymous]

Tough weather season?

"Originally cultivated in Japan in the 1970s by a single grower who set out to develop the platonic ideal of citrus, the fruit made its way to California’s San Joaquin Valley where it’s now grown under a varietal brand, Sumo Citrus, that boasts 13 seasons under its belt and counting. This year’s Sumo harvest is set to harvest the largest crop to date, doubling output from the previous year, according to a news release from Sumo Citrus, despite the region’s weather challenges in recent months.

“While the rain is welcome and necessary to continue California the farming industry, it can lead to some hurdles when it comes to planning harvests,” Emma Koehler, assistant brand manager at AC Foods, told The Packer. “In order to harvest citrus, the rind needs to be dry, otherwise there is risk of future breakdown of the fruit. Because of this, harvest is not possible during rain, so our team monitors weather closely to determine when and where harvest is possible throughout the last few weeks of storms. " Even with recent precipitation and flooding, the Sumo Citrus brand is optimistic."

(https://www.thepacker.com/markets/fruit/sumo-citrus-doubles-harvest-and-expands-distribution-2023-season)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Resurrecting this thread. Have definitely had more bad sumos. My son just peeled one that was black on then inside. Ugh.

Haha! I'm the OP and never quite found any good ones either. Season is basically done so fingers crossed for next year!