Tried It Tuesday - Cuties California Clementines

A few years ago (probably about 10 years now), I tried my first clementine orange. I had bought a crate of them at the grocery store around the holidays. After one taste, I was hooked. Those little fruits were the perfect size and were so sweet and flavorful. They became the perfect, portable snack. They were easy to peel without any tools and they were satisfying as a snack. There were two challenges that I encountered, though. First, they weren't consistently seedless. In fact, the box would be so mixed, that I was afraid to just give some to my children without first inspecting each section of the clementine. Second, the season in which clementines were available at my store seemed to be very short, only around the holidays.

Then, a few months ago, in the Sunday coupon section, there was a coupon for Cuties California Clementines. I watched for them at my store, but never saw them. Then, on a visit home to my parent's, we stopped at Kroger to do some shopping. They had both the 3# bags and the 5# crates of the Cuties. I decided to use my coupon and try a bag of the Cuties. (I chose the bag, because the coupon value was such that it would double, making the smaller size a better value.)

I loved them. They were perfectly sweet and juicy with a great flavor. They were easy to peel just like the ones I had been buying for years. There weren't seeds in any of them that I tried. These two features together make them a perfect snack for the kids. My son is able to peel them to share with his sister and I don't worry much about them finding a seed. They are a product of the USA, which is a nice plus. Their season seems to be much longer than the traditional imported Clementines that you only see around the holidays. I just purchased a bag two weeks ago. According to their website, they are available from November to April.

It of course is April tomorrow and I won't be going to my parent's for a few weeks, so I guess that I will likely have to wait until fall to purchase these great treats, but if you have a store near you that carries them, you still have time to pick some up and try them for yourself.

Have you tried Cuties? What did you think? Have you tried something else? Share it with us. Leave a comment or post on your blog and leave a link.