In California's commercial citrus industry, navel oranges dominate the market, with nearly 135,000 acres in groves across the state in 2010, mostly in the Central Valley.
But a tinier — and some might say cuter — citrus fruit is on the verge of knocking lemons and Valencia oranges off their respective perches as the state's No. 2 and 3 citrus crops.
That rising fruit are mandarins. Growers are quick to say they're not oranges, and while they're generally small and have easy-to-peel skins, like tangerines, mandarins are their own category of citrus.
"They are, by far, the fastest growing citrus commodity in the last 50 years, or so. They have really taken off," Al Bates said of mandarins.
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