Mountain Mandarins: A Sweet Crop
WHEN ORGANIZERS IN NEWCASTLE — nestled in the foothills near Auburn — held their first Mountain Mandarin Festival 26 years ago, they never imagined that it would grow to a three-day event that now attracts up to 35,000 people from throughout the West. Visitors to the Mountain Mandarin Festival — held on the weekend of […]
Sweet Treat: 25th Mountain Mandarin Festival is November 16-18
MANDARINS HAVE BEEN GROWN IN THE FOOTHILLS surrounding Newcastle since the late 1800s. The first commercial Mandarin endeavors were started in the 1950s by Frank Aguilar, Ed Pilz and Harold Struble, and there are now over 80 growers in Placer County. When organizers in the bucolic foothills town of Newcastle held their first Mountain Mandarin […]
Raise a Glass: Foothills Brewfest on May 5, and Truckee Brew Fest on June 9
MUNICH OKTOBERFEST BEGAN with the celebration of a royal wedding in October 1810, and since then beer festivals have become popular worldwide. Examples include the Great American Beer Fest, the Keyaki Hiroba Spring Beer Festival, Mondial de la bière, and the Great British Beer Festival. Our region — with its burgeoning craft beer scene — […]
The Sweetest Season: Mountain Mandarins
As fall arrives, Placer County’s hills are aglow with ripening Mountain Mandarins. More than 40 Mandarin growers are nestled in the hills around Penryn, Newcastle, Loomis, Lincoln and Auburn. They have been providing tree-ripened, hand-picked Mandarins since the 1880s. “Mandarins are the signature fruit of the foothills,” observes Cindy Fake of the UC Cooperative Extension […]
Video: Auburn’s Festival of Lights is December 7
The Festival of Lights Parade in Downtown Auburn is Saturday night. The parade begins at 5:30 p.m. at Cherry Avenue and Lincoln Way, travels down to the clock tower and hangs a left onto High Street. The parade ends at the Gold Country Fairgrounds, by entering at the High Street entrance through to the upper […]
20th annual Mountain Mandarin Festival is November 22-24
The 20th annual Mountain Mandarin Festival is November 22-24 at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn:
“New Gold Rush”: How chefs, farmers, winemakers & artists are resettling the Sierra Foothills
A new generation of chefs, farmers, winemakers and artists are resettling the region. They are adding new energy and sophisticated offerings for today’s travelers while honoring the region’s rich history. The foothills’ relaxed lifestyle, Mediterranean-like climate and stunning beauty is prompting them to open wineries; restaurants with fresh, local cuisine; and local art galleries. This […]
Fresh Mandarin season is underway
NOW IS THE TIME TO SAVOR HEARTY SOUPS AND STEWS along with the bright taste of citrus, which will carry us through the winter. The Mandarin groves of Penryn, Newcastle and Loomis are greening up, soon to be covered with Owari Satsuma Mandarins, our sweet winter treat. The success of the Mandarin is a 21st-century […]
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