Everybody at the Good Bite office is lucky to be based in sunny Santa Monica, CA and even luckier to be across the street from the beach and literally a stones throw from one of LA's biggest farmers markets, the Wednesday Santa Monica Farmers Market. In celebration of this wonderful market offering even more wonderful seasonal veggies, fruit, nuts, farm-fresh eggs, milk, cheese, and tons more, we've added this weekly column sprouting every Wednesday morning. What's in Season This Week? offers a look at the goods local farmers are harvesting right now, in addition to recipe suggestions to get you cooking. To check out what was in season last week, head here. Want to suggest a seasonal ingredient to feature next week? Hit us in the comments.

Mandarins. What exactly is a mandarin? Kind of like an orange, though there are so many varieties it's hard to categorize this bright orange orb. Some mandarins are sweet while others are more sour, sometimes seedless, sometimes not. In terms of size, a mandarin can be small as an egg or as large as a grapefruit, and did you know that clementines are a type of mandarin too? Other varieties include dancy, satsuma, and tangerine, the most comment form found in the US. 

Shocking fact, mandarins were named after the city of Tangiers in Morocco! Who knew. Right now at the farmers market, tooooons of citrus is in season, especially members of the orange family that appear in baskets with varying shares of beautiful, glistening orange. Just today I scooped up huge (1/2 pound each) blood oranges, yum! Anyway, as always, below find inspiration for this versatile fruit.

Mu Shu Pork & Mandarin Pancakes [NS]

Mandarin Chicken and Broccoli [Guide Recipe]]

Mandarin Orange Salad [RecipeCurio]

Easy Mandarin Orange Coffee Cake [Secret Recipes]

Spicy Mandarin Orange Juice [Noob Cook]

Mandarin Sesame Chicken and Caesar Chicken Salad [Slow Cooker Recipes]

Mandarin Orange Cheesecake [Easy Chef Recipes]

Mandarin Sorbet [Pomiane]

Mandarin Orange Upside-Down Cake [VBB]

Mandarin Flan with Red Currant Glaze [CeltNet]

- What's In Season This Week? Kohlrabi