Blue Goose Produce sits inside the historic Blue Goose fruit packing shed in Loomis, and its mandarins come from five miles up the hill. The store's own orchard, Westview Growers, is in Newcastle, and its main crop is sweet, seedless, mountain-grown mandarins. The shed is at 3550 Taylor Road, so the Placer mandarin harvest is sold in the middle of town.
Most mandarin-season coverage starts in Penryn and Newcastle, where the orchards are. In Loomis the season comes in two ways. One is a packing shed and a citrus farm inside town. The other is a set of town and chamber events that fill the same weeks, and many of them are held at that same citrus farm.
The Fruit Comes Down Taylor Road
Blue Goose Produce is open all year, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Because the store never closes for the season, you won't be checking a farm's social page to find out whether the shed has opened. You'll be checking whether the Newcastle fruit has arrived.
The Westview orchard grows more than mandarins. Blue Goose says the farm also grows citrus nursery trees and makes hoshigaki, dried persimmons, from its hachiya persimmons. PlacerGROWN's profile of Westview Growers calls its fruit Satsuma mandarins and lists two places to buy it: on-farm sales and Blue Goose Produce in Loomis.
The Mountain Mandarin Growers Association lists Blue Goose as stop #8 on its grower map. Its entry says the store sells mandarin products along with seasonal produce. Year-round eggs, honey, jams, organic bread, cheese and grass-fed beef are on the shelves too, so a mandarin stop there can also cover the week's groceries.
Two More Loomis Addresses on the Grower Map
Blue Goose is not the only spot inside Loomis. The association's map lists The Flower Farm, stop #31, at 9280 Horseshoe Bar Road, and says mandarins were sold in its cafe. PlacerGROWN describes The Flower Farm as having six acres of citrus, with seasonal citrus sold at the cafe and gift shop.
PlacerGROWN also lists Tudsbury Orchards at 8815 Tudsbury Road in Loomis. Its Tudsbury Orchards profile describes more than 200 mandarin trees on the family's orchards, with fruit offered every year, but it doesn't post hours.
The association's printable map is the 2025 edition. Treat its hours as last season's until each farm confirms its 2026 schedule. Here is how the nearest options compare:
| Stop | Address | Hours to plan around |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Goose Produce | 3550 Taylor Road, Loomis | Year-round, Mon–Sat 10–6, Sun 10–4 |
| The Flower Farm | 9280 Horseshoe Bar Road, Loomis | Seasonal citrus at the cafe; call or check 2026 hours |
| Tudsbury Orchards | 8815 Tudsbury Road, Loomis | No hours posted |
| Mandarin Hill Orchards | 2334 Mandarin Hill Lane, Penryn | Daily 8–5, Sundays 8–4, once the shed opens |
| Colwell Thundering Herd Ranch | 2500 Penryn Road, Penryn | Last season's Nov–Dec listing: Tue–Sat 9–4:30, Sun 10–4 |
Blue Goose is the only stop with set hours you can count on before the Penryn growers announce opening day. The Flower Farm also turns up again and again on the town's holiday calendar.
Penryn Opens When the Fruit Says So
If you want to buy at the orchard, the drive is short. Mandarin Hill Orchards is two miles from I-80 at the Penryn exit. To get there, follow Taylor Road to the four-way flashing light, turn onto English Colony Way, then turn onto Rippey Road just before the post office and take Mandarin Hill Lane. On Oct. 13 the orchard posted that its packing shed would open soon and told visitors to check back in early November. During the season the shed is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and until 4 p.m. on Sundays.
Mandarin Hill doesn't offer pick-your-own and doesn't allow picking from the trees. The visit is a packing-shed purchase, not an orchard outing. Tom Aguilar, the farm's second-generation grower, notes on the page that a few days of cold weather help the fruit color up. That explains why opening day depends on the weather and doesn't come with a fixed date.
The same page advertises Mountain Mandarin Orchard Days in December, with mandarin sampling, wine tasting at Happy Dayz Vineyard on the property, homemade tamales and local craft vendors. The notice doesn't give a year, and it names both the first weekend of December and the first and third weekends. Confirm the 2026 dates with the orchard before you plan a weekend around them.
The Flower Farm Hosts Much of the Loomis Holiday Calendar
The Flower Farm sells citrus, and it also hosts most of the Loomis Basin Chamber of Commerce holiday events. The chamber's calendar lists its dates without a year, but the weekdays match 2026. Those events, plus two the Town of Loomis lists for 2026, fall on the weeks when the citrus is in:
- Fri., Nov. 13, 5:30 p.m.: Farm To Fork Friendsgiving Dinner at Houghtby Barn, $75
- Sun., Nov. 15, 6 p.m.: Girls' Night Out: Friendsgiving at The Flower Farm
- Wed., Nov. 25, 9 to 10 a.m.: Day Before Thanksgiving Day Parade
- Fri., Nov. 27, 9:30 a.m.: Breakfast with Santa at The Flower Farm
- Sat., Nov. 28, 10 a.m.: Small Business Saturday at The Flower Farm, free
- Sat., Dec. 5, 5:30 to 7 p.m.: Loomis Family Christmas Tree Lighting
- Sun., Dec. 6, 10 a.m.: Holiday Faire at The Flower Farm, free
Four of the seven are at The Flower Farm. If that cafe has mandarins this season, as it did on last year's grower map, then Breakfast with Santa, Small Business Saturday and the Holiday Faire each put you at a mandarin counter with no extra trip.
The parade and the tree lighting take care of the Blue Goose half. Both are town events in Loomis, and the Blue Goose shed is on Taylor Road. A Saturday stop before the Dec. 5 tree lighting fits easily into the late afternoon, since the store closes at 6 p.m. and the lighting starts at 5:30.
High-Hand's brewery calendar also falls in this window, with Bad Boyfriend Band on Friday, Nov. 6, and 8 Track Massacre on Saturday, Dec. 5. That puts a second evening option on tree-lighting night.
The Festival Is in Roseville, for the Second Year Running
The Mountain Mandarin Festival runs Nov. 20 through 22, 2026, at The Grounds in Roseville. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, rain or shine. The festival says it draws 30,000 to 35,000 visitors over three days.
The venue isn't new this year. Placer County's November 2025 newsletter already put the previous festival at The Grounds in Roseville. ABC10 reported that the festival's executive director attributed the move to a 70% rent increase at the Auburn fairgrounds.
Prices for 2026:
| Ticket | Single day | Weekend pass |
|---|---|---|
| General | $14 | $29 |
| Senior, 60+ | $10 | $21 |
| Junior, 11–17 | $8 | $17 |
| Kids under 10 | Free | |
| Friday special | $8 |
Parking costs $12 per day if bought online in advance, or $15 per vehicle at the gate. Mobility scooters can be reserved ahead of time through Folsom Mobility Scooter, booked and paid directly with that company. Friday has the lowest prices of the weekend, with the $8 special for everyone.
The festival weekend is the week before Thanksgiving. Back in Loomis, the parade is the following Wednesday morning and Breakfast with Santa is that Friday.
A Mandarin Week, Planned From Town
One way to fit it all into the second half of November:
- Any afternoon: Call or stop at Blue Goose Produce on Taylor Road to ask whether this season's Westview mandarins and hoshigaki are in yet.
- Once Mandarin Hill posts its opening: Take Taylor Road to English Colony Way for a packing-shed run, any day between 8 and 5.
- Fri., Nov. 20: Go to the festival in Roseville on the $8 Friday special, with parking bought in advance for $12.
- Wed., Nov. 25: Catch the Day Before Thanksgiving Day Parade from 9 to 10 a.m.
- Sat., Nov. 28: Small Business Saturday at The Flower Farm starts at 10 a.m. Check the cafe for this season's citrus while you're there.
The Penryn sheds are the only stops on that list that depend on the weather. Blue Goose's hours are already posted, and the town and chamber dates are set.
If this season has you thinking about which part of Loomis suits the next chapter, whether that's closer to Taylor Road or out on more acreage, Shawn Claycomb lives and works in Placer County and is glad to talk it through. When you're ready, request a complimentary home valuation, and we'll start with what your current home is worth.
