The old orange trees that form the basis of The Citrus Grove here at The Drip are unique. Planted in the 1880s and still fruiting they are sour oranges, ideal for marmalade and of unknown provenance. But they are showing signs of age and we worry that soon they may be no more.
We decided to get organized and invited one of our local food people, Aaron Cole, of the Market Street Cafe in Mudgee town, to do a taste test and see if he feels they are worth preserving into the 21st century. If so, we will graft new trees onto appropriate rootstock. In order to figure which varieties are best we have individually identified samples of fruit from the five surviving trees as shown in the photo below.
The positions of these trees in the grove will now be mapped and placed on the relevant page of our website which is rapidly becoming a very useful database listing everything of significance in our gardens here. To see more on The Citrus Grove click here
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