At Good Harvest we have spent the best part of the last ten years building relationships with trusted local, organic farmers. We work on the ethos that it takes a community, to feed a community, and there are so many amazing farmers out there growing to their strengths including us :)
This season we are once again proud to support Neil & Tanya at Gayndah with their beautiful organic citrus. Whilst Neil is not certified organic he does grow organically without the use of horrible chemicals. We've been to visit him countless times and he is always super chatty about his trees and how he is keeping them strong and healthy.
This year Neil has taken over another orchard that has been left somewhat wild, and not been managed or sprayed for a few years. The efforts he will put into the area to regenerate it will certainly take many years. This season, whilst he has harvested fruit, it's more on the wild side when it comes to appearance.
You'll notice some spots on the skin, which are a non-toxic fungus that can damage the tree and fruit. Typically conventional growers avoid this or treat it using chemical sprays.
We're taking a more supportive approach. By helping Neil and taking the wild spotty oranges, we are supporting him in continuing to regenerate the orchard!
Yes these oranges are safe to eat or juice, the spots are skin deep only, and the fruit inside is sweet and juicy.
It's a good opportunity to teach the kids about natural fruit that may not look perfect but is actually fresher than some of what you find in the supermarket. It's also a whole lot less toxic as it's been grown without all the nasty stuff.
Feel free to get in touch if you've any questions about these wild wonderful oranges.
