Orange Grove Trip 17 Jan 2024

On Wednesday 17 January 53 members visited Huerto Ribera https://www.huertoribera.com/ in Carcaixent, which is 40kms inland from Valencia.

The Huerto was founded in 1870 and the magnificent house built for the family is still in fabulous condition and occupied by them today.

We were welcomed with coffee, tea, cake and biscuits and then treated to a tour of the grounds including the gardens. We learnt a lot about the orange industry in the area that brought great wealth and employment for over 150 years but which is now in decline because of foreign imports.

We tasted a variety of unusual citrus fruits such as Limequats, Rough Lemons, Finger Limes and Buddha’s Fingers and Caviar Citrus. We also sampled the staple crop of Valencian Oranges and Mandarins.

We viewed the original well on the property which is now fully mechanised and still in use to aid production of the crops.

Finally, we visited the shop where we were able to sample jams and honey along with liquors made from oranges and even rice – all very tasty!

We rounded the trip off with lunch in Carcaixent where there were numerous restaurants, cafes, and bars to suit everyone’s taste. Several of us enjoyed the local rice dishes which, although cooked and served from paella pans, were not called paella, but just as good all the same.

Thanks to Eileen and Ian Brown for an interesting and enjoyable day out.