By KATH GANNAWAY
IT WOULD be sort of quaint to say that everything’s ‘just peachy’ at Rayners Orchard in Woori Yallock… but that would be seriously underselling what this innovative business of the valley’s agricultural and tourism landscape has to offer.
Orchardist Len Rayner found his inner-entrepreneur a few years back when he saw that the future for smaller-scale orchardists was in offering a range of diverse experiences that re-connect people, local and visitors, to where their food comes from, and the many delights it has to offer.
Rayners grows and sells more than 350 varieties of fruit, year round, makes delicious products with fresh fruit from the trees, runs tractor tasting tours and the tastalicious Peach Cafe, and has just launched daily fruit bottling workshops.
Autumn is a great time to be a little adventurous when it comes to fruit with some of the more unusual fruits in season, and the bonus of some stunning autumn colour in the groves.
For those who have never tried a Pepino, Len describes it as starting off with a cucumber/rockmelon flavour developing with the rockmelon flavours developing as it ripens. Yum!
Yellow-strawberry and Chilean guavas, Dutch medlar, tamarillo, Cape cooseberries and lilly pilly are a few more autumn fruits and, of course, there are the more traditional fruits including the vastly under-rated old-time favourite, rhubarb – which might be a vegetable!
Len and his staff are pretty excited about the preserving workshops and he says that while they’re aimed at young families they are great fun for anyone who would like to learn to bottle fruit the way grandma used to do it.
“There is tremendous satisfaction in being able to put food on the table that you’ve made yourself,” Len said.
“You put in a bit of effort for a product that is visually appealing and tastes superb.”
The workshops, at 9.30am to 1pm each day, will use whatever fruits are in season with Len and his team more than happy, eager in fact, to inspire some interesting combinations of fruits and juices that result in something completely different to anything on supermarket shelves.
Would-be bottlers can ask Len about including a workshop on their itinerary when they are planning a winery tour, or as part of a hen’s party in the valley!
To discover even more about what’s on offer at Rayner Orchard, visit www.raynerstonefruit.com.au, phone on 5964 7654 or call in any day at 60 Schoolhouse Road, Woori Yallock.
