Shanthini Naidoo travels to Hunter’s Rest to find out how the Rex Union orange got its name
THERE is something enigmatic about George Wellington Rex. The English settler, who died in 1839, possibly founded Knysna, was a friend to former president Paul Kruger, had his “royal lineage” recently disproved and was an honorary physician in his spare time.
But few know that he is also the father of a little-known but treasured type of orange that makes marvellous marmalade. In her book from the 1960s, George Rex of
Knysna: The Authentic Story, author Sanni Metelerkamp quotes a secretary of the Rustenburg Packhouse saying: “It is perfectly correct that Mr George Rex of Hunter’s Rest, Rustenburg, evolved a new Grape fruit [sic] named Rex Union but the method of production remains a secret.
“The fruit on the original trees was very fine, being orange instead of lemon coloured, and it had a navel mark. I have often eaten and enjoyed the fruit. However, young trees propagated from this original strain have not borne fruit true to type.”
Today, the orange grows on a smattering of trees on Dunedin farm, which was sold out of the Rex family decades ago, opposite the Hunter’s Rest Hotel in Rustenburg. Farm manager Dion Lottering said he believed the 250 trees on the farm were the only Rex Union trees in existence. But these are new trees, about 17 years old, and the fruit does “evolve” as it is a hybrid, possibly of a navel orange and a grapefruit.
It smells like grapefruit, but the lightly coloured flesh resembles an orange. It is juicy but excessively bitter with a thick pith that assists in jellification of the marmalade.
Every year, 500 special bags of the Rex Union oranges are distributed around the country. It has made its way overseas, even appearing at a marmalade festival in England.
“We don’t advertise but the people who know about it come to the farm to buy the Rex Unions. A previous owner would pack bags of oranges into his bakkie and drive from Joburg to Durban, then Cape Town, dropping off oranges. That is not viable for us but we distribute to a grocer in Johannesburg and a few people who own B&Bs in Clarens. I also donate some to an old-age home in Magaliesburg. One man tells me his wife wins a show in Bloemfontein with the Rex Union jam. And we courier to people in Durban and the Cape, mostly for them to make the marmalade for themselves, not for sale,” said Lottering.
He said it was a regular tree — “it takes the same water and fertiliser as the others” on the farm. Depending on the weather, harvesting season starts in May.
“It is not attractive to insects and doesn’t need too much attention,” he said.
Creating new trees, however, is a difficult science. Citrus trees live for about 25 years and new trees can be created from cuttings of an old one. But because the “secret” of the hybrid is not known, the genetics of the fruit change slightly every year.
If you happen to pass by the Hunter’s Rest area, find the marmalade made by Lottering’s wife at the Dunedin farm stall called Hannetjie se Stalletjie. Or buy a bag of oranges for about R20 which comes with a recipe: “First Day — Shred the whole orange including rind and pith. To 1 cup of cut orange, add 2 cups water. Soak overnight. Second Day — Boil till the skin is tender. Add one cup sugar to one cup pulp. Cook quickly til it jells [sic]. Third Day — Enjoy.”