Darjeeling, West Bengal

Mirik Oranges and Orchard Fruits

Mirik, a tehsil town in Darjeeling district at around 1,767 m, is famed for its citrus orchards that cloak the hillsides with ripe fruit from November to February, and orange cultivation is what gives the town its distinct identity among the Darjeeling hill towns. Visitors and locals alike buy freshly picked oranges straight from orchard premises on the Mirik road, and the orchards also carry other seasonal fruits of the hill orchards. The same farm premises stock local citrus jams and marmalades made from fruit grown there. A buyer gets sweet, pulpy winter oranges and other hill orchard fruit at farm-gate prices.

Typical price: ₹40-150

Buying tip: Go in winter (roughly November-February) when the orchards are heavy with ripe fruit, and buy from the farm premises along the Mirik road for the freshest, cheapest produce. Weigh or count your oranges at the orchard - prices per kg are well below town-market rates.