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Outstanding Orchard

Dummerston, Vermont - September 11, 2009

"I'm looking forward to a great year," orchard manager Ezekiel Goodband said.

Ezekiel Goodband has an old-fashioned name, and an old-fashioned look to match. He's just about the perfect fit for his job-- caring for old-fashioned apple varieties.

"It's sweet, it stores well," he said of the Roxbury Russett; the first American apple, dating back to the 1630s. Its suede-like skin and juice that reminds some of guava make it a popular seller at the Scott Farm in Dummerston.

Reporter Jack Thurston: I've never seen an apple that looks like that before.

Goodband: Sure, sure.

Thurston: Do you get that a lot?

Goodband: Yes... We make converts all the time!

The farm has been running since 1791 when Vermont was a new state and George Washington was president. In its heyday, the property sent fresh dairy products daily by train to New York City restaurants. But when the nonprofit Landmark Trust USA took over in 1995, the Scott Farm was in a definite decline.

"Probably the most recent paint job was two generations ago," said David Tansey of the Scott Farm.

Through selling more than 70 kinds of apples at co-ops and specialty food stores across Vermont and New England, many of them rare heirloom varieties, Landmark Trust has been able to start resurrecting the farm and neighboring properties, including a home called Naulakha. Author Rudyard Kipling designed it and lived here. It's where he wrote his famous "Jungle Books" and "Captains Courageous." People can now rent it out.

"We're doing this through hard work and frugality, and selling what we believe is a good product," Tansey said.

The next goal for the Scott Farm is building a grist mill and cider mill so it can sell more traditional Made in Vermont foods to promote its education mission. School groups regularly visit. So do people looking to learn skills like stone wall building or pie-baking... making for a busy fall for Zeke Goodband.

"The flavor of the early apples seems to be very good," he said.

A taste of the season that supports year-round history lessons.

Jack Thurston - WCAX News