Research & Preservation

Our Long-Term Mission

Fresh cider is only one part of what we’re building.

Vermont 242 Cider is working to become a regional center for the discovery, documentation, and responsible use of northern Vermont’s forgotten apple trees. By combining traditional cider-making with historical research, conservation, and community involvement, we hope to ensure these remarkable trees—and the stories they carry—continue to benefit future generations.

Our work includes:

  • Discovering feral, forgotten, heirloom, and historic apple trees throughout the Route 242 region.
  • Recording the stories, memories, and traditions connected to those trees.
  • Documenting locations, photographs, bloom times, fruit characteristics, estimated ages, and local history whenever possible.
  • Evaluating apples for flavor, tannin, acidity, sugar, and cider quality.
  • Pressing exceptional fruit using traditional cider-making methods.
  • Working with landowners, historians, orchardists, researchers, and conservation organizations to better understand our region’s apple heritage.
  • Helping preserve remarkable trees through documentation, stewardship, and practical care whenever possible.
  • Collecting scion wood from historically or agriculturally significant trees to support grafting, education, and long-term conservation.
  • Building a publicly accessible archive celebrating the diversity and history of northern Vermont’s apples.
We believe the Route 242 corridor holds an extraordinary collection of living apple history. Every donated apple, every old tree, every family story, and every forgotten orchard helps us better understand—and preserve—the agricultural heritage of northern Vermont.