The Family Farm - Isom’s Orchard in Athens celebrates five generations

By: Laura Anders Lee
Photos Courtesy of Isom’s Orchard

Stop into Isom’s Orchard this fall and you might just be greeted by one of E.K. Isom’s great-great-grandchildren. As they say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. The beloved family farm stand got its roots after World War II and has grown not only into a flourishing business, but an Alabama institution.

“Running a farm takes a lot of hard work, hard labor and lots of love,” says Marlene Isom, who now manages the business with her husband, Wes, the grandson of E.K. “We’re fortunate to have such a great crew, and all our kids help in some capacity. We keep everyone in the family pretty busy.”

The 360-acre farm employs eight full-time workers and up to 20 seasonal workers during peak harvest season. Isom’s is known for helping local entrepreneurs by selling their eggs or beef, and when local teenagers are looking for their first jobs, they know Marlene Isom has a soft spot. She was actually working her first summer job at Isom’s in 1978 when she met Wes. “Forty-four years later, here we are,” she says.

The couple has three grown children and seven grandchildren, ranging from three months to 13 years old. “We’re not giving them too much hard work now, but it’s coming,” she warns.

E.K. Isom planted his first peach tree in 1947. Each day he drove from his Athens property to Redstone Arsenal where he helped make rocket fuel. But according to his family, he longed for a simpler life. So in 1957, he quit his job and planted more peach trees, and a few years later, he planted apple trees. Then on April 3, 1974, one of the biggest tornadoes ever to hit Limestone County demolished the farm. In the aftermath, E.K. decided to build back bigger and better, adding more trees than before as well as a variety of vegetables. Since then, except for the traffic on Highway 72, not much has changed.

“Wes likes to say that we’re old and unimproved, but that’s why we’re such a gem,” says Isom. “I’ve thought about renovating over the years, but our customers seem to like us just how we are.”

The nostalgia is definitely part of the charm. Over the decades, customers have flocked to Isom’s Orchard for the delicious produce, handmade goodies, friendly service and down-home atmosphere.

“We don’t have any gimmicks,” says Isom. “Just a laid-back place to come out, bring the family, pick some fruit and relax under the trees.”

Strawberry season begins in April, followed by peaches, tomatoes, blackberries, peas and sweet corn in the summer. This time of year is all about apples and pumpkins.

“People love coming out to select their own pumpkin or picking apples to go home and bake a pie,” says Isom.

Isom’s Orchard grows 20 varieties of apples, from popular names like Fuji, Enterprise, Granny Smith and Pink Lady to Dixie Red and Gold Rush you won’t find at the grocery store. The farm stand offers an array of other products, including apple jelly made by Isom’s sister and a signature frozen apple cider slushie.

“In the fall, everybody’s ready for cider, but in the South it’s just too hot,” says Isom. “So when we inherited the farm from Wes’ parents about 12 years ago, I came up with the idea for slushies.”

Customers have been sipping cider through a straw ever since. Marlene went from one slushie machine to 10 just to keep up with the demand from Labor Day through the Thanksgiving holidays.

To make the cider, Isom’s crushes all of their own apples and presses their own juice. Isom says the perfect complement to a slushie is one of her niece’s homemade molasses cookies.

“Up north they have cider doughnuts, but here we have molasses cookies,” she says. “When customers take a bite, we tell them that’s what fall tastes like.”

And that’s exactly why Marlene and Wes Isom are in the business — it’s not the harvest that’s the most rewarding, but sharing a piece of the farm with so many people.

“We’ve been part of so many family traditions over the years,” says Isom. “We love seeing our repeat customers and meeting new people season after season. This is why we do what we do.”