Maine’s oldest operating orchard, Sewall Orchard is nestled on the side of 1,065-foot Levenseller Mountain in Lincolnville, Maine. The barn and property overlook Camden Hills State Park, Norton Pond, Megunticook Lake, and the ocean beyond—you can see as far as Acadia in one direction and all the way to the foothills of western Maine in the other. Dense rows of neatly ordered apple trees (including Primas, Golden Delicious, Priscillas, and Jonagolds, among other heritage varieties) flank a quarter-mile drive, reminiscent of the stately cypresses that line narrow lanes to hilltop vineyards in Provence.
Robert (Bob) Sewall was born and raised in Waterville, Maine in the 50s-60s. His upbringing included countless hours in the outdoors hiking, skiing, canoeing and camping. At 16, he earned his certification as a Junior Maine Guide and began offering guided wilderness trips. Upon graduating from Colby College in 1973, he went to work for a landscaper and soon wound up in stonemasonry. In fact, Bob ran a stone masonry business, Sewall’s Seawalls, from 1975 to 2008 (and several of the young men he employed and mentored now have their own masonry businesses in Maine), but his primary interest has always been agriculture. Sewall’s dad was a doctor and expressed early alarm about the links between antibiotic use in livestock and antibiotic-resistant infections in humans. His concerns—along with the influence of reading Rachel Carson’s works and the back-to-the-land bible, Mother Earth News—got Sewall thinking about farming and chemicals.
In 1975, Bob bought a small woodlot in Lincolnville and he started organic gardening. He built a hut without running water, electricity, or a road, and in the wintertime, he skied in and out. In 1978, Sewall bought an adjacent hayfield and pasture from his friend and neighbor, Viljo Masalin, who was the son of Finnish immigrants. Masalin had inherited the land from his parents and treasured it: the field had been plowed, limed, and fertilized every seven years, but was otherwise pristine. “I didn’t have to worry about lead, arsenic, and all of that in conventional orchards,” Sewall says, which resonated with his idea that organics should be about the health of the whole biome. Masalin became his mentor and had a profound influence on Bob’s farming practices, teaching him about the land, cover crops, tractor work and the history of the area. For two years, Sewall prepared the soil organically with compost using the Rodale method. When he finally began planting in 1980, he chose standard-size trees from the Stark Brother Nursery in Missouri for their durability, even though dwarf varieties are more popular for ease of picking and trimming. He planted 550 trees to create what is now the oldest certified organic orchard in Maine still in operation. Bob was 30 years old at the time and wanted his trees to last him into retirement. “An orchard isn’t just something you can start from nothing and then make a living off of overnight,” he says. “It’s probably the most long-term investment of any form of farming there is.”
Bob served as president of Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners (MOFGA) from 1996-1998, during the time the organization found and purchased the land on which to build the permanent site it now occupies in Unity, Maine (and historically, Sewall Orchard provided much of the cider at MOFGA’s annual Common Ground Fair, but after about 30 years of participation, 2016 was their last year doing so). His philosophy is based on an elemental idea of organics: healthy soil produces healthy plants that create healthy people and the farm is a place that welcomes all living organisms. No substances that are toxic or that kill are used or have ever been used in the orchard. Pest control is achieved via biodynamic techniques, hand-removal of pests when possible, and the practice of good husbandry by pruning and mowing. On April 11, 2022, Sewall Orchard was designated a Forever Farm through Maine Farmland Trust. This means that long after Bob and his wife, Mia, are gone, the beautiful 57 acres of orchard will remain a farm and there will be no subdividing or development of any kind.
Year to year, the harvest varies — in 2012 he lost the whole crop when a warm March, followed by a cold snap, killed the buds. One way to counter unpredictability is to produce value-added products: on its own, organic growing adds value and making apples into cider adds more. In the processing barn at Sewall Orchard, a conveyor drops apples into a large grinder, pureeing them into a mash that’s basically applesauce, which then gets pumped onto cloth-lined wooden racks. The racks are stacked atop each other on a hydraulic press, and the press slowly squeezes out the juice. Five to six bushels produce 15 to 20 gallons, and Sewall does about 250 gallons a day, 150 of which go into fermentation barrels to become vinegar. Three years later, he has vinegar that’s matured to his liking. Good cider vinegar, he says, possesses healthful qualities. Sewall recommends it for killing toenail fungus and aiding digestion — plus it’s great in salad dressings and marinades. He has plans to start adding flower essences to his vinegars, another way of adding value and, Bob believes, more health benefits. “If you need to calm down, you could have daffodil in your vinegar,” he says. “Or if you needed vigor, there’d be dandelion.”
In fall of 2020, Sewall cider won “Most Maine Drink” of Waldo County in Down East Magazine and their apple cider vinegar was voted ‘Best of Maine” in the magazine in 2008—the only year they had a vinegar category. A few notable Maine restaurants which use (or have used) Bob’s three-year, cold-aged vinegar include Fore Street in Portland, Primo in Owl’s Head, and Nina June in Rockport. It is also sold in many stores and co-ops across Mid-coast and Downeast Maine. Sewall Apple Cider Vinegar is available by the Gallon in Aisle 2 or in the Bulk Department at the Blue Hill Co-op.
Visit sewallorchard.com for info about watching the cider press at work or for custom pressing requests. Due to the age of their precious trees, Sewall Orchard is no longer able to offer pick-your-own but visitors, hikers, picknickers, families, and small groups are welcome. Although they are dog lovers, dogs cannot be allowed into the orchard for sanitary reasons. Apple Season usually starts in late September-early October. November Apple season usually starts the last week of September and continues until about the first part of November, weather dependent.
Sewall Orchard
259 Masalin Road
Lincolnville, Maine, 04849
