LINCOLNVILLE — Lincolnville Community Library presents a special talk, Wednesday, Aug. 7, at 7 p.m., about the many uses of vinegar from cooking to using it for multiple medicinal benefits. 

Bob Sewall is a long-time organic apple grower and former President of Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners. After preparing his fields organically for two years using the Rodale method, he planted 550 trees to create what is now the oldest certified organic orchard in Maine still in operation.

Besides farming, consulting and mentoring young farmers, he speaks to groups around the state about his organic apple cider vinegar, which was voted ‘Best of Maine” (Down East Magazine) in 2008, the only year they had a vinegar category.

A few of the notable Maine restaurants which use Sewall’s minimum three-year-old, 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 from Portland to Southwest Harbor, used by many Maine producers of Fire Ciders and hot sauces, and is the “spine” of the delicious shrubs created by Urban Pharm. (Cambridge, MA.)

In the cookbook Vinegar Revival (Harry Rosenblum, 2017), Sewall is mentioned in the acknowledgments. He has been written about in the Boston Globe, Bangor Daily News, Camden Herald and was featured in the October, 2017 Down East Magazine. He has also been written about in Michael Phillips’ book The Apple Grower.

At this presentation, Sewall and his wife, Mia Mantello, will explain how vinegar is made and speak about the many uses for vinegar from cooking to using for its multiple medicinal benefits, to making hot sauces, fire ciders and shrubs. There will be aged vinegar to sample and vinegar for sale.

This talk is free and open to the public.