Seacoast Eat Local

Merrimack County UNH Cooperative Extension has a very noteworthy workshop coming up. Basics of Rainwater Catchment, will be held on Friday, June 25, 2010, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the UNH Cooperative Extension Merrimack County Office, 315 Daniel Webster Highway, Boscawen.

Dot Perkins, UNH Cooperative Extension Merrimack County, will present an overview about catching rainwater. The why, uses, safety, sources of contamination, components to create a safe system, first flush diverters, overflow, and estimating water needs and goals will be discussed. Whether your interest is in catchment for garden use or for livestock, this presentation will help you make sound decisions.

The class is free and open to the public. For more information or to register call Mary West at 603.796.2151.You can also visit the UNH Cooperative Extension calendar to see all upcoming events at http://extension.unh.edu/events/index.cfm?e=app.home&calendar_id=981.

Michael Pollan has a new article available online at The New York Review of Books. Given the context and the list of 5 books it opens with, “The Food Movement, Rising” appears to be a book review of recent and some not-so-recent books about the movement’s different facets. Don’t let that fool you. Read on to find a lucid summation of the varying factions that make up the food movement as it exists today, and a heartening description of the tipping point we may be finding ourselves at.

The New Hampshire Farm Museum in Milton has some great events coming up.

On May Saturday, May 29, it’s Spring Farm Day. Activities for the day include sheep shearing, garden activities, farm animal tours, spinning and weaving demonstrations, and dancing around the Maypole. You will also get to meet the piglets from the Merrimack County 4-H swine club.

Saturday, June 19 is New Hampshire Dairy Day. This event will be from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and participants will get to meet a cow and a dairy goat, churn cream to make butter, learn to make a fresh soft cheese in the Farm Kitchen, take a farmhouse tour, and try the Dairy Day barn hunt.  You will also be able to hop on a tractor hayride. AND, if you’re there between 12:00 and 3:00 there will be free New Hampshire ice cream!

To learn more about the New Hampshire Farm Museum, to see more of their upcoming events, and to get directions visit their website http://www.farmmuseum.org/.