NANTUCKET MA: The Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) will present “Shepherding on Nantucket” featuring Nicole DuPont, at the Food for Thought series, on Thursday, April 14, in the Whaling Museum, 13 Broad Street, at noon. Free admission; bring your lunch.
DuPont, who spent four summers running the Conservation Foundation’s sheep program, cares for a small flock of dairy sheep and has been milking and making yogurt, cheese, and butter; she also raises lambs for slaughter with the hope of bringing local meats back to the island. She will discuss the history of sheep on the island, past and present.
“There are about a half-dozen shepherds on the island, most of whom are hobby farmers who keep the sheep for wool, meat, or yard grazing; the Nantucket Conservation Foundation is the largest sheep owner to date,” said DuPont. “With fewer than two hundred sheep on the entire island, most of the wool processing is done off-island in Canada or Vermont. Several local artisans weave, spin, and knit with the cleaned wool once it is returned.”
The Thursday, April 21, Food for Thought will feature Mary Emory Lacoursiere and Elizabeth Braun, who will discuss “The NHA’s 1800 House.”
The Thursday talks are free to the public and are given by notable Nantucket residents, on a range of topics. The programs are supported by a grant from the M. S. Worthington Foundation.
Each talk begins at noon; bring your brown-bag lunch to the Whaling Museum. For additional information about the 2011 Food for Thought series, please call 508-228-1894, ext. 0, or visit the calendar.
