Hands on History

Sherbrooke Village is a must-see when travelling in Nova Scotia!
I used an old wooden paddle-churn to churn the butter. It was a lot of fun, but soon my arm muscles felt exhausted. Not used to hard labour...

The picturesque Sherbrooke Village offers many hands-on-history programs. Located just minutes from Nova Scotia’s Marine Drive, it was once the center of ship building, lumbering and gold mining on Nova Scotia's Eastern shore. Today it showcases life in the area between the late 1800s till early 1900s and with its costumed interpreters brings history to life.

25 of the original 80 buildings are open to the public and showcase a blacksmith shop, tailor atelier, country store, printer, tea room, church, court house and a post office among others.

Just outside the gates I indulged in cappuccino and cakes in the area’s best coffee shop, the “Village Coffee Grind” before I headed to the romantic setting of the town’s nearby historic Saw Mill.

Being at the Sherbrooke Village for only half a day was not enough, I will be back for sure this year, maybe to one of the wonderful programs offered in 2011, such as
- Victorian Quilting
- Music and Fiddle Camp
- Watercolor Camp
- Songwriter Camp
And my favoured: Photography Workshop & Camp, either as a two day workshop July 23-24, 2011 or (a mini vacation) a four day workshop, October 3 to 6, 2011.

Lobster Season in Nova Scotia

It doesn’t get any healthier...

Centuries ago Natives caught lobster and spread them to fertilize their fields or used them as bait on their hooks for fishing. Once considered “food for the poor” in colonial times, they were fed to children, prisoners, slaves and to servants, who exchanged their passage to North America for seven years of service to their sponsors in the New World.

With only 90 calories, Lobsters are the perfect food to keep in shape. Compare it with only one chocolate cookie that has 160 calories!
Lobsters are high in potassium, magnesium, Vitamin A, B12, B6, B3, B2, calcium, phosphorous, iron, zinc and amino acids. When compared to turkey and chicken, they are low in cholesterol and saturated fats. This delicious seafood also helps to reduce the risks of heart disease and stroke.
Lobster belongs naturally to the "Slow Food" movement, as one has to open the shells piece for piece and cannot wolf it down like a hamburger.
Low in calories, healthy and fresh - Lobster is all you can ask for in food.

Critical to the lively hood of rural Nova Scotia

The lobster industry supports many other sectors, such as boat builders, trap builders, marine supplies, engine repair, shipping, bait, marketing, legal, insurance and fuel, just to name a few.
In 2004 the fall lobster fishery on the South Shore hit rock bottom. To increase their stocks, Fishermen adopted a controversial plan, agreeing to release all female lobsters above a certain size. A really hard decision, to throw money back into the water...
Seven years later, as a sure sign of renewal, catches have nearly doubled. Fishermen in other parts of the province aren't prepared to give up any of their catch. But South Shore fishermen will continue the conservation measure in their area another year.
The industry is hopeful to gain better prices for Nova Scotia lobster in the future, which is a premium-quality, really healthy 100-mile-food.
Heavy, 90-pound lobster traps are hauled into the boats, each one filled with Green Crab or Red Fish bait. Watching these fisherman doing their sweaty, hard work around these expensive boats (and licenses) one is wondering why lobsters can be sold so cheap in this part of the world. In most parts of Europe lobsters (called Hummer there) cash for around $ 40 - $ 50 per piece in restaurants, very expensive compared to Nova Scotia.


Everything anyone would like to know about lobster, including recipes can be found here:
http://www.lobstertailscooking.com
http://www.novascotia.com/en/home/discovernovascotia/foodandwine/lobster/default.aspx