Weekends with Yankee

NARRATOR: This week on Weekends With Yankee, Amy is in Maine at chef Melissa Kelly's farm-to-table restaurant, Primo, to visit their gardens and cook a meal together.

(sizzling) TRAVERSO: That's like the essence of good flavor right there.

NARRATOR: Richard visits Solheimar, an Icelandic horse farm, to meet the owner and for a trail ride through Vermont's rolling hills.

It's kind of like having your best friend hiking, to ride these horses.

NARRATOR: Richard visits the tap room and beer garden at Lawson's Finest Liquids, for a taste of their award-winning beers.

We've had so many people tell us that in lieu of a champagne toast at their wedding, they had a Sip of Sunshine toast at their wedding.

NARRATOR: And in New Hampshire, we visit Red Kite Candy to learn about their handcrafted sweets.

I just wanted people to eat my caramels.

NARRATOR: So come along with us for a once-in-a-lifetime journey through New England as you've never experienced it before, a true insider's guide from the editors of Yankee magazine.

Join explorer and adventurer Richard Wiese and Yankee senior food editor Amy Traverso for behind-the-scenes access to the unique attractions that define this region.

It's the ultimate travel guide from the people who know it best.

Weekends With Yankee.

Major funding provided by... Massachusetts is home to a lot of firsts-- the first public park in America; the first fried clams; the first university in America; the first basketball game.

What's first for you?

Grady-White, crafting offshore sport fishing boats for over 60 years.

The Barn Yard, builders of timber-frame barns and garages.

And by American Cruise Lines, exploring the historic shores of New England.

TRAVERSO: Welcome to the Garden of Eden-- actually the gardens of Primo, Maine's iconic farm-to-table restaurant.

For 23 years, chef Melissa Kelly and her team have been giving visitors and locals an incredible experience of delicious food and a deep connection to the land and the sea.

NARRATOR: Melissa Kelly has received some of the highest accolades in her field.

As a two-time James Beard Award-winning chef, her passion is Primo, a restaurant in Rockland, Maine, where almost everything is produced on-site.

We usually raise 12 pigs.

Over the course of a season we raise about 800 broiler chickens for meat.

We have 300 laying hens for eggs.

We have three beehives and we have five acres of farmland, two greenhouses, an old apple orchard.

It's a beast, so it takes a lot.

TRAVERSO: Can you tell me about your origins as a cook and how the name of this restaurant tie into that?

Well, I grew up in a family that, um, really embraced the dining room table, or the kitchen table rather.

My great-grandmother, Ada Mignani, was from Bologna.

She made the handmade pasta, all the sauces.

So, food and family was one.

And my grandfather, Primo Mignani, was a butcher and he would bring home all these crazy cuts of meat all the time.

And it just intrigued me about using a whole animal, about cooking from scratch and what food really, really means.

TRAVERSO: How groundbreaking it was to have a farm-to-table restaurant that was truly a farm to table restaurant.

Not like, "We buy from farms," but "We are a farm."

I have to find really passionate people... TRAVERSO: Right.

... and people who are like-minded and who buy into what we're doing.

NARRATOR: Dylan Rich manages the Primo farm.

It's demanding work to bring seasonal ingredients full circle.

> TRAVERSO: What percentage of the produce that you're serving, and the meat for that matter, at Primo, is actually coming from this farm?

That definitely changes depending on the time of year.

TRAVERSO: Right.

Right now, uh, 80% of our menu is stuff we grow on the property.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

Arugula, Red Russian Kale, tatsoi, mizuna, mustard.

Every week we transplant 300 heads of lettuce, beets, leeks, scallions.

TRAVERSO: Oh, my gosh.

We are constantly planting and then it's immediately seeded again, transplanted again, so that there's always fresh things going into the ground, as well as coming out.

TRAVERSO: Coming out.

NARRATOR: Dylan puts Amy to work in the organic garden.

TRAVERSO: It's feeling very meaningful to me that I'm harvesting food that people are going to eat tonight and really enjoy.

This is some of the most healthy stuff you can grow.

TRAVERSO: Right.

We never spray anything.

It's all organically raised.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

It's picked every single morning.

Being able to do this every day for people is pretty awesome.

Usually I stand right next to the salad station so I can see exactly what they're doing with our greens.

TRAVERSO: Uh-huh.

NARRATOR: But fresh vegetables are only the start.

Our 12 pigs mostly go into our charcuterie program.

TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm.

So, anything you get cured-meat-wise comes from this property, and never leaves.

TRAVERSO: You want an apple?

No, no, no takers?

(chuckles) Apples.

NARRATOR: Chef Melissa and Dylan practice sustainable agriculture where nothing is wasted.

We never throw any food scraps away.

It either goes to our chickens or to our pigs or the compost pile, and then later, back into the soil.

NARRATOR: The laying hens provide fresh eggs daily.

TRAVERSO: Hi guys.

(quiet clucking) Hello.

All right, let's see what we got.

Oh, pretty.

These are nice.

Oh, they're warm.

Mm-hmm.

(excited clucking) Oh, they're so beautiful.

And those eggs, the colors.

Yeah, a nice variety.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

NARRATOR: Next, Amy suits up to visit Primo's beehives.

Joe has been the beekeeper here for over ten years.

The trick with beekeeping is to really find your Zen... TRAVERSO: Yeah.

... and it's really calmness.

The bees can sense nervousness... if you're having a bad day.

I mean, they sense that.

And there's some times that I come out here and just open them up and go back home because... TRAVERSO: That's interesting.

...I'm just not in the space.

TRAVERSO: Because you know that you're not in the right frame of mind?

They really can identify that, yeah.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

These are looking nice and they're busy.

Amy, do you want to, do you want to touch a hive?

TRAVERSO: Yeah, I'd love to.

Touch a frame there.

TRAVERSO: And they're happy.

I mean, they're busy.

They don't seem too upset that I'm... They... yep.

Typically that's true for most of the honeybee species.

TRAVERSO: Right.

They only are sensitive if they feel like you are going to harm their colony.

TRAVERSO: Well, warm in there.

(chuckles) It's definitely warm.

TRAVERSO: Well, let's taste the fruits of the bees' labor and your labor.

Well, here you go.

And here we have some of the wax right out of the comb.

TRAVERSO: Right.

When, in the restaurant, of course extract all of that off.

TRAVERSO: Right.

But... yeah, it is such... a wonderful thing.

TRAVERSO: Mmm.

Oh, it's really complex.

It's like fruit.

At first I've tasted, like, fruity.

Yeah.

TRAVERSO: But there's also this, like, almost nutty flavor underneath it.

It's so good.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's worth all the stings.

(both laugh) TRAVERSO: What do you love most about being the farm manager here?

(exhales) See, this is where you're going to make me cry.

TRAVERSO: Oh!

Chef has this, like, magnetic energy where she just surrounds herself with people who are really talented.

They care about all of the same things.

Feeding people, doing the right thing in terms of sustainability, regenerative agriculture, the way we raise our animals.

Everything's just done the right way, even if it's the hard way.

TRAVERSO: Mmm.

TRAVERSO: I love that.

Thank you.

It's so inspiring to, to see this much care and to know that that like much love goes into it, makes it even better.

NARRATOR: Melissa shows off her greenhouses and harvests the final ingredients.

TRAVERSO: Oh wow.

Look at this.

Yeah, this is the tomato jungle.

Um... > TRAVERSO: It's so pretty.

I've seen them growing up like this, and it's such a smart way to grow because you can use the whole plant.

Yeah.

And the greenhouse, we never use the, the top.

TRAVERSO: Right.

So, it really works.

And I love the smell of the tomato plants.

NARRATOR: Primo also plants as many as 40 varieties of peppers.

This is a nice Italian frying pepper... TRAVERSO: That's beautiful.

...which is sweet.

TRAVERSO: It's gorgeous.

I love those.

And then these, these have a little bit of spice to them.

TRAVERSO: They're so pretty.

Look at all the shades... I know, I love it.

TRAVERSO: Uh, gorgeous.

So, let's cook.

TRAVERSO: All right.

NARRATOR: Melissa's Italian roots are on display as she cooks up a peperonata from Abruzzo.

It's a classic recipe that makes the most of the fresh garden harvest.

So everything's really vibrant and ripening and all the beautiful colors and flavors and levels of heat and sweetness.

TRAVERSO: Perfect.

And this is something that's really very doable to make at home.

Absolutely.

And like I said, this is a mix of sweet and hot peppers, but we're going to... (sizzling) ...give them a nice sear.

A little bit of garlic we just harvested and dried in the barn.

TRAVERSO: Now do you want these to caramelize or kind of... Not really.

Not too, too much, So, we just want to soften them.

(sizzling) So, we'll break them apart.

I'm going to put a little bit more olive oil.

So they actually start to kind of fry.

(sizzling) TRAVERSO: Mmm, that looks so good.

That's like the essence of good flavor right there.

And this is one of my secret ingredients.

These are peperoncini chilies I brought back from Sicily.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

And they're really hot, so you have to be careful.

Or otherwise, you can give someone a religious experience.

(Amy laughs) You want to just crush a few of those in there.

TRAVERSO: Uh-huh.

This has been-- Primo honey.

TRAVERSO: The Primo honey.

We had a lot of fun with the bees.

They didn't love us... Yeah.

You didn't get stung, did you?

TRAVERSO: We were fine.

No, no, no.

I was well protected.

And then, these are our house crushed tomatoes.

So, we use a plum, like a Roma tomato, and we're going to put some of that.

And we're just creating the sauce, and then, we're going to put them together.

TRAVERSO: Beautiful.

And now how would you serve this?

Over bread?

So, this could be, uh, tossed into a pasta.

TRAVERSO: Right.

You can have it on a bruschetta.

TRAVERSO: Right.

Or we're going to have it with chicken.

TRAVERSO: Let's dig in.

I'll let you go first.

This is so beautiful.

Well, cheers.

Welcome.

TRAVERSO: Cheers.

Thank you so much.

Nice to see you.

TRAVERSO: Nice to see you.

Mmm.

I like to snack and have lots of flavors.

TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm.

So for me, this is perfect and the protein is great, but I like to have the vegetables and the condiments just as equally as important.

Yeah.

TRAVERSO: Right, yeah.

Let's try this.

Mmm.

Oh, that's so good, salsa verde?

Mm.

TRAVERSO: Oh, and that chicken.

Do you credit your work ethic to anybody in particular?

My mom.

She, she still works here.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

She's 80.

She works in the office.

She's the only one who's allowed to yell at me.

(both laugh) But when I spend too much money on wild mushrooms, she comes up to the kitchen with the invoice and is like, "What kind of mushrooms are $45 a pound?"

(both laugh) She is a really hard worker.

TRAVERSO: Well, chef, I have to say, I asked you a little bit earlier where you get your inspiration, and coming here just fills me with inspiration for what food can be, and I just thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

It was pleasure having you.

TRAVERSO: Great to see you.

Good luck with service tonight.

Thank you.

Bye-bye, safe travels.

TRAVERSO: Thanks.

WIESE: One of the things I've learned about traveling in New England is to expect the unexpected.

Right now I'm in Tunbridge, Vermont.

It's about the central part of the state, and today, I'm going horseback riding.

Not any kind horseback riding, Icelandic horseback riding.

NARRATOR: Sigrun Brynjarsdottir is a skilled equestrian who is also the owner and trainer at Solheimar Farm, an Icelandic horse breeding farm located in the green and rolling hills of Vermont.

Riding since the age of two, Sigrun is passionate about this incredible breed of horses that has been in existence for nearly a thousand years.

I'm Icelandic.

I'm from north of Iceland, a town named Akureyri.

The Vikings brought the best of the best with them to Iceland, so they brought these horses that they had back then.

And they stayed on this island, whereas all the other horses bred with other breeds and became a different breed.

When I was 12, nothing mattered but horses.

I slept, ate, and... horse, that's it.

WIESE: What brought a nice girl like you to Vermont?

It's a long story, but it starts with horses.

I've been riding horses my whole life and competing and showing.

And in 1995, a family, American family, wanted me to come to California and do some horse shows.

And that's how I came first to America.

Then I visited my friends that had the Icelandics and they said to me, "Guess what?

There's a farm up the road that's for sale."

I came up here, I looked at the view and I said, "This is home."

WIESE: What is the name of this farm?

Solheimar.

It means "home of the sun."

We are up on this huge mountain and the sun comes up really early here, earlier than, you know, down in the valley, and it sets the latest.

So we feel like this is a home of the sun.

NARRATOR: Icelandics are known for developing a deep bond with their riders and their caretakers as well.

Sigrun is devoted to the care and feeding, which each and every day takes a lot of time, love, and attention.

Typical day is feed in the mornings, you know, doing grain, doing chores.

And then after they eat for a couple of hours, we start the riding.

And we have about 18 horses here that needs to be exercised every day.

WIESE: How is it that such a small horse can carry large people?

They are extremely strong.

Uh, they have legs that are more like a draft horse legs and they have the very strong backs, and the back is what carries the people.

WIESE: What is it about this breed that you love?

They are really personable.

They are like big dogs, very friendly, social.

They like interactions with people.

They're very calm and mellow, brave and also, they're very healthy.

NARRATOR: Icelandics are also known for their ability to display a variety of distinctive and graceful movements or gaits.

It is what sets them apart from other breeds and makes them incredibly desirable to ride.

Some of them have five gaits, some of them have four gaits, but they have the walk, trot and canter like a big horse.

And then, they have the tlt.

and the tlt is the smooth gait.

That's a four-beat gait and it feels like you're sitting in your La-Z-Boy.

It's very comfortable.

(horses trotting) WIESE: Oh, this is fun.

Yeah.

It's like having your best friend hiking to ride these horses.

You can feel safe, and they can take you places that some people can't hike.

You are comfortable, you're safe, and it's just becoming one with nature and, you know, your friend.

WIESE: There we go.

I think we bonded, huh.

You've got beautiful eyes.

First of all, the scenery is really hard to beat here in Vermont.

Second of all, you look at this beautiful face and it's hard not to fall in love.

And I know in the beginning I said that in New England, to expect the unexpected.

But if you come and ride these beautiful Icelandic horses, expect to have a great time.

Hmm?

The Mad River Valley is an amazing destination.

Not only in the winter with skiing, but the hiking, the swimming, the shopping, the restaurants.

It's such a beautiful destination to come to.

NARRATOR: On the to-do list in Mad River Valley is a visit to Lawson's Finest Liquids, a family-owned, award-winning brewery committed to sustainability.

WIESE: Tell me a little about the history.

You know, how did Lawson's begin?

Well, my husband has been home brewing since he was in college at University of Vermont.

The more Sean brewed, the more people asked for, "Hey, can I have a bottle of that?"

So, we kind of went out on a limb and started a small business.

And Sean first bought a one barrel system and then maxed out the space with a seven barrel system, which is what it is now.

Sean and I are so proud of what we've built.

He's all about quality, and that has transformed into where we are as Lawson's Finest Liquids.

NARRATOR: Today, Lawson's Beers, a fan favorite, can be found in nine states across the Northeast, but Sean and Karen keep their feet firmly planted in Vermont.

When you walk in, it's a gorgeous hand-honed timber frame.

All local Vermont products, from the stone behind the bar, to all of the wood at the bar and at the tables.

And then in our retail store, we pay homage to our home brew roots.

WIESE: What a fantastic spot.

I feel like I'm in a ski chalet that's ginormous.

I'd love to introduce you to our director of brewing, Scott Shirley.

WIESE: Hey, Scott.

Hi, Richard.

How you doing?

WIESE: I'm doing great.

Ready to try some beers?

WIESE: I would like to, but you have so many great distinct beers.

What should I start with?

Let's start with our flagship, Sip of Sunshine.

WIESE: Okay.

Got Sip of Sunshine.

Am I going to have rays of happiness or... Absolutely.

This is a bright, flavorful, double I.P.A.

with tons of Citra hops.

It smells beautiful, just bright and citrusy... WIESE: Yeah, it's great.

...limey, grapefruity.

And now we're going to shift gears.

We're going to move into another category of beers that Sean is long famous for, made with local maple syrup from Purinton's over in Starksboro.

And it really comes through in this beer.

And there aren't a lot of amber ales anymore, so the color of this beer just looks fantastic, doesn't it?

This is a lovely beer to pair with a side of cheesecake or a piece of chocolate to really have that maple... WIESE: See, now I would not think of chocolate and beer at the same thing.

And you're shaking... I'm a big fan of chocolate and beer.

WIESE: Big fans, see.

Yeah, there's two things beer does better.

Beer and cheese goes far better than wine, and beer and chocolate really match up well.

WIESE: Yeah.

You've opened up my eyes.

Yeah.

Delicious.

Cheers.

WIESE: Cheers.

(glasses clink) And, really, congratulations for creating something really wonderful.

Also, additionally, we have a four-season beer garden where folks, even in the winter in their ski gear, are happily around the fire bowls, drinking beer.

And in the summer and spring and fall, we also have music.

WIESE: What is it that they tell you that they like about your beer?

I would say the memories that were created when people drank our beer.

We've had so many people tell us that in lieu of a champagne toast at their wedding, they had a Sip of Sunshine toast at their wedding, or they proposed at the top of a hike on a mountain, and they brought up cans of our beer to celebrate.

It's really how our product is creating those memorable moments for people.

NARRATOR: What many people remember is how Lawson's gives back to their community.

We started our Sunshine Fund, which is basically donations to different nonprofits that guests are invited to donate, and a 100% percent of those donations in the taproom go to local Vermont nonprofits.

$15,000... (cheering) Since opening our taproom in 2018, we've donated $1.5 million just through the Sunshine Fund in the taproom alone.

WIESE: Wow.

I'd like to toast your success.

Thank you.

WIESE: And congratulations for really not only making great beer, but trying to make a difference in the world.

Thank you so much.

Cheers.

We've named our car "Pepino."

It's not your standard company car.

It's a 1970 Fiat 500 Cinquecenta from Italy that we got about four or five years ago.

We drive it around town on a few sunny weekends during the year and pass out candy.

And Pepino is an absolute magnet.

Nothing that we do that brings people around like when we have Pepino.

In 2007, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and I literally was waiting for my radiation and I was like... had this epiphany and I was like, "Oh, I know what I'm going to do when I get done with all my treatment."

Ever since high school, I made Buckeyes living in Ohio, just... and give it as gifts.

I'd give it at Christmas time and people are like, "Oh, you need to make this."

I just wanted people to eat my caramels.

And then people were like, "Oh, I'm giving this to so-and-so for my birthday," and, you know, whatever.

And then quickly realized that, oh, we're a gift company.

I've heard time and time again, they're like, "Oh, whoa.

I've never tasted a caramel like that."

I'm like, "Yes!"

Or if somebody tells me, "Oh, this reminds me of my aunt, she always made caramels at Christmas, or my grandmother," whatever.

And that's the highest compliment, really, anybody can give me is when they say that it just, it, it evokes wonderful childhood memories for them.

We started Red Kite in our kitchen in Thetford, Vermont, and when we outgrew that, we moved to a bigger production facility in Bradford, and that's still where we make all of our candy.

Three years ago, we opened up this store here in Hanover and it's been a great fit.

And we make our ice cream here, but all the candy is still made in Bradford.

We both grew up in Ohio, and so, kite flying is big.

You know, you wait all winter long and I would wait all winter long and... for that first blustery March day, and my brother and I would go out.

And my mom, you know, would let us buy one kite each.

They're like 29 cent paper kites.

And he would get the kite up in the sky for me first, and then he'd worry about getting his kite.

And he's deceased, so it's in honor of my favorite childhood memory of him.

The other thing that's so nice about it is that, you can buy the very best caramel for a buck.

It's not too often that you get the best of something for, you know, less than a dollar.

We became even more of a memory maker because now we have people coming in to get ice cream.

We have our whole set of regulars we love, and we know them by name.

It's a really wonderful thing.

It's a community that we've built, and that's what we want.

NARRATOR: For exclusive videos, recipes, travel ideas, tips from the editors, and access to the Weekends With Yankee digital magazine, go to weekendswithyankee.com and follow us on social media, @yankeemagazine.

Yankee magazine, the inspiration for the television series, provides recipes, feature articles, and the best of New England from the people who know it best.

One year for $20.

Call 1-800-221-8154. Credit cards accepted.

Major funding provided by... Massachusetts is home to a lot of firsts-- the first public park in America; the first fried clams; the first university in America; the first basketball game.

What's first for you?

Grady-White, crafting offshore sportfishing boats for over 60 years.

The Barn Yard, builders of timber-frame barns and garages.

And by American Cruise Lines, exploring the historic shores of New England.