Weekends with Yankee

>>

NARRATOR

Coming up on Weekends With Yankee... >> Why don't we make a table out of a tree? >> Amy's in Woodstock, Vermont, checking on the Naked Table Community Project. It's a workshop for amateur furniture makers and a fundraiser for a sustainable future. >> And so we've got 60 people who are from all walks of life working together to make a table. They will then carry those tables to the bridge, sit around them, and enjoy locally grown food. >> (laughing) >>

WIESE

Is this the best specimen here? >> Yeah, I think that's the best piece we got today. >>

NARRATOR

Then, Richard is in Portland, Maine, digging for tourmaline. >> That's going to make someone very happy. >> Press down. >> And then with it, creating some beautiful jewelry. >>

WIESE

This is amazing. I mean, this is really a piece of art. >>

NARRATOR

And Amy is on Cape Neddick, Maine, on the Walker Farm. >>

TRAVERSO

Oh, we got beans. >> Yeah. >> More beans. >> More beans. >>

NARRATOR

To join in on an old Maine tradition, the bean-hole supper. >> To bean-holes. >>

TRAVERSO

Cheers. >>

NARRATOR

So come along 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 his co-host, 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

>> The Vermont Country Store. The purveyors of the practical and hard-to-find since 1946. >>

TRAVERSO

I don't think about furniture a lot. It's just kind of there, there in the background. But some of my best, most intense, meaningful memories with my family happened around the table. Where we laughed or told stories and ate, or played games or argued. Which is why today feels so meaningful, because I'm seeing a community come together around this idea of the table and its importance in the lives of families and communities. (people talking and laughing) >> Testing, testing. Can everyone hear? >> Charlie Shackleton, with his wife, Miranda Thomas, co-founded The Naked Table and also Shackleton Thomas Furniture & Pottery Company. >> Thank you, guys, for being here. There are 22 non-profits from this local area represented, all catering to youth in this community. However fancy this community may look, there are a lot of people who are in need in some way or other. Ever since I was a kid at boarding school-- I was, like, a straight D student-- I thought I was stupid, but I thought, "Perhaps there are some other stupid people out there "who love to make things with their hands." >> Right. >> "And perhaps they have a different way of communicating with the world." This event is not just to raise money. We are building tables, but we're also building community. >> So what is the Naked Table Project and how does it work? >> As the hashtag says on our stickers, "Tables connect us." And I've always had an obsession with big community events. Long story short, there was a group called Sustainable Woodstock, and they were looking for community projects. And I said, "Why don't we make a table out of a tree?" And so we've got 60 people under the tent, who are from all walks of life around this community, working together to make a table, each sponsored by generous local patrons. They will then carry those table to the bridge, sit around it with community members, and enjoy locally grown food, locally grown flowers, and locally made pots by my wife. >> Beautiful. >> That's the Naked Table Project. (hammers banging) >> What do you call this kind of construction? >> So what we have here is drop head construction. Has been around for years. >> Yeah. Hugh Shackleton is Charlie and Miranda's son. He's the manager of the Shackleton Thomas business and is a major force with the Naked Table Project. >> You have your mortise, which is your pocket, and you have your tenon, which is on the end of your skirt, which goes into the mortise. >> Tendon? >> Tenon, no D. >> Tenon, okay. No, there's not a body part, okay. >> That's right. So, being drop head construction, the holes on the end of your tenon are offset from the holes in your leg. >> Okay. >> So when you bang the peg in, it draws the skirt in tight to the leg. >> Oh, I get it. >> So, essentially, you don't need clamps. >> Wow. I don't see any metal parts. >> No metal parts whatsoever. It's all natural wood and old-style assembly. >> So how did you choose the wood that the tables are being made from? >> Sugar maple is an iconic Vermont tree. It so happens that this area of Vermont has just the right soils for growing beautiful maple. It also so happens that the Marsh-Billings- Rockefeller National Park has sustainably harvested maple wood. >> It can't get much more local than that. >> Exactly. >> Well, welcome table makers! Gather up around here so we don't have to shout too loud. Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller is one of the oldest continuously scientific-managed forests in the country. So you're walking through a very special landscape, and the wood from your tables came from this strong association of people taking care of the land. The story starts with George Perkins Marsh, who grew up here as a boy. If you could picture it, the forest during Marsh's day was very different than the forest that you and I experience. All of these trees were not here. In fact, 80% of Vermont's forest was cut down to make way for agriculture and sheep-grazing. And walking around as a boy, he noticed some of the disastrous effects of that deforestation, and it stuck with him. He eventually took all of that experience and put it together in a book called Man and Nature, which was published in 1864. And that book kicked off the environmental movement in the United States. And it was Frederick Billings, who grew up just down the road, in Royalton, who picked up that book and started to put in practice some of Marsh's philosophies, creating a model forest here at the park, planting trees out by the thousands. And then many generations of Billings women took that call of stewardship, and eventually, Mary, Billings's granddaughter, married Laurance Rockefeller and the Rockefellers gifted it to you, the people of the United States, as a national park to interpret the history of conservation stewardship and demonstrate contemporary stewardship practices. >> Keep going. >> Is that good? >> You can hear it change, so you want to go a little further. >> Yeah. (hammering lowers in tone) >> There you go. >> Oh, you want that? >> See how it goes "blunk"? >> That thuddy... Yeah, blunt, thank you. >> Exactly right. >> All right. (mallet tapping) (hammering sound lowers) Oh, I heard the sound. >> I think you're a natural. (Traverso laughs) >> Come on in a little closer if you can, guys. So I wanted to talk a little bit about this maple tree here, because it's a good example of the type of tree that your tables came from. And the wood that comes from the maple, that nice white, closed-celled, really smooth, really hard wood is used for things like Major League Baseball bats and bowling alley floors. And a similar hardwood tree in here is white ash, and that's what we're going to see Ben cutting when we get up in the woods. >> Tell me about the stain to finish the tables. >> We do not use stain. We pride ourselves in all-natural finishing. It's called Vermont Natural Coatings. It comes from whey, which is produced by cows. >> Yeah, for cheese making. >> Exactly. >> There's curds and there's whey. It's like little Miss Muffet. When you make cheese, you end up with the curds, which are the solids, and then the whey, which is, like, by-product? >> By-product-- it's essential in a natural organic finish. It doesn't make the maple look yellow. >> Oh, right. >> And it makes it appear very clean, crisp, and more white. >> It's so full-circle that you could be eating cheese on this table that's covered in whey. >> And what I love is that we join the 16 tables together to make one 100-foot table on the bridge. >> Wow. >> Exactly. (chainsaw buzzing) One of the most important things for people to understand, it is okay to cut trees down... >> Right. >> But in a sustainable and regrowable manner. And I see a cycle. That tree we cut down to make tables, we go back into the forest and plant this beautiful, young seedling tree. So these tables, I would imagine will be around for 300 years. >> Wow. >> I won't be, but the tables will. (Traverso laughs) >> Well, that's part of the appeal, right? Your craft outlasts you. (playing gentle song) >> My wife has a handle from a Roman pot from 2,000 years ago, and on the handle, you can see the thumbprint of the potter. And not only the thumbprint, but the nail as he pressed the handle onto the bottom of it. >> Wow. >> And that transports you back. You can almost speak to those people 2,000 years ago. Human beings more and more are railroaded into mass production, mass technology. >> Hi! >> Hi! >> Things that are made by human hands are going to become more treasured. Just like with the Naked Table, you can almost speak to those people. >> Hi, I'm Amy. >> (responds) >> Nice to meet you. >> Because the tables carry the soul of the people who make them. >> You know, I've told a lot of stories about small towns around this region. But today, being in this community and getting a window into how vital the community connections are, I feel like I'm reminded once more, after all these years, why I love living in New England so much. >>

NARRATOR

In 1820, Maine became the 23rd state in the U.S.A. In that same year, tourmaline was discovered in the mountains of Western Maine. Now, 200 years later, Richard heads up to the Pine Tree State to see how this crystal and mineral is being used today. First stop is Cross Jewelers, in the city of Portland. >>

WIESE

I have heard so much about Maine's tourmaline, and I was told this is the place to come. >> And you walked right up to the right case. One of the things that distinguishes Maine as a source for tourmaline is the clarity of the gems that are found here. They tend to be very clear, very clean internally, so you get not just color, but beautiful sparkle and brilliance. So as they come out of the ground, they're beautiful hexagonal logs. Then Jeff Morrison, who mines them up at the Havey, gives them to Sean Sweeney, who is a master gem cutter here in Maine. And he does the faceting. Then they come to us, and we design the jewelry around them. It's very much like a family. >> Well, I would love to see where the original home of this tourmaline was and, and how it got here. >> So this is the Havey Quarry, and this is Jeff Morrison. >> Nice to meet you, Jeff. Nice to meet you, too. >>

TRAVERSO

So what made you think that, you know, "I want to be a tourmaline miner"? >> The kids were going to college, so I needed a new hobby. >>

WIESE

This is a hobby? >> It's an interesting hobby. If you want to end up with a million dollars mining, start with $2 million. (Wiese laughs) >> Well, you happened to come on a great day. We did a blast approximately a week ago and we opened up several pockets. >> When Jeff opens a pocket, it's the first time those crystals have seen the light of day in 265 million years. So we're talking about real discovery. It, it is really exciting. >> Wow, look at all these colors coming out. >> When we did the blast, it loosened up this rock and we pulled it off. And when you can see the holes, you know you have your pocket. >> You're okay with... Oh, I just pulled it off. >> Yeah. >> Uh-oh, I just ruined a precious gem. >> No, no, no, you didn't, that was the outside of it. >> Okay. Whew! (hammer tapping) And that's clay you're, you're hitting into? >> Typically, the tourmaline is buried in the clay. (hammer tapping) And sometimes, we end up with just a lot of broken crystals. I found some tourmaline on the... >> Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a second. >> That's part of another pocket. >> A little nonchalant about that. All right, here we go. >> Here's some tourmaline here, and here's a crystal up here. >> Okay. Oh, look at this one here. >> So this seems to be a fairly good-sized crystal right here. >> How about that. >> We'll do a little bit more poking here. >> There you go, right there. Oh, that's a beautiful one. >> Yeah. We have some size to this one. >> Wow. >> So this one will actually cut a pretty nice gem. >> Wow. >> So there's another one. Basically, if you can't see through it or read a newspaper through it, it's not going to be a nice gemstone. >> That one's pretty nice, right? >> Yes, that one's beautiful. >> Is this the best specimen here? >> Yeah, I think that's the best piece we got today. That's a pretty nice piece. That's going to make someone very happy. >> Do we have enough to retire? >> (laughing) >> No? >> Oh, we might have enough for a lunch. (both laughing) We should take this one to Sean Sweeney, and he can do his magic. >> All right. >> Turn this into a beautiful gemstone. >> This is the tourmaline we found down in the quarry. >> I'm looking at it right here, I can tell it's very clean. >> Okay. >> So it's probably a very good gem potential. And that's a pretty good-sized stone. >> What makes a great cutter and someone who's able to look at some of this? >> I think it has a lot to do with perspective. I see the finished stone. It's there-- I know when it's there, when you handed it to me. This was a hobby of my father's. So I actually took a class from a local rock shop, and then I took a better class and learned how to cut. And then it was, like, off to the races. I've done it for now for, like, 50 years. >> See, I'd be so nervous about screwing up this beautiful potential piece of jewelry or rock. >> Somebody from the Smithsonian once asked me... >> Yeah. >> "Do you ever make mistakes?" And I said, "No." I said, "You just repeat them and then you call it design." (Wiese laughs) >> This is what we call a faceting machine. Just literally hold it on the surface and grind a little flat. >> Okay. (whirring) >> I'll use that to affix the stone to what we call the dop. Get it so it sticks on there... >> Wow. >> For what we're going to do next, you're going to need one of the Optivisors. >> Okay. >> Because... >> Is this like virtual reality? >> No, but it's, it's going to let you see what I'm going to ask you to do. I'm going to have you cut three facets for me right now. I'm going to pull it into the lap. Going to lock it in place. We're going to lower it down. >> Okay. >> We going to turn the machine on. (machine whirring) Turn some water on. >> Okay. >> So we get the water on the lap. Right hand holds the faceting head. Bring it in, lower it down carefully. So let it come down. Press down. >> Yeah? >> Stop, pick it up. Do you see what you've done in the center? >> I do. >> Okay. You've finished half that facet already. >> Okay. >> Okay. >> So, we're going back down? >> Yup, go down-- do a little bit. Okay, bring it up. >> Not there yet. >> See what you've done? You want it perfectly meeting. So you're going to bring that back in. Just a little bit, work it in, and then pick it up. Okay? That's it, it's done. Now it's perfect and readied so you can see... >> Oh, my God! Look at that! >> The actual finished product. >> This is amazing. I mean, this is really a piece of art. >> That's great, it's a great stone. You get to take that down to Cross, so you can take this back down to Stan. >> Sure, thank you. >> Okay? >> Hi, Stanley, I'm Richard. >> Hi, Richard, very nice to meet you. >> I have something to give to you. Sean said you would make it look beautiful. >> We will do that. >> All right, I look forward to seeing it. >> And this weighs three-and-a-half carats. Richard, look at this. >> That is beautiful. >> Isn't that beautiful? >> It is just stunning. >> The brilliance and the color, it's just, it's exciting. >> You guys do great work. >> So all I need to do now is put the chain on it. >> All right, great, thank you very much. It's amazing to think that I'm in this beautiful jewelry shop in downtown Portland, Maine. And less than 30 miles from here, we found this world-class tourmaline gem. Not only was it found there, but it was also cut on site, and now you can actually buy it. >>

NARRATOR

Cape Neddick, Maine, is home to Walkers Restaurant, where a love for food and wine is combined with exuberant hospitality. Four miles from the restaurant is the farm that has been in executive manager Danielle Johnson Walker's family for six generations. >> We raise mostly dairy goats, so dwarf Nigerians-- we have just over two dozen. And we have Muscovy ducks. We have a couple of horses, and we used to do chickens, but... >> One rooster. (all laughing) >> Danielle's husband is her executive chef, Justin Walker. Today they've invited Amy to a bean-hole supper built on a Maine tradition that precedes the state itself. >> To make a bean-hole supper, you need to find a really cool pot. Certainly, we lucked out and found probably a 100-year-old pot to do it in. And I'm so excited, I've been wanting one for years. We need to dig a hole. You start your fire, line your hole with rocks. Get started with smaller wood and then size it up, and get your big bed of coals. It probably takes a couple of hours at least to get it properly done. You add your pot. Let it heat up. In the logging camps in Maine, every weekend, they would do this particular bean-hole supper. You know, and they had things left over from the week. They had salt pork, they had sugar, they had molasses, and of course, they had a ton of firewood, so they would get the beans going, and then they could have them on Saturday night for dinner and then again Sunday morning, cold with, with brown bread, for breakfast. >>

TRAVERSO

Hey, Justin. Oh, we got beans? >> Yeah. >> More beans. >> More beans. >> More ingredients. I'll grab the foil. >> All right. >> So I'm guessing the pork goes in first? >> Yeah, we add the salt pork. >> Okay. >> First we start by sweating the salt pork-- that releases the fat. That's the only fat in the dish. (sizzling) >> Wow, that's beautiful. Look at that >> It's pretty crazy. So you want to put in onions? (pot sizzling) Once the salt pork has rendered, you add your onions and your garlic, and then the brown sugar. >> We're making caramel down there. >> (laughing) >> That smells so good. >> And then you add your soaked and blanched beans. >> Wow. (pot sizzling) >> In this case, we're using Jacob's Cattle beans, or you can use anything that you have. Obviously, if a pinto bean is your thing, then use a pinto bean. Then we add the flavorings. So we add the allspice, we add the mustard, the salt, the pepper, the molasses, and we let it just simmer. The idea of the bean-hole, though, is for the temperature to rise to cook the beans, and then to fall. And when that temperature falls, it's going to drive the starch back into the beans, which is going to give it that sort of creamy baked bean texture that you get without baking them. >> All right. >> All right, can you grab it? >> Is it a one-person job or a two? >> Yeah, no, it's a one one. (laughing) >> From their very origins, bean-hole suppers have always been about community. So while the beans are cooking, Justin, Danielle, and I are setting up a little outdoor dining room and setting up a fire for some more cooking. So how many friends do you have coming? >> I think six, maybe? >> Oh, nice. These are gorgeous blankets. >> Yeah, so cool. >> It's going to be so nice. >> So keeping with Maine, and maybe a little modern Maine, we are roasting a whole salmon filet. We also are doing an amazing Long Island Cheese pumpkin, which is an amazing variety of pumpkin, roasted whole in the coals. And, of course, the end-of- the-season amazing corn, grilled on a wood grill. >> Welcome, everybody, thank you for coming. I wanted to briefly introduce you to Amy. (all greeting) >> So we've been working hard. They've been working much harder than I have... to put on this feast. Has anybody here had a bean-hole supper before? (all respond) >> No, but you've all had baked beans? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Well, this is very much like that. So let's grab plates and start eating. >> Cool. >> I see the salt pork, the onions, that looks so good. I love that the recipe for the pumpkin is basically, like, pumpkin and time-- and not the herb, but literally, like, lots of time and fire. >> That's what this whole dinner, I think, it's just... >> Yeah. >> Patience. >> Yes, like, simple ingredients and patience. I love this meal, because it really has its roots in, like, such deep American history and pre-American history. I mean, these ingredients, you know, fish, pumpkin, beans, corn, those are all the ingredients that Native people who were here before the English were cooking with-- it's pretty cool. >> The idea of a bean-hole supper is, it brings everybody together for a long period of time. So, nowadays, everything's quick, as fast you can get it, instant. And this is something that's just is simply not that, and it's really great that it takes you back to sort of the beginning of cooking. >> To small gatherings of friends, which are sometimes the best, to falls, to feasting. >> To bean-holes. >> Cheers. (laughing) >> Cheers. (glasses clinking) >> Cheers. >> Cheers. >>

NARRATOR

For more information, including exclusive video, recipes, travel ideas, and tips from Yankee editors, go to weekendswithyankee.com and like us on Facebook. 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. Six issues for $10. Call 1-800-221-8154. Credit cards accepted. >>

Closed captioning funding provided by

>> Emerald Waterways reveals the hidden gems of Europe, complemented with fresh cuisine and daily experiences that allow you to discover the hospitality and history of each region. >>

Major funding provided by

(waves crashing) >> The Vermont Country Store. The purveyors of the practical and hard-to-find since 1946. >> (laughing) (pot sizzling) (machine whirring) >>

WIESE

You have to think of it this way. You're literally a "rock star." >> (groans) Do I have to respond to that? (laughing)