>> NARRATOR: 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, adventurer, and traveler 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, and uncover the hidden New England that only locals know. It's the ultimate travel guide from the people who know it best. This week, we're off to Massachusetts to experience the incredibly colorful tradition of cranberry harvesting. There, we get to work with the Gilmore family of South Carver, who have been farming these brilliant red berries for generations. >> I love cranberries, it's my life, my livelihood. >> WIESE: Since I'm corralling them, I need to be going, "Yee-haw!" >> NARRATOR: Next, we head to Portland, Maine, for an unforgettable food crawl through some of Amy's favorite restaurants. >> TRAVERSO: Portland is really my favorite food town in New England. It's so innovative, chefs here can kind of afford to take risks. >> NARRATOR: And last, but not least, we go off the beaten path in northern Vermont to explore Greensboro, which Yankee magazine calls "the best little food town in New England." We'll show you why. >> The mentality of hard work and dedication get you by. >> NARRATOR: Back in the test kitchen, Amy whips up an ale and cheddar cheese dip that makes the most of these two classic Vermont ingredients. >> TRAVERSO: Mmm. You kind of just gather around the stove, and everybody dips in a tortilla chip. >> NARRATOR: It's all coming up on Weekends with Yankee. >> Funding provided by: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> The Vermont Country Store. The purveyors of the practical and hard-to-find since 1946. ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: Autumn in New England is cranberry harvest time, and to see the bright red berries floating in their bogs is a spectacular sight. In Massachusetts, one of only a handful of states that grow cranberries, the bulk of the harvest comes from a few hundred small farms, including one run by Sue Gilmore, a fifth-generation cranberry grower. >> My name is Susan Gilmore and we are here on the family farm, Gilmore Cranberry Company, in South Carver, Massachusetts. Cranberries originated in my family with my great-great-grandfather, Abel D. Makepeace. In the early 1900s, he came over to Cape Cod, and now they have about 1,900 of acres of cranberry bogs, and my husband and I have our own farm. This is harvest season-- we harvest them once a year, which is in the fall. From the end of September up till November, depending how many acres you have and the weather. >> WIESE: So I gather the fact that we're wearing waders means we're going to get wet. >> We're going to get wet. >> WIESE: Okay, great. >> And you're going to come and help us take them off, and I'm thrilled. >> WIESE: And I'm going to enjoy it. >> Thank you. Come on, I'll show you the way. Well, you're going to catch a lot of berries. This is a cranberry bog, and the cranberries grow on low, creeping vines, and when we get ready to wet harvest, we add about six inches of water to the bog to do wet harvest with the picking machines. >> WIESE: So we have some guys who look like they're mowing a lawn. They're, what, picking cranberries? >> They're picking the cranberries. They have discs on the front of the picking machines, and the discs will rotate round and round, and they tap the vines and the cranberries will float to the top. >> WIESE: How many years of an apprenticeship do they need to do this? >> Well, let me show you. >> WIESE: Okay. >> You get right up and you can do the picking. >> WIESE: Okay. >> We love to have you, thank you very much. >> WIESE: All right. >> You're going to be great. >> WIESE: I think I'm coming up and getting the big lesson. (man speaking indistinctly) >> If you don't mind lifting that first lever... >> WIESE: This one? (machine whirring) ♪ ♪ >> You did great. >> WIESE: Thank you. >> Now let me take you to where we do the corralling and we take off the berries. It's right over here. There you go. (machine whirring) ♪ ♪ >> WIESE: I feel, since I'm corralling them, I need to be going, "Yee-haw!" (laughter) >> Now, there's a good cranberry, Massachusetts cranberry, that is good. >> WIESE: Yeah, that's a Massachusetts cranberry. >> That's it. If we waited for all of them to turn this color, we'll be late in the season, and some of the ones that are already red would be squishy. >> WIESE: I mean, do you ever just eat these raw? >> Oh, all the time. I love cranberries, it's my life, my livelihood. It is different every day, it's outside, we are stewards of the land, we have done that for so many years and hope to carry that on for years to come. >> WIESE: You know, this is sort of a little therapeutic, doing this. >> It is nice doing it, it is. >> WIESE: You don't have to think too hard, but you're doing something... >> You're outside, you're in nature. >> WIESE: It's going into a pipe that's taking it up into the truck? >> Right, there's a pump that pumps it up into the truck, and it goes into a bin up there, and it's washed. And the people up there are going through, taking out any weeds that they can, hopefully we don't have many. And then the trash, and one of the... you'll see a lot of the leaves are going into this truck. The water will go right back down in that pipe, back to here to the bog, and the cranberries are going in that long truck, there that you see. >> WIESE: I mean, it's pretty incredible. That's 40,000 pounds of cranberries in that truck, and, you know, it's just, I think so satisfying to see it coming out of its farm area, the bogs. You know, quickly corralled, put into this sort of weed separator, and then put into trucks. And then you've got your tasty Massachusetts-grown cranberries. ♪ ♪ >> I want to be remembered for the cranberry farm that my husband and I started and hope that the family will carry it on for generations to come. ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: Portland is the largest city in Maine, and according to Yankee magazine, it has more great restaurants per capita than any other city in New England. The reason? A magical combination of innovative chefs, food-obsessed residents, and lots of fresh, local ingredients from land and sea. Since Amy's the expert, we asked her to show us around. >> TRAVERSO: So Richard, Portland is really my favorite food town in New England. >> WIESE: That's a big compliment coming from you. >> TRAVERSO: Well, you know, it's... it's small enough that you can get your arms around it, but it's so innovative. Chefs here can kind of afford to take risks. So I want to do a little bit of a dine-around today. >> WIESE: Okay. >> TRAVERSO: And I've chosen three places. The first one is Holy Donut, which makes incredible potato donuts. The second one is Duckfat, which makes the best fries you've ever had. And the third one is Mami, which is Japanese street food. So we've got, like, affordable, delicious, and diverse eats for you to try. >> WIESE: Love it! Let's do it. >> TRAVERSO: Yeah, all right. All right. Welcome to donut heaven. >> WIESE: Hello. >> TRAVERSO: Hello. >> Hey, how are you guys? >> TRAVERSO: We're great. Very happy to be here. We're going to do cinnamon sugar, which is the classic. >> WIESE: Okay. >> TRAVERSO: Holy Cannoli-- that's a donut cannoli-- the berry Holy Cannoli. >> Okay. >> WIESE: I can't remember ever being so excited about donuts. >> TRAVERSO: Okay, well, the thing about these donuts is they're-- every donut, it's a potato donut, and it makes them so tender and delicious and moist, you'll-you'll see. We got to go taste them. >> WIESE: Okay. >> TRAVERSO: Okay. All right, so what do you want to taste first? >> WIESE: I'm going to go with the old school cinnamon sugar, right? >> TRAVERSO: All right. So, a little, a little taste. We'll just do a little bit of each... >> WIESE: A little tasting. >> TRAVERSO: We've got a little food crawl we're doing here. It's really good. >> WIESE: It's good. It's very moist. >> TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm. >> WIESE: I would love to know how they make these. >> TRAVERSO: Me, too. >> My name is Leigh Kellis, and I'm the founder of the Holy Donut. So, this is a scratch dough, and it's made with unbleached flour, eggs, buttermilk, and the key ingredient is potato. So there's going to be lumps of potato in there. >> TRAVERSO: This is our cutter. >> And you'll notice there's no hole, and that's something we came up with, and then we just cut them really, really, really close together. >> WIESE: So, every food has its beginning. So, how does it start with the potato? >> So they're par-cooked and boiled, and then they go through a mill, so they get pulverized, almost. And those little particles look like rice. We want the particles to be really small so that you don't really taste a bite of potato, but it becomes part of the dough. So then we have a disc, and we're just going to hand-shape it. So, these are going to go into the fryer at 375. And I'm watching that clock, and it's going to be timed and going in on ten. >> TRAVERSO: How come you hold it at the top, there? >> That's called surface frying, it gives it a little boost of heat to give it a little extra puff... >> TRAVERSO: Wow. >> ...before it goes in. ♪ ♪ Gorgeous little beauties. >> WIESE: What was the original donut? >> It was just this tossed in cinnamon sugar, which is still one of our top flavors, and it's simple and delicious. >> TRAVERSO: Wow. >> Just a potato donut in cinnamon sugar is like the best thing you'll ever have, in fact. >> TRAVERSO: So, let's go a little more adventurous. We're going to try-- oh, oh gosh, we got to do this. We're just going to go all out. >> WIESE: (laughs) >> TRAVERSO: This is... this is the cannoli. >> WIESE: Oh, my gosh, this is like... >> TRAVERSO: This is insane. >> WIESE: This is insane. This is like going-- having dessert. Let's have one spoon for about 20 different desserts. >> TRAVERSO: (laughs) I can't even with this one. All right. Mmm. >> WIESE: I almost feel like I'm getting giddy from the sugar. >> TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm. So this was sort of our breakfast course. >> WIESE (laughing): Okay. >> TRAVERSO: Are you ready for a fried lunch course? >> WIESE: Abso... you know what, I love eating with you, it's like an adventure. >> TRAVERSO: We're pros... >> WIESE: I love it. >> TRAVERSO: We've been training, we're ready. >> WIESE: What a beautiful day in Portland. >> TRAVERSO: It's so gorgeous, and I'm really excited about the next restaurant I'm taking you to. It's called Duckfat. >> WIESE: Okay. >> TRAVERSO: They're famous for their Belgian-style fries, and they're really kind of are a game-changer in Portland. They brought-- it was one of the first restaurants to bring a fine dining sensibility to casual food. >> My name's Rob Evans, and I am chef-owner of Duckfat here in Portland, Maine. So, all our fries are hand-cut. From there, they go into a bucket of water, which helps rinse off the starch. And then from there, we do a blanching process or par-cook process, where we fry them at a low temp. It eliminates water, and it contributes to the crispiness of it. Then we fry again at a higher temp, and that gives us a really crispy fry that'll stay crispy. We make our own seasoning salt. And the end result is a really crispy Maine fry. A really artisanal French fry. >> TRAVERSO: We got 'em. What do you think? I feel like a bride! >> WIESE: I mean, they look good. >> TRAVERSO: Yeah. It's not a strong flavor, but it's there. They're really well-salted, they're perfectly crisp, they're really fluffy inside-- perfect way to cook a fry. And then they come with these sauces in the Belgian style, so that's like a curry mayo, got a truffle ketchup there. >> WIESE: Duck fat, huh? There's real duck fat in here. >> TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm, really duck fat. Really good. >> WIESE: They are really good. They are-- I can't say they are the same as regular French fries, they're definitely different. >> TRAVERSO: I think they're better. >> WIESE: More flavorful. Okay, Amy. Where are you taking me next? >> TRAVERSO: All right, now we're going in a totally different direction. This is Japanese street food. This started as a food truck, and now it's a restaurant, it's called Mami, and it's pretty new. It's very hot and it's really good. All right, so are you ready to do Japanese? >> WIESE: Absolutely. >> TRAVERSO: And not sushi, it's different. >> WIESE: Okay. Thank you. ♪ ♪ (indistinct chatter) >> Hey, guys. >> TRAVERSO: Hey. >> WIESE: Hey, Austin, how are you? >> I'm doing amazing, got a bunch of stuff for you. Shishito peppers, gyudon, and some takoyaki. >> TRAVERSO: Well, why don't you have a seat with us and have something to eat? >> I would love to, thank you. >> TRAVERSO: Great. >> WIESE: I love the idea of this, but I need some Japanese translation. >> So, okonomiyaki, this means grilled what you like, or what you like grilled. >> TRAVERSO: Uh-huh. >> So it's traditionally served with pork belly. >> TRAVERSO: And it's like a pancake. >> Yeah, it's basically just a savory pancake with cabbage and pork belly and other vegetables. >> TRAVERSO: Okay, there's no pretty here. >> WIESE: Mmm. >> TRAVERSO: Mmm. >> WIESE: Nice. >> TRAVERSO: Wow, that's good. >> WIESE: Really nice. I can definitely tell the pork belly coming through. >> All right, so we have gyudon here. "Don" is over rice, so donburi is a rice bowl. Gyudon is definitely one of my most favorite, and I think a lot of people really like it because beef. >> TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm. >> Everybody loves beef, it's delicious. And it's so good. >> TRAVERSO: Yeah, let's dig in. >> WIESE: Dig in! >> Try it. >> TRAVERSO: All right. I'm going to try the beef first. >> Go ahead, go for the egg first. >> TRAVERSO: I'll dip. >> Yeah. >> WIESE: I like rice bowls. >> Aw, so good, yeah. >> TRAVERSO: Mmm. >> It's super good. I mean, honestly, it's like, mash it in there. >> TRAVERSO: It like, melts in your mouth. >> Yeah. >> WIESE: Yeah. >> Similar to the okonomiyaki is takoyaki. "Tako" is octopus, and again we have yaki. >> WIESE: I love octopus. >> So good, so good. >> TRAVERSO: So good. >> And yaki is grilled, so again, we're... >> WIESE: Is this the octopus right here? >> Yup. So, it's dashi batter, just like the okonomiyaki, and then topped with similar toppings. >> WIESE: I love this kind of food. >> TRAVERSO: I have this idea that Portland is the city that's sort of the perfect incubator for cool restaurants, because you've got a pretty savvy foodie audience. >> Yeah. People do things because they just want to do something really nice. Stuff like this, cooking food and creating small businesses, they better the community as a whole, so it's pretty special to be here. >> TRAVERSO: Wow. ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: While Portland is Yankee magazine's favorite food city in New England, Greensboro, Vermont, population 770, is their pick for the region's best small food town. In fact, food lovers from far and wide come to this remote spot in the Northeast Kingdom, because it's home to some exceptional cheesemakers, and a brewery that ranks among the world's best. >> TRAVERSO: I'm so excited today, because I'm in one of my favorite small towns in New England. This is Greensboro, Vermont, population 1,000, pretty close to the Canadian border, and yet, this is a place where the best cheesemakers and cider makers and beer makers and sausage makers have all kind of put down roots and started making incredible food. It's a food lover's paradise. My first stop's going to be Jasper Hill Farm, which is literally like the big cheese in this area. They make an incredible array of cheeses. And then we're going to go to Hill Farmstead Brewery, where people line up for hours to get their hands on the beer, it's that good. So, how long have you had this land? >> We bought the farm in 1998, and it was really an irrational, emotional decision. >> TRAVERSO: Uh-huh. >> For us, meaningful work in a place that we love with people that we love is a whole life. >> TRAVERSO: Yeah. >> And Greensboro's that place. >> TRAVERSO: Wow. It's beautiful. So, where do you actually make the cheese? >> The cheese house is attached to the barn, here, it's the ground floor. We used to ripen our cheese in the cellar. Six, seven days a week we're making cheese, taking the milk from the cows here and turning it into cheese, just about every day, it never ends. We never get ahead. >> TRAVERSO (laughing): Yeah. Well, I'd love to go take a look at the cheese caves. >> Yeah, let's go taste some cheese. >> TRAVERSO: Okay, good. So, how big is this entire complex? >> We're looking at about 22,000 square feet. >> TRAVERSO: Wow. >> We've got seven vaults that run back into the hillside. We're ripening about 14 varieties of cheese. >> TRAVERSO: So these are not all cheeses that you make? >> We make our own cheese, but we also ripen cheese for other cheesemakers. >> TRAVERSO: I feel like I'm in the Willy Wonka factory of cheese. >> So, this is Cabot cloth-bound cheddar. >> TRAVERSO: Uh-huh. >> It's a traditional, English-style, cave-aged cheese. >> TRAVERSO: Now, what are we looking at? There's obviously different cheeses on each side. >> So, we're looking at Landaff from Landaff Creamery. >> TRAVERSO: Oh, I love that cheese, yes. >> Yeah, it's awesome. >> TRAVERSO: Like a Welsh-style cheese. >> Yeah, it's a Welsh Caerphilly-style cheese, yup. And on the left here is Bayley Hazen Blue. We pierce the cheese with a stainless steel needle... >> TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm. >> Which allows oxygen to penetrate into the core of the cheese, and the spores, which we add to the milk, bloom, colonize all those gaps and cavities, and ripen the cheese from the inside out. >> TRAVERSO: Oh, so the oxygen allows the mold to grow. >> Exactly, and it's quite a low-oxygen environment in the inside of that cheese... >> TRAVERSO: Right. >> But the blue mold has adapted to that low-oxygen environment, so it's the only thing that'll grow. >> TRAVERSO: Wow. Mmm. >> So, Bayley-- it's a blue cheese, but it doesn't have an overpowering flavor. >> TRAVERSO: Yeah. >> A lot of people that don't like blue cheese... >> TRAVERSO: Sort of "stinky cheeses." >> ...love Bayley. >> TRAVERSO: So, could we also try the Landaff? I love this cheese. >> Absolutely. >> TRAVERSO: Okay. >> I love this cheese too, and pound for pound, we've probably eaten more Landaff in our house than anything. >> TRAVERSO: Really? >> Because it is a cheese that is subtle enough that you can really eat a lot of. >> TRAVERSO: But-- you know what I'm thinking as I'm eating this. I would love to have this with some really good beer. >> There's some amazing beer just up the road from here. ♪ ♪ >> TRAVERSO: Hey! >> Hello! >> TRAVERSO: I'm Amy. >> Kevin, nice to meet you. >> TRAVERSO: Thanks. So I'm watching people coming in here with their coolers, and it's like there's this-- it's like they're approaching an altar, like, they're so reverent. >> Oh, yeah. Yeah, for sure. Many people would describe this as the Mecca of craft beer. >> TRAVERSO: So, what are we tasting today? >> So, we have a lot being offered today. So we start off with Marie, which is our German-style helles. >> TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm. >> Very light, very easy drinking beer for the summer. >> TRAVERSO: Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> TRAVERSO: Perfect amount, thanks. Oh, wow. >> Yup. >> TRAVERSO: That's so nice. >> Little bit of a buttery taste to it. >> TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm. >> And like I said, not really hoppy, so, for a lot of people we get here, you know, we try to have beers of every style for people of every offerings. Though next we can go with the Mary, which is just going to be a small step up from the Marie. >> TRAVERSO: Okay. >> And this is going to have a little bit of hoppiness to it. German malts, German hops. >> TRAVERSO: Mmm. >> Yeah. Nice and crisp drinking, like the Marie, but you're going to have a little bit of a hoppy finish on it... >> TRAVERSO: Oh, that's nice. >> ...Which is just a really nice balance. >> TRAVERSO: What is it about Greensboro that's made it such a hub? >> I've only lived up here for two-and-a-half years. >> TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm. >> And one of the things I love the most about Vermont, and probably more specifically the Northeast Kingdom, is the mentality of hard work and dedication get you by. You talk to one person and they tell you right away, like, oh, I have an idea for this. >> TRAVERSO: Wow. >> You know, it's like, people are always just coming up with new things, trying to be innovative. I used to sell Jasper Hill cheese... >> TRAVERSO: Wow. >> ...In my previous life where I loved cheese much more, and so, like, I've known a lot of people there for years. And so to taste their cheese and taste the beer, here, it does bring you to the location. Or just the idea of, this can be my passion, and this is what I can work myself towards to build and develop as an individual. ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: Back in the test kitchen, Amy combines two of Vermont's finest exports to create an unforgettable ale and cheddar cheese dip. >> TRAVERSO: So, on my way home from the great little food town of Greensboro, Vermont, I kept thinking about cheese and beer, and cheese and beer. And ultimately, the idea for this recipe came to me. It's a cheddar ale dip. It's gooey and warm and delicious, and perfect for like a cool day, for, you know, a gathering of friends, and it's so easy to make. So, first, you want to start with some extra sharp cheddar, that's what I like to use. You need 20 ounces of freshly grated cheddar. So, I'm going to do that now. It doesn't take too long. I'm just going to use a box grater. You can hold it at an angle and kind of keep going back and forth on either side. So now I'm making my roux, which is going to be the base of this dish. It's just a butter-flour mixture, and I've got three tablespoons of salted butter and three tablespoons of flour. And now that the butter's foaming, I'm going to whisk in the flour and make a little bit of a paste. This will thicken the sauce, and it will also help the cheese to melt evenly throughout the sauce. And I just want to let that cook for a minute, I don't need to let it brown, I just want the fat to coat all of the flour, little bits. So now I've got an ale. Now, this is pale or a dark ale, either one is fine, and you don't have to use... just use any kind of beer you like to drink, just like with wine. And I'm going to slowly pour this in. It's going to foam, obviously, because it's carbonated. But as you stir it in, whisk it in slowly, it will thicken from the roux. So now we're ready to add some really yummy seasonings. I love the flavor profile of this dish. Everything that's in here goes really well with beer and goes really well with cheese. So we're going to start with a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. I like the creamy kind. I think the kind with the seeds kind of ruins the texture a little bit, so use the creamy kind. Then we've got two teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce. And a teaspoon and a half of brown sugar. I tried making this without the brown sugar, but having just the background note of sweetness, it's not very strong, and it just really balances out the other flavors. It also balances out any bitterness that's in the beer. Now, the next flavor is spice. I've got some canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, and I've chopped them up. You can use one or two to your taste. Just do it how you like it, it's your kitchen. I like it spicy, so I'm going to put in two, with about two teaspoons of the sauce that comes with it. That adds a little bit of color, and also it's some really good smoky flavor. Chipotle chilies are known for their smokiness. And then to round out spicy flavors, I've got some just freshly ground black pepper. You can, again, do it to your taste. If you like it spicy, use more, if you like it mild, just use a lot less, use a quarter teaspoon. So we just want it warm enough to melt the cheese, but not so hot that it breaks down the cheese. The nice thing about melting cheese in alcohol is it melts really easily. So I'm just doing this by the handful, and then I'm whisking a bit after each handful. Okay, so this is ready. You can see, it's totally creamy, it's really evenly combined, it's gooey and ooey and yummy and wonderful. Now, there are a couple ways to serve this. You can just serve it from the skillet, which we'll do in a second, but if you wanted to be a little bit fancier, you could actually do individual servings. Just spoon a little bit of the sauce into a little bowl and give it to everybody individually. I like to garnish this, for crunch and a little extra flavor, I like to garnish it with a little bit of scallions. We're going to put one more scoop in here, and then you could sprinkle the scallions on right here. Cut them on a diagonal like that, it looks really pretty. So, you could do that, or, as I tend to do, you just invite everybody to gather around the skillet with their corn chips or pieces of bread-- we'll take that out of there. And just garnish it with the scallions, so everybody can get a little bite. Looks nice, it has a little bit of green and freshness. Now, as this sits-- let's say you're having a party. You want to keep it on low heat. You... if it starts to thicken a little bit, turn up the heat a little bit, not too high. But just keep it in that nice, loose consistency, and this will make it through an entire party. You can leave it, check on it occasionally, and adjust the heat as you need. So now I'm going to give it a taste. Mmm, this is so good. It just has all the good flavors-- smoke, cheese, the mustard, a little bit of acidity, the spice-- it's just fantastic. This recipe should definitely be on your regular rotation for any kind of party you're having, but for this recipe or any other of the great recipes you'll see on this show, visit weekendswithyankee.com. >> NARRATOR: For exclusive video, 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. Six issues for $10. Call 1-800-221-8154. Credit cards accepted. >> Major funding provided by... ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> The Vermont Country Store, the purveyors of the practical and hard-to-find since 1946. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪