>>> NARRATOR: This week on Weekends with Yankee, Richard visits White Flower Farm in Connecticut to learn about the hundreds of varieties of plants grown here.

>> WIESE: It is just incredible the amount of colors you have here.

>> NARRATOR: And then stops at Dumais Made, a ceramic studio specializing in handmade home decor.

Amy visits Cider Hill Farm in Massachusetts to take a hayride tour of the orchard and to bake some delicious donuts.

>> TRAVERSO: I have always felt like there's no place closer to heaven on earth than an apple orchard.

>> NARRATOR: New Hampshire's agricultural scene comes into bloom at Sunfox Farm, where over 20 acres of fields are turned into a stunning display of sunflowers each year.

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 sportfishing boats for over 60 years.

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

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

♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: There is perhaps no greater pleasure than gathering armfuls of lush blossoms from a well-planted garden.

Discover why this family-owned farm in Litchfield, Connecticut, has been a gardener's delight for over 50 years.

>> WIESE: There's a saying in gardening, that the joy in gardening lies in planting hope and reaping beauty.

Well, today I'm in my home state of Connecticut.

I'm at White Flower Farm, one of the premier nurseries in the state, and I'm about to learn how to be a better gardener.

>> NARRATOR: Barbara Pierson is the White Flower Farm nursery manager.

She oversees more than 800 varieties of perennials and other plants.

>> WIESE: Hi Barbara, I'm Richard Wiese.

>> Hi Richard, welcome to White Flower Farm.

>> WIESE: I'm excited to be here.

White Flower seems like one of these legendary nurseries in Connecticut.

Do you have a little bit of the history and philosophy of it?

>> White Flower Farm started in the '30s, where there were two writers from New York City that came up to this area, they bought a home.

They kind of fell in love with gardening.

Bought some seeds from England and actually did a white garden, which is a reflecting garden.

But what happened in the process is that they learned about perennial gardening, and they were actually responsible for really bringing perennial gardening to local people in this area, and then the country.

>> NARRATOR: Today, one of its wonders is the magnificent Lloyd Border garden.

>> WIESE: This is like an ideal walkway.

I mean, it is just incredible the amount of colors you have here.

>> Yeah, the succession of bloom is what we call it, where you have something in color at all times of the year.

>> WIESE: And so, how do you achieve that?

Because I've noticed here that there are perennials, but I'm noticing other flowers that are annuals.

>> Yes.

We like to plant annuals, because you're going to have that color all throughout the season.

So, your dahlia here is just going to keep flowering.

And your perennials will come in and out of bloom, but then you always have something in color.

>> WIESE: You're sort of changing my philosophy.

I've always been kind of hesitant to put annuals, just because the idea that it dies away and then I've got to replant it.

But I can see the idea of having colors, beauty throughout the entire year.

>> Yeah, I mean, the Browallia here, with the beautiful color, (birds chirping) it's worth it to plant the annuals in between.

Perennials are really increasing in popularity, because people understand that they really only have to plant it once, and it will just keep doing that beautiful thing every year.

For me, when I see flowers blooming in the spring, it really gives me hope and it's kind of eternal.

>> NARRATOR: One of the greenhouses here is filled with begonia flowers, where only one ounce of seed can produce three million blooms.

>> WIESE: This room is stunning.

I mean, this greenhouse doesn't even look real.

>> It doesn't, does it?

The flowers are amazing, so many colors.

>> WIESE: So, these are begonias?

>> These are tuberous begonias.

>> WIESE: So, when you say tuberous, what does that mean?

Is that a different variety?

>> They actually have a little storage potato that the flowers grow out of.

So, every year, you can have the plants come back again, because it has its own little storage unit.

>> WIESE: Now, I've always loved the look of begonias, but to be honest, I've always been super intimidated to try to grow them.

>> I mean, they're so beautiful and so fragile, of course everyone thinks that.

But it's really-- they're really not difficult.

The first thing you do is you receive your little tuber.

So, we have here a little baby begonia.

>> WIESE: Okay.

>> And you can see inside, look at the little potato.

>> WIESE: Oh, yeah, it kind of looks like a potato, right?

>> Yeah.

>> WIESE: And so, do you grow these in the ground or in pots?

>> You grow them in pots, you use some potting soil, and you're just going to pot your little potato.

And over time, it will grow and start flowering.

>> WIESE: And they like full sun or... >> Bright, indirect light.

>> WIESE: Bright, indirect light.

>> So a front porch, something with light, but not burning sun.

>> WIESE: Okay.

And then at the end of the year, in the fall, you just take that pot and put it someplace... >> Yes.

>> WIESE: ...where you can remember it next spring?

>> Exactly, like your garage or your basement.

Keep them dark and then bring them back.

>> WIESE: I'm totally going to try this.

I've always loved the look of begonias, but I thought, "Nah, I won't make it happen."

>> It looks like you really need a super green thumb, but you don't.

>> WIESE: And as you can see, I have two left thumbs.

(both laugh) And they're not green!

>> They're not green.

>> WIESE: All right, terrific.

I love it.

Most homes have perhaps a sunny side, maybe a mix side, a shady side.

Can you garden in pretty much all light conditions?

>> You really can.

There's actually plants for every condition-- wet, dry, sun and shade.

All it takes is a little research and you can find out what's going to work in that little spot that you have that might be kind of difficult.

>> NARRATOR: Barbara shares tips on the best plants that actually love the shade.

>> WIESE: If this is your shade garden, all I can say is "wow."

>> Yes, it's beautiful.

And the ferns that we have here are a great choice for shade.

They give you texture and they're easy to grow.

>> WIESE: All right, well let's plant a couple.

>> We've got beautiful hostas and impatiens, so there's lots you can do with shade.

We're just going to intersperse them, loosen the soil with your trowel, and really just put it right in.

Tamping the soil around the roots, and you're done.

>> WIESE: And I'll say the same thing that I always say to plants when I put it in the ground.

"Don't you dare die!"

(both laugh) Barbara, thank you so much for your tips and, really, inspiration.

>> Thanks so much for coming today.

And don't forget, have fun when you're doing it.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: Litchfield, Connecticut, is known as a treasure trove for antiques, but it is also the home of artisans and craftsmen who are making a name for themselves beyond the state's border.

>> WIESE: The idea of creating an object of use from clay is as old as humanity itself.

Right now, I'm in Dumais Made, a ceramic studio that not only specializes in useful objects, but also objects of supreme beauty.

>> NARRATOR: Dumais Made specializes in interior design, furniture, and ceramics.

>> I would say our design aesthetic is it's pretty modern, but it's an eclectic mix of contemporary new pieces and definitely has an air of mid-century.

What I really love about that aesthetic, and especially the mid-century style, is sort of the proportions of furniture, the scale, and the sort of fluid line that's always carried through to each piece.

And so that is represented in all of our work.

>> You know, part of the beauty of our showroom that Kevin has designed is that he's able to place our pieces, and enhance our understanding of the impact our piece has in a space.

>> You're so talented with your hands in creating, but you're also very disciplined in your approach and the way you go at a project, where I'm not necessarily that disciplined in the way I approach a project.

(laughs) >> Well, I'm a Virgo, and he's a Pisces, so... >> (laughs) >> NARRATOR: Dumais Made ceramics are designed and created in the Litchfield studio.

>> People see our pieces as telling a story.

It's a personal story about us, but it's also a story in the way that something's made, that you don't get when you buy something that comes off a conveyor belt.

>> And I think that our, our sort of design aesthetic just feels like a fresh take for the area.

>> NARRATOR: Charlie gives Richard a taste of the process.

>> WIESE: And I'm making a vase?

>> You're making a vase, yes.

>> WIESE: And what would be the most classic vase?

>> Our classic would be our Juliette pattern, which is almost like a deep waffle grid.

>> WIESE: Okay, great.

>> So, now we're going to roll a slab of clay.

Now, just roll slow.

>> WIESE: Okay, I'm rolling this way.

>> All right.

(machinery clacking) >> WIESE: It tones as you roll.

(both laugh) >> NARRATOR: Once the clay is flattened, the pattern is carefully imprinted.

>> WIESE: All right, should I go?

>> Yeah, you should go.

All right.

(chuckles) All right, well done.

♪ ♪ Oh, the second time was better.

>> WIESE: I know, well... >> (laughs) No, no, it looks great.

So, I, I always like when, when we embrace, kind of, the imperfections of it.

>> WIESE: Then you're embracing me because that is my middle name, imperfection.

>> All right.

>> NARRATOR: The patterned clay is then cut and molded by rolling it around a metal cylinder.

Then the pieces of the vase are joined in a technique known as scoring and slipping.

>> And you just make little X's.

That's perfect.

That's very graceful.

I think this is probably the fastest piece that's ever been made.

>> NARRATOR: The vase is assembled, and when every last detail passes inspection, Richard adds the finishing touch.

>> You have to stamp the bottom with your initials.

>> WIESE: Oh, "R.W."

It's a little... ...tilting this way.

Okay, I'm so close, please don't screw up.

>> (laughs) You're good.

You're in the home stretch.

>> NARRATOR: Richard's vase will dry, be glazed, and fired in a color called "chalk."

Kevin shares a sample of what the finished vase will eventually look like.

>> WIESE: And on cue... >> (laughs) >> This is a finished product in the chalk glaze.

>> WIESE: That looks fantastic.

You know, I'd really like to thank you guys, it's amazing what kind of creativity comes out of a little corner of Connecticut, and that how one's collective sensibilities create something this wonderful.

Uh, thank you very much for taking me through the process.

>> Thank you so much.

>> WIESE: And please excuse the clay on my hand.

>> I'm used to it.

>> We're used to it.

>> WIESE: This is really great.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> TRAVERSO (laughs): Welcome to my happy place.

I am at Cider Hill Orchards in Amesbury, Massachusetts, where the team grows more than 70 varieties of apples, makes sweet cider and hard cider, and maybe most importantly, cider doughnuts.

And we're going to be experiencing all of it, so come along.

>> NARRATOR: For nearly five decades, Cider Hill Farm has been a labor of love for Glenn and Karen Cook.

Situated on over 145 acres, it started out as a dairy and poultry farm.

Today, it is a landmark destination known for fresh vegetables, family activities, and, of course, the apple orchards.

>> TRAVERSO: I have always felt like there's no place closer to heaven on earth than an apple orchard.

So, thank you for this little bit of heaven here.

>> Actually on our T-shirts we have, it says "joy" on it.

>> TRAVERSO: Really?

>> Mmm-hmm, yeah.

And we had been asked, "What do you do at Cider Hill?"

And I said "We cultivate, nurture, and grow relationships."

>> TRAVERSO: Aww.

>> And it's about community and joy.

So, you absolutely hit the soul of our farm here, and it is a little piece of heaven.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah.

>> My mom and dad bought the original part, the dairy farm.

We bought the farm across the street, which was the poultry farm, in 1981, on our honeymoon.

>> TRAVERSO: Oh my gosh, wow!

>> So, this farm started during our honeymoon, planted our first orchard.

And we've just built it through a lot of sweat, and some tears... >> Mm-hmm.

>>... and dedication to it to what it is today.

>> NARRATOR: With an eye towards the future, Glenn and Karen have assembled a team that works together like family.

Jenny Durocher is now the farm manager at Cider Hill.

>> So I actually met Glenn and Karen through my husband, who grew up right down the road from the farm, and he grew up with their boys as well.

And he brought me here on a date in the middle of fall, and I remember leaving the farm thinking, "That place is crazy, I, I am not going back."

(Amy laughs) And then somehow, six months later, I ended up working here.

I think they knew I would work hard, and I had an ability to kind of figure it out as I went.

One of the most fun parts about our farm is when we say it's a family farm, it really does mean it's a family farm.

It may not just be the Cook family, but we also have another family who is our Romanian family.

And Grigore and Marin are our two farm managers who run the team, and they actually-- the farm team is all of their brothers, and brother-in-laws, and cousins and neighbors who all come over from Romania and work with us.

>> I grew up in Romania, so I grew up on a farm, and from the young kid, I was helping my parents farming, planting, hoeing, growing.

So, for me, came natural.

So, I have seven brothers and two sisters.

And to a point or another, I had all of them working at the farm, which I think it's... uh, meant to be.

>> TRAVERSO: That's beautiful.

>> NARRATOR: Amy and Glenn enjoy a wagon ride on their way to taste some interesting apple varieties.

>> TRAVERSO: So we're going to be tasting some of the varieties?

>> Yes, yes.

>> TRAVERSO: I'm so excited!

Just to see these, like, fruit-laden branches against a blue sky, I mean, does... do you get used to it?

>> I love it.

I love it.

This is, uh... this is my passion.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah.

>> Just being in the orchard, I could pick apples all day.

>> TRAVERSO (laughs): Your team has created the most beautiful spread here, and I'm so excited!

>> I can see that they went to some of the corners of the orchard to gather some of our more unusual apples.

>> TRAVERSO: I love this.

>> Let's start with this one here.

This is Kingston Black.

This is an apple that comes out of England, probably the best single varietal apple for making hard cider.

>> TRAVERSO: Hard cider.

>> Yes.

>> TRAVERSO: I haven't tasted this one in a while, so let me, let me give it a try.

>> All right.

>> TRAVERSO: It's sweet, there's no acidity to balance that out.

>> Right.

>> Right.

Here's another one.

It's Hudson's Golden Gem.

>> TRAVERSO: Oh, I like this one.

How would you describe the flavor?

>> I would say it's our most pear-like apple.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay, got it.

Mmm.

Mmm.

Such a wonderful, explosively juicy flesh, but tender, so it's, like, really pleasant to bite into.

>> And even in our ciders, the sweet ciders... >> TRAVERSO: Yeah.

>> ...we pick up a little bit of that pear flavor without throwing pears in it.

>> TRAVERSO: Wow.

That's really cool.

>> Yes.

And that leaves just the SnowSweet, which is a newer... >> TRAVERSO: I don't know this one.

>> ...apple, but it has a very white flesh, >> TRAVERSO: Mmm.

>> ...and a fine texture, and just a nice apple.

>> TRAVERSO: Mmm.

>> A nice, nice new one.

>> TRAVERSO: I love approaching apple tasting a little bit like wine tasting, and you pick up the different flavors.

It's just a fun thing to do.

A fun way to experience apples.

>> You want to chase it with a little cider?

>> TRAVERSO: Oh my gosh, please.

>> We try to go for a base, uh, which is typically Mac, in the Mac family.

>> TRAVERSO: Yes.

>> And then we want to add an aromatic, which right now would be Gala.

>> TRAVERSO: Ooh, yeah.

Floral.

>> Because when you go to drink it you want to smell it... (Amy sighs deeply) ...before it even gets into your mouth.

>> TRAVERSO: All right, well let's taste this, this delicious cider.

(glasses clink) Cheers.

>> Let's do it.

>> TRAVERSO: Oh, it smells so good.

Mmm.

Definitely taste the Macintosh, which is a distinctive kind of spicy, but then that wonderful aromatic Gala kind of blends... and, yeah, such a nice cider.

>> Delicious for a mid-September cider.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah.

>> It's really nice.

>> TRAVERSO: Mmm, thank you.

>> Well, I want to show you some other things.

>> TRAVERSO: I'm having the apple day of my life.

(laughs) >> Awesome, awesome.

>> NARRATOR: Next up, Amy learns the finer points on how to make cider donuts.

>> This thing never stops.

(machinery clattering) >> TRAVERSO: Wow.

How many donuts do you make an hour?

>> This machine makes 70 dozen per hour.

And you see we have two of them, so when we're really busy.

>> TRAVERSO: Right.

140 dozen donuts per hour.

>> Yep.

>> TRAVERSO: Amazing.

Okay, so right now you are coating them in the cinnamon sugar, which is essential, in my opinion.

You roll them up and then you... >> Put them on a stick.

>> TRAVERSO: This is very cool.

>> And this, the stick doesn't go chasing.

Make the spoon do the work.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay, okay.

>> So, you cover it and then the stick...

It's not so frantic.

And almost everybody who does this the first time looks really silly.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay.

I'm willing to look silly.

♪ ♪ >> Well, you passed the test.

>> TRAVERSO: Thank you!

>> Yes.

>> TRAVERSO: All right.

I think I found a calling.

>> Yeah.

(both laugh) ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: What better way to cap off the day than a Cider Hill tasting with Jenny.

>> TRAVERSO: We tasted the sweet cider in the orchard, which was absolutely delicious.

Now, this is hard cider?

>> Yep.

>> TRAVERSO: For anybody who doesn't know, what is hard cider?

>> So, pretty much hard cider is the alcoholic version of our sweet cider.

We take our sweet cider, and we put it in tanks and ferment it, and then we bottle it up, and we have seven to nine varieties of hard cider at a time on the farm.

>> TRAVERSO: Wow.

Can't wait to try this.

>> All right, let's open this guy up here.

>> TRAVERSO: And the apples, these would've been the apples from last year, right?

>> Yes, right now we press every Thursday for our sweet cider, and then as we get into season, we also start pressing more often for our hard ciders as well.

>> TRAVERSO: Oh, okay.

>> Yes.

>> TRAVERSO: Now, do you... Oh, that's really... a really nice floral kind of aroma, which... >> Yep.

Yep.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah.

That's lovely.

♪ ♪ Oh, I love that.

>> And then, the iced cider.

>> TRAVERSO: This is like, it's all the apple in a glass.

It's like every possible apple flavor... >> Yes.

>> TRAVERSO: ...you could have.

It's so many layers.

>> Yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: And it really kind of coats your mouth in this beautiful way.

>> Yeah.

Warms you right up as you drink it.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah.

>> Yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: Oh, it's so good.

>> Yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: Well, thank you for this tour.

I'm a huge fan of these ciders, and it's always exciting to see New Englanders embracing cider, and people around the country, because apples grow in a lot of places, and you can make some great beverages with them.

>> Yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: Well, cheers.

>> Cheers.

(glasses clink) (both laugh) ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: We head to Sunfox Farm, just a stone's throw from the New Hampshire capital, as the farm prepares for its annual Sunflower Festival.

Along the way, we meet a unique farming collective that Sunfox partners with, and at the day's end, we join in a stunning sunflower dinner.

>> My favorite thing about sunflowers is the transformation that I see in them.

They start off as a small seed, and within a couple of months they're seven feet tall and just a sea of yellow.

The head of the sunflower has this beautiful geometric pattern to it.

It's kind of like the soul of the sunflowers.

>> I traveled to Italy and saw vast sunflower fields, and they were all past bloom, and so part of me just really wanted to see those sunflowers in all their glory.

>> This year we're actually doing 20 acres of sunflowers, which is the most we've ever done, and probably the most that anyone's seen in New Hampshire.

So, it's really exciting, now being in the heart of Concord, too.

>> It's, it's a lot of pressure, and I'd say this week leading up to the festival is the most stressful week of the year for me.

Beginning of the week, they're still all closed.

Throughout the week, you're hoping that they're going to open on time, and, uh, you know, it looks like we did pretty good this year.

So, our timing's just right.

They're going to look great this weekend, all through next week and into next weekend.

>> We have live music, we have food trucks.

We have an artisan craft fair, we have a bunch of local people that we really connect with.

They make awesome stuff.

In addition to that, I'm doing the sunflower dinners, So, I've got a mobile food kitchen.

I'm going to be doing some cooking outside as well.

We have cut some paths through the field that you can kind of walk around through.

I mean, it's a whole experience, a good thing for the whole family.

One of my favorite things about agriculture is definitely the farm family that we have.

We're at the Concord Farmers' Market, which is one of the oldest in New Hampshire.

A real sense of community, everybody gets along, everybody kind of helps each other out.

One of the farms that we interact with a lot at the farmers market is Fresh Start.

We are really excited to be including them this year in the festival, and also as a supplier for the dinner.

>> One of our big goals as an organization, as Fresh Start Farms, is to make farming more accessible to lots of different types of people.

So we work with, primarily, refugee and immigrant farmers.

>> The farming was my childhood, and all the memories, like, came back when I came to the New Hampshire.

When I visited there, I was like, "Oh my God, I need that.

I'm going to move here."

>> Having an event that brings so much joy and connection, like a farm-to-table event, it gives us an opportunity to meet and build connections around local farmers' produce.

Which is really, really wonderful.

>> I've had a vision for a really long time about how I wanted these sunflower dinners to look.

This year, it's really coming to life.

I've built a 40-foot-long table.

I'm doing these chandeliers with branches overlooking, lights hanging off the top, So, the atmosphere is exactly what I want.

I cut an area out of the field itself, so I'm really excited for people to enjoy that.

The first course is this super delicate egg.

I designed and drew on and hollowed out each individual egg for each person.

So, I really want that to just be like a "wow."

And the first course is like, bang, that's what it is.

What I really want people to leave with is that sense of being part of my family, and kind of enjoying something that I've created for them, and that feels at home.

>> We get to have this bloom, and share that with the community, and see all the smiling faces and all the joy that it brings and that just, uh, feels really, really good.

♪ ♪ >> 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-framed barns and garages.

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

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪