New England Makers -
weekends with yankee

In this episode of Weekends with Yankee, co-host Richard Wiese is in Shaftsbury, Vermont, to meet Tammy White and her flock of sheep at Wing & A Prayer Farm and learn how she turns wool into stunningly beautiful yarn. What started as a fun project for Tammy is now a lifestyle, as she tends dozens of heritage-breed sheep plus alpacas, ducks, goats, and horses. Tammy and her daughter Char show us every step of their process, from shearing a sheep to dying yarn with flowers grown in their dye garden, for a full farm-to-fashion story. Then we head north to the small town of Goshen, Vermont, where a young couple are keeping alive the tradition of making maple syrup the old-fashioned way through their Republic of Vermont label. As they check on taps and boiling sap, we learn what it means to carry on the region's maple syrup legacy in uncertain times. Finally, co-host Amy Traverso pays a visit to baker Ahmad Aissa, who is bringing the sweet flavors of his native Syria to the home he's made in Concord, New Hampshire. What started as a hobby became a business when Ahmad and his American-born wife, Evelyn, were forced to flee Syria during the civil war. They settled in Evelyn's home state, and today Ahmad's business is thriving, with Aissa Sweets cookies selling in stores all over the country. Ahmad shows Amy how to make filo dough at his bakery, then they head back to the Aissas' home to bake his signature mamoul cookies.

Episode Duration: 26 minutes and 46 seconds

Episode Number: 602

About Weekends with Yankee:

WEEKENDS WITH YANKEE is a 13-part travel and lifestyle series named for the long-running publication enjoyed by readers across America for more than 80 years.

With New England among the nation's top tourist destinations, the magazine-style program takes viewers on an insider's exploration of the cities, countryside locales and far-flung places in the quaint and scenic region.

The series is hosted by Richard Wiese, (Born to Explore) , an Emmy Award-winning TV personality, author and explorer who has traveled to all seven continents, participated in two expeditions to Antarctica, and cross-country skied to the North Pole.

Amy Traverso, a senior food editor at Yankee magazine who has appeared on The Martha Stewart Show and the Food Network's Throwdown with Bobby Flay, joins Richard as co-host.

She highlights recipes, local flavors and the sense of community that make up the regions' food and dining scene.

WEEKENDS WITH YANKEE offers an "all-access" behind-the-scenes pass to the unique attractions that define the region, and the hidden New England that only locals know.

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