NARRATOR: Today on Weekends with Yankee, Richard visits Golden Dog Farm in Vermont, where the motto "happiness is golden" applies to everything from wine and syrup to a happy of lively golden retrievers.

WIESE: She just whispered into my ear that she's perfect.

NARRATOR: In New Hampshire, Amy experiences the beautiful lavender harvest at Pumpkin Blossom Farm.

She learns how to make a lavender wreath and samples some delicious flower-infused treats.

TRAVERSO: Mm!

- (laughs) TRAVERSO: Oh, I love this.

NARRATOR: And Richard ends the day with the Vermont Dog Trainer to get the inside scoop on some dog training tips that all of us can try out at home.

- Frustration in the human is perceived as excitement to the dog, so that just means that we're adding to the situation.

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.

- Country Carpenters-- handcrafted barns and homes for over 50 years.

- On an American Cruise Lines journey, you can explore historic New England.

NARRATOR: With the Green Mountains of Vermont as a backdrop, Golden Dog Farm sits on over 200 acres of rolling hills.

Doug and Becca Worple are Ohio natives whose farm produces wine and honey as well as maple syrup.

But their true passion lies in a happy of golden retrievers.

WIESE: Welcome to Golden Dog Farm, where happiness is not only a promise, it's a guarantee.

What do you say, guys?

How did you come up with the idea of Golden Dog Farm?

- We were ready to kind of explore a living somewhere else.

So we hit the road in an RV and traveled across the country kind of in search of what was next.

But we were looking for land and our dream was to have a happy of goldens.

And so when we came to Vermont, we saw this amazing property.

We ended up buying it and naming it Golden Dog Farm seemed exactly what the name needed to be.

- So moving here, it's just an extension of having to learn something from the ground up.

How to make maple syrup, how to be a beekeeper, how to make wine, how to get grapes to grow in a northern climate.

So they're all kind of challenges that involve an immersion in a new business.

NARRATOR: Dana and Susan Menne are also golden retriever lovers and certified AKC breeders.

Dana was a chef, and Susan a nurse, but together they formed a partnership with Rebecca and Doug.

WIESE: So I'm a new golden retriever owner, and it's hard to imagine my life now without her.

Um, what is it that you love best about the breed?

- I love that they can be trusted, and I love they want to please you.

They want to be with you, and they want to work for you.

And, um, they're a fun dog.

They're fun to go out and do things outside, but also yet they're calm and relaxed in the house.

And they love curling up next to you and watching a movie.

And to me, um, they're just perfect.

We've got 12 dogs, right, uh, 12 adult dogs.

We have two different family lines and four generations each.

Sharing our dogs and seeing how enthusiastic people are with them is, is a dream come true.

(dog barking, people cheering) - Oh, nice hit!

- And it was something that they had wanted to do but didn't have the property.

And we had the property, but didn't have the dogs, and so it's been an amazing collaboration.

It's been a great partnership.

NARRATOR: One of the highlights on the calendar is Butternut Golden's new puppies.

Dog lovers come from near and far to help socialize the litter.

It's playtime filled with puppy breath and cuddles.

- People come, they get to meet a group of puppies that typically you wouldn't get to meet at that age-- most groups of puppies don't start that socialization with strangers like that until they go to their forever home.

Which might be, like, nine weeks-- eight, nine weeks.

- She's always climbing out.

All right, you're next, huh?

- Um, so these puppies start to experience that at six weeks, and we try to make that a super-positive experience.

And people love it.

You have these little potatoes rolling down the hill toward you with their ears flopping and it's like the... it, it's like you've died and gone to heaven.

It's the cutest thing.

Everybody gets to hold a puppy, golden puppy halo all around your head.

WIESE: Oh my gosh, oh God.

- And people are just so happy.

(cheers, applause) - That's cute!

- People come here, they're kind of skeptical, some of them at first.

And by the end of the experience, they feel like they're a part of something bigger.

And they feel loved and they feel welcomed.

NARRATOR: With every new litter, Susan's job is to match the puppy with its new family.

- We, we look at dog behaviors, the puppy behaviors, from day one and a lot depends if, do they have a dog in the house already?

What is that dog's temperament like?

What's the household energy like?

How busy is it?

So we, we try to match up the, what would be the best home for the puppy.

And the best home for the puppy will end up being the best home for the family, too.

NARRATOR: Ian Grant is a dog trainer who works with Butternut Goldens to help evaluate new puppies.

Meet Samantha, who's just nine weeks old.

WIESE: Obviously know that this particular dog is friendly.

- Yeah.

WIESE: She just whispered into my ear that she's perfect.

(laughs) So what are some of the other tests you'll do to evaluate?

- So one thing we're gonna do in a moment here is we're going to put her down on the ground and then I'm going to open up an umbrella quickly and drop it.

So this kind of tests her ability to either get used to this situation, be afraid of it and that just gives us feedback as to kind of what her temperament is.

So we can see that she moved towards the umbrella.

WIESE: Yeah.

- She wasn't afraid of it.

So this is a dog that could, you know, do very well out in public with sights, sounds, city life.

WIESE: Picnics, beach situations, everything where umbrellas... - Yeah, be active, you know?

And so, all the more reason that we, we nurtured that confidence in her as she, as she grows.

WIESE: See, I knew you can do this.

I knew you would do this.

- (chuckles) Now we're going to test her sound.

So, how she responds to loud noises.

WIESE: Okay.

- So we start with a tin bowl and we've got a metal measuring cup.

WIESE: Oh, boy.

- I'm not going to do it while she's in there though.

So she's got to get back out, 'cause I don't want to... WIESE: Something tells me she's fed in-- (loud clanging) Wow, is that a brave dog?

- That's huge, yeah.

Because she's not running from it.

If anything, she's showing curiosity and she's moving towards it.

So, again, now we start to see a trend of how confident she is and how she's willing to move towards something and not move away from it.

WIESE: And I like the curiosity in her.

NARRATOR: Next, Ian puts Eddie through his paces.

- Enter puppy.

WIESE: Oh, you know, now I'm going to give my evaluation right off the top.

This is a super-cute dog, it's right for me.

No, that's not what you do?

- It's very difficult to look beyond the looks of the dog and think about the temperament and the energy of the dog.

So that's the first challenge that really hits dog owners is we have to look beyond the looks and then go from there.

♪ ♪ Now we're going to test his retrieving.

So I've got just a little squeaky toy here.

(toy squeaks) I'm trying to get his attention and then I'm going to toss it to see if he'll actually move.

WIESE: That's a good boy!

- Yeah, see?

WIESE: Oh my God, he's so smart.

- Yup.

NARRATOR: Next, the happy of adult goldens take center stage in the Golden Dog experience and they arrive in classic Vermont style.

- So when people arrive here, they arrive in our vineyard and they hike through the woods.

They have this amazing view of the Long Trail, Mount Mansfield, and then the Butternut goldens arrive, and they pull up in their pickup truck.

When we're all ready, Dana from Butternut Goldens opens the tailgate and the dogs kind of explode out of the back of the truck in this incredible setting.

NARRATOR: Each of the goldens has its own personality and quirky traits and Susan knows them all.

- Amber is, she's such a relaxed dog.

She loves to play ball, but when she's in a group of people she's going to be in somebody's arms and at their side.

She soaks it up.

And Gina, she's the, I call her the comedian in the family, some people call her the cool aunt, But, uh, and Becca likes to call her the hitchhiker, because she likes to hang outside the truck.

We can't break her, that's how she rolls.

And then, Bobby, he's young, he's finding his way, but he's a natural puppy mentor.

He loves puppies and teaching and... so he's, he provides a good, calm presence for the puppies, as well.

Padraig, they call him the quarterback.

WIESE: (laughs) - And it's because he'll hang out in the middle of the truck while everybody comes around, but he's the one who always feels like he's entitled to the ball.

I love him, he's, he's great.

- So you see these dogs running through tall grass, living their best life, jumping in a pond, and people are like, this is what I imagine heaven to be like.

Some people come because they're grieving a lost pet, some people come because they live in an apartment and they can't have a dog, but they had one growing up.

So it evokes all these positive emotions for people and just, I think, you know, one dog brings out a little of that.

Eight dogs, a group of dogs, a group of goldens, we call a happy, it like, really elicits that emotional response and it's, it's just joyful to be a part of it every day.

WIESE: What is the Golden Dog Farm experience?

- The best day ever.

- It's the best day ever.

♪ ♪ WIESE: You know, this is one of those things, a wet dog shaking off on you is not that much fun, but when you get this kind of look and you know, you just see pure love, right?

That's a good dog.

I have to admit, I'm enjoying this.

Hello, sweetie, hello!

Ah, so clean!

NARRATOR: Richard ends the day with sommelier David Keck, who cultivates the farm's vineyards.

WIESE: What does a wine vineyard have to do with golden retrievers?

- Uh... (laughs) Honestly, not a lot of intersection.

But we've been doing some pretty awesome events where people come play with golden retrievers, experience this stunning property, and then we come out to the vineyard and talk about the great varieties that grow here and what's unique about them and taste some wine and kind of wrap up sort of a perfect couple of hours.

WIESE: I want to thank you all for having us here today.

I mean, we're at the golden hour, which is appropriate for golden retrievers, but it's more than golden retrievers and wine.

It's really saying that yes to joy, that happiness is someplace that can exist.

So to the happiness you've created.

- Yay!

- Cheers.

WIESE: Cheers.

- Happiness is golden.

Salud.

- Salud.

♪ ♪ TRAVERSO: I'm in the Lavender Fields at Pumpkin Blossom Farm in Warner, New Hampshire.

This family farm invites visitors to find peace among thousands of lavender plants that you can pick yourself or enjoy in specialty products and treats.

And I'll meet owner Missy Biagiotti to hear the inspiring story behind the creation of the farm.

- Welcome to Lavender Fields at Pumpkin Blossom Farm.

TRAVERSO: Thank you so much.

It's so beautiful here.

- I'm glad you're here, let me show you around the farm.

TRAVERSO: Okay, great.

Thanks.

NARRATOR: The idea for Pumpkin Blossom Farm was born when Missy's sister was undergoing cancer treatment.

A healing garden at the hospital brought them comfort.

Missy was inspired to create this farm using lavender, a flower known for its calming, healing properties.

TRAVERSO: What is it about lavender?

It does make you feel better.

- Yeah, it does.

TRAVERSO: What are the properties?

There's so many neat healing compounds in the lavender.

When I started looking into it, I thought, this could be sustainable.

I could offer this healing garden because the, the flower itself offers me so many opportunities, and more and more studies have come out showing the effects in such positive ways for people.

It's all natural, it smells great.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- But those compounds are surely doing the trick.

TRAVERSO: Can you tell me about the farm itself?

- We're truly a family-run farm that produces lavender, lavender products, lavender experiences, everything from yoga to retreats.

We really want people to be immersed in lavender.

NARRATOR: It all starts with the lavender plants.

TRAVERSO: I think a lot of people wouldn't know that you could grow this kind of lavender in this climate.

- Right.

Right, there's over 145 different species, so there's all kinds, and we've seem to hit the right mark with the varieties that we have here.

So here we are, Amy.

We're at the peak of our bloom.

TRAVERSO: It's so beautiful.

I feel so lucky to be here right now.

- Well, now the work begins, though.

(laughs) So we have a lot of harvesting to do.

Obviously, we have 10,000 plants in the ground and it's a very manual process.

So we do ask the public to come in for our U-Pick.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- They are a great help in helping us get this lavender out of the ground.

TRAVERSO: I like being at lavender level.

It's a nice place to be.

- It's a nice place to be.

And you certainly can smell it after you have harvested, it's so strong.

The plant itself even has this really great herb-y smell.

But we get in there and we just take a little bit like that.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

- And you end up, yeah.

TRAVERSO: Is that right?

- It's a little tough, yeah.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

- You're good.

TRAVERSO: It's a different sensation.

- It's a different sensation completely.

There you go.

TRAVERSO: Oh, yay, I did it.

- Yes!

TRAVERSO: If I want to grow lavender at home, what kind of environment do I need to create and how do I need to care for it?

- So, Amy, you're going to be looking for full sun.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

- Six to eight hours.

It really thrives in the sunshine.

But look, that makes me pretty happy.

TRAVERSO: It's so beautiful.

- (laughs) - Five plants down and about 9,595 to go.

TRAVERSO: (laughs) - So, good work.

TRAVERSO: There's at least a little, it's a drop in the bucket, but it's in the bucket.

- It's a help, it's a help.

Thank you.

TRAVERSO: (laughs) NARRATOR: Unexpected lavender-infused treats can be found around every corner, including ice cream.

TRAVERSO: This can't be real, it's too cute!

- A little step back in time.

A little step back in time.

TRAVERSO: I love it.

TRAVERSO: And it's a real Shasta trailer.

- It's a real Shasta '66 camper.

NARRATOR: The vintage camper offers snacks from lavender shortbread to pineapple lavender whip.

- Lavender works really well with citrus flavors.

It's one of my favorite pairings.

It really tones down the bite of the citrus.

So it's really great.

TRAVERSO: You're right!

Oh, I love this.

- Yup.

Thank you, Clara.

TRAVERSO: Oh, what a treat.

- What a treat-- cheers.

TRAVERSO: On a warm summer day-- cheers.

Mm.

- That is good.

NARRATOR: The 14-acre farm dates back to 1790.

In its long life, it has also served as a boarding house and inn, a horse farm, and the home of a wood stove company.

Today, Missy takes great pride in her family-run operation.

My husband does a lot of the distillation for essential oils and hydrosol, and my kids are involved in all the operations of the farm, from changing trash bags to planting to selling ice cream out of our camper.

NARRATOR: Missy's husband, Mike, shows Amy how to distill the blooms into essential oil.

TRAVERSO: And so tell me about this beautiful machine.

- Sure.

TRAVERSO: This still, right?

It's called a still?

- It is, it's a copper still.

and we're doing basic steam distillation.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

- And that's making a rolling boil in steam that is going up through about 100 bundles of lavender that I harvested this morning.

It goes in there and unlocks all of the good stuff in the plant, all the great smells, some of the stuff you're smelling.

TRAVERSO: Right.

Yeah.

- Let me spritz you.

It's a good-smelling lavender water.

TRAVERSO: Oh, that's sort of floral and almost like baby powder up here.

- Yeah.

TRAVERSO: Like mint in the middle, and then like the resin-y, rosemary, kind of woodsy herbs.

- The mint, yeah?

A lot of people say mint.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- It's really what we use, the oil and the hydrosol for here is not consumption.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- It's really more for our bath and body and our aromatherapy products that we make here at the farm.

NARRATOR: Lavender-infused food products and drinks are a farm favorite.

Today, a non-alcoholic mocktail is on the menu, using lavender simple syrup.

- Today we will be making our peach lavender fizz with our rum alternative.

TRAVERSO: I feel like peach and lavender are such a natural pairing, and it just feels kind of like the ultimate summer flavor.

- Next we will be adding our lavender simple syrup.

We'll be adding about an ounce of that.

TRAVERSO: Okay, so equal portions.

So is this peach juice here?

- This is peach nectar.

TRAVERSO: Oh, nice.

- Just to give it a little bit of body and more of that peach flavor.

TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm.

NARRATOR: Ashley puts the mixture into a shaker, adds some bubbly seltzer, and garnishes with a sprig of lavender and fresh peaches.

TRAVERSO: Mm.

Wow, it really does taste like rum.

- (laughs) It does.

TRAVERSO: It's really nice.

And then the fizz just makes it feel fun and summery.

- Just tops it off.

TRAVERSO: Oh, it's so good.

Well, thank you very much for this lesson.

- Of course!

TRAVERSO: Cheers.

- Cheers.

- We take hundreds of bundles to the loft of the barn to dry, and up there we have this treasure trove of buds that we can use all year long.

NARRATOR: The boutique offers lavender products from local artisans, in addition to their own creations.

- There are so many really neat artistic and creative people in town, and we've partnered with a lot of people to include our lavender in things they make.

TRAVERSO: Mm, smells so good-- this is the bath station where you can make yourself a little sachet to put in your bath with, like, Himalayan salt or Epsom salt.

I can't believe how many products you can put lavender in.

- I know!

Who knew?

Who knew?

TRAVERSO: (laughs) - We come up with everything, like, something new every year.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- So this is our newest.

These are our scrunchies that are filled with lavender.

Awesome.

TRAVERSO: These are such a great idea.

- We have like four different colors, four different materials.

These are our room and linen sprays.

So they're great to help you with sleeping.

They're great just to spray in a room, to have that nice calming effect of lavender.

TRAVERSO: What about for culinary lavender?

- So this is our lavender simple syrup.

We use it in our lavender lemonade that we serve here, that we actually have bottled, that you can buy as well.

But this is a fan favorite.

- We make all of our products, everything from candles to drink mixes and everything in between.

NARRATOR: Pumpkin Blossom Farm offers visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in lavender through culinary events, photography, yoga retreats, and classes.

Amy tries her hand at making a fresh lavender wreath.

TRAVERSO: What do you need, like, what materials do you need?

- Super simple.

You need lots and lots of fresh lavender.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- Just a simple little wreath ring.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

- And some wire.

You can keep it a little loose at first.

TRAVERSO: Oh, okay.

- And then you have an opportunity to sort of just move your blooms around and see if you can create a little dimension-- this side sort of creates the inner swirl of your wreath.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

Oh, okay.

- And this creates the outer swirls.

Wreath ring, we're not going to think too much about it, because it's just going to start to appear.

We're going to trust the process.

TRAVERSO: Okay, trust the process.

- Trust the process.

TRAVERSO: That's always a challenge in life, but I'm working on it.

(laughs) - It is, but it does appear.

NARRATOR: Amy and Missy continue gathering and wrapping bundles as the wreaths take shape.

TRAVERSO: I think I'm getting close.

- You are, I think we are both at our last bundle.

TRAVERSO: Okay!

- I'm going to put this right inside the wreath ring.

Right through there.

TRAVERSO: Oh!

That keeps these all in the same orientation.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- We'll pull this through the wreath ring and this should fall right into place.

And there you have it.

TRAVERSO: Wow, that's beautiful.

And how long will the wreath last?

- If it's in some place where it's not harmed, not touched, it usually can last a couple of years.

But once the smell starts to go away, really it's nice to put, to process all those buds and put them to use... TRAVERSO: Right.

- ...in a little sachet and make sure you can keep them, keep them for longer.

TRAVERSO: This has been so much fun and I'm really excited to bring it home and hang it in my house.

- Good!

Well, I'm happy, and like most of the people that come to the wreath classes, I hope you take it home and it connects you to a memory of the farm.

TRAVERSO: Well, Missy, you said you wanted this to be a place where people came to find peace and I would say you've completely succeeded.

- Thank you.

And thanks for completing that little memory for me here.

This is wonderful.

TRAVERSO: Oh, thank you so much.

Cheers.

- Cheers.

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: One of the challenges for pet lovers everywhere is training your furry friend to be a good dog.

Trainer Ian Grant shares tips with his golden retriever, Fitz.

WIESE: Perhaps as a trainer the biggest question you get is how do I train, start training my dog?

What's your philosophy on training?

- So my philosophy on training is based on dog psychology.

So this is truly how Mother Nature meant for dogs to be.

So it's learning about their body language, how they communicate, their energy, how we assess them for who they are and then how we can fulfill them both mentally and physically on a regular basis.

I want to keep things as positive as possible all the while having all sorts of fun, but then creating some rules and boundaries when needed to.

I think that you have to play a number of roles with your dog.

I think you have to be the coach the mentor, the teammate, the hype man, and then also one to be there to have your dog's back.

So I don't think there's one actual role that we play with our dogs, I think we have to play a number of them so that they know that they can depend on us when needed.

WIESE: And, you know, in terms of time you spend with the dog, assuming that the more time you spend with the dog, the easier it is to sort of have that dog know what you want?

- Yeah, I think, you know, when you can spend a good amount of time with your dog, whether it's training or hanging out I think it's good.

I think it's healthy, I think that your dog can understand your energy and your frequency, your intentions.

We have to be careful not to tip that over the edge where your dog constantly follows you around the house and becomes a velcro dog because sometimes that can be unhealthy.

WIESE: Maybe the biggest issue I see when I go walking with my dog is dogs that sort of jump up, they're happy to see you.

- Yeah.

WIESE: And they sort of jump up on you and you know we have Fitz here.

Maybe we can use Fitz as an example.

- Yeah.

So typically dogs, when they jump, that jumping is a symptom of an issue, which is just a, typically excitement.

So from here, this is when I would walk into him to back him down off of me.

You see he's very excited, WIESE: (laughs) - So my energy doesn't change during this whole process.

WIESE: Right.

Because if I get excited, that's a trigger for him to get even more excited.

WIESE: Right.

- So it's really important, because frustration in the human is perceived as excitement to the dog.

So that just means that we're adding to the situation.

So I want to keep myself as calm, as chill as possible to help bring him back down.

WIESE: All right, a dog that knows what you want ends up being a happy dog and everybody's happy.

- Absolutely, for sure.

♪ ♪ 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 sport fishing boats for over 60 years.

- Country Carpenters-- handcrafted barns and homes for over 50 years.

- On an American Cruise Lines journey, you can explore historic New England.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪