In this episode of Weekends with Yankee, Co-host Amy Traverso visits Essex, Massachusetts to learn about the history and legacy of shipbuilding in this small seaside town. Amy also makes a stop at Woodman’s of Essex, known as the birthplace of the fried clam. where the owner reveals the secret to a perfect fried clam. They also cook up another Woodman’s classic, New England clam chowder. Then, at Big Picture Farm in Townshend, Vermont, we visit with artists Louisa Conrad and her husband, Lucas Farrell, whose award-winning goat milk caramels have helped put their hillside dairy and creamery on the map. Meanwhile, Co-host Richard Wiese is off the grid in Woodstock, Connecticut at a woodworking shop with Meb Boden of Meb’s Kitchenwares. They create a sauté spoon by hand; from a block of local wood, they mold the spoon for a beautiful made-in-New England product. Back in her kitchen, Amy cooks up a clam feast with Rhode Island-Style Clear Clam Chowder.