Episode Descriptions

Beans 

Pull up a chair because the beans are on the table. Tim Sample travels to Lincoln, Maine, to interview folks at the 56th Annual River Driver’s baked bean supper. In the kitchen, Cheryl Wixson prepares two recipes, a 13-bean and sausage stew and a spicy black bean dip.

Blueberries

Blueberries highlights Maine’s sweet blue fruit as the heart of the meal that Cheryl prepares. The masterpiece is a grilled duck breast with Maine wild blueberry sauce, and for dessert, a blueberry crisp pie. At Rockdale Farms in Jonesport, Tim talks with Sanford Kelly, a longtime blueberry grower, to find out what goes into harvesting this traditional Maine crop. They also talk about the health advantage of blueberries and how the fruit has come to be promoted as a major health food because of its anti-oxidants.

Maple Syrup

Maine Maple Sunday highlights maple syrup production in Maine. Tim goes to the Strawberry Hill Farms in Skowhegan and talks with the owners, John and Eva Steeves, about the gathering of sap to make maple syrup. You will see the process of boiling down the sap for the syrup. John and Eva have the largest and most scientifically advanced operation in the state for collecting sap.

Garden Vegetables

Vegetables and chocolate are in the kitchen with a yummy tomatillo and yellow tomato salsa and chocolate zucchini bread. Tim "samples" a variety of vegetables from the organic gardens of Wolf Pine Farms in Alfred. He learns about the popular community supported agriculture program where members from the surrounding area come weekly to pick up bumper crops of everything from cucumbers to exotic hot peppers.

Fiddleheads

Tim discovers a plentiful bounty of this Northeast fern with Native American Everett Sapial on Indian Island in Old Town. Each spring, the island blooms with fiddleheads and the residents know all the best spots to pick. Back in the kitchen, Cheryl prepares fiddlehead dip and marinated fiddlehead salad.

Wild Turkey

Did you know that turkey hunting is done in a blind so that the turkeys can not see the hunters? Tim learned this while out hunting for turkeys in Albion. Back in the kitchen for wine glazed turkey breast and barbecued turkey legs.

Lunch Pail

Tim joins Mike Luciano and some of the workers at the Madison Paper Industries in Madison during their lunch break. Many of the mill workers today still bring their noon time meals in lunch pails as they did many years ago. Tim discovers some of the treats that keep them energized. Back in the kitchen, Cheryl and Tim prepare some special Maine sandwiches that will make your mouth water: grilled Maine cod packets, pioneer sandwiches and cranberry relish.

Fairs & Festivals

Tim goes to the National Folk Festival in Bangor to see for himself the kinds of food that is being prepared by the vendors. He also chats with festival goers about the kinds of food that they enjoy here versus what they eat at home. Back in the kitchen Cheryl and Tim make fried dough and Thai spring rolls with sweet garlic sauce.

Goat Cheese

Tim visits the Appleton Creamery in Appleton and talks with Caitlin and Bradley Hunter who raise goats for their milk and produce a variety of goat cheese products. Tim even does some of the chores on the farm before sitting down to enjoy some of the bounty. Back in the kitchen, Tim and Cheryl prepare orange goat cheese danish, and basil and olive oil goat cheese over pasta with sauteed garden vegetables.

Passing Down Recipes

Tim visits the Somerset Dance Society in Norridgewock, where the group meets on Saturday nights for a potluck supper and dancing. Tim "samples" some of the delicious food, and then works it off while dancing with the others. Back in the kitchen, Cheryl and Tim prepare lobster bertha and her specialty biscuits.

Dining Out

Chef Kerry Altiero shows Tim some nifty culinary tricks whipped up from veggies delivered direct from a local farm. Back in the kitchen, Tim and Cheryl prepare curried squash and crabmeat bisque, and a fabulous bowl o’meat.

Potatoes

Tim learns that the kids harvesting potatoes at Wood Prairie Farms in Bridgewater, Maine have no fear of work. And farmers Jim and Megan Gerritsen break the record with 16 potato varieties, holding names such as Island Sunrise and Yukon Gold. Back in the studio, Tim and Cheryl show us four different ways to use potatoes by cooking some delicious needhams with chocolate dip and herb–roasted potatoes, shoe-string garlic potatoes, and savory roasted potatoes.

Seafood

Whether it’s old fashioned finnan haddie or gourmet smoked salmon, technology meets ocean fresh at Grindstone Neck of Maine in Winter Harbor. Tim joins proprietor Roger Billings for a tour of their pristine facility and does some taste testing.

What’s for Suppah? Beans, Blueberries and Beyond is a television cooking series featuring Maine humorist, Tim Sample, and chef and food columnist, Cheryl Wixson. The series spotlights foods grown and harvested in Maine and demonstrates nutritious and affordable recipes using Maine foods. It celebrates the important role our rural traditions have played in endowing Maine people with a rich diversity of cultures. Cultural identity is inextricably tied to the food we harvest, prepare and eat. These rural traditions are celebrated in the way we prepare, serve and present a meal.