AMERICA'S HEARTLAND Season 17



#1701

90 characters: Visit an indoor mushroom farm and learn how to cook a wild mushroom galette.

400 characters: A mushroom farm near Monterey Bay grows unique varieties like Lion’s Mane and Cauliflower mushrooms. Discover how to prepare a Wild Mushroom Galette with chimichurri sauce. Visit a bustling farm in California’s Central Valley as they harvest bell peppers. Meet the women who own a rural farm in Pennsylvania that’s a leader in organic and sustainable agriculture.

#1702

90 characters: Try out grapes with names like Cotton Candy and see why prunes are making a comeback.

400 characters: Ever heard of grapes with names like Cotton Candy and Gum Drop? See how they’re grown at this farm in California’s Central Valley. Prunes are being rediscovered by chefs and consumers as a healthy food choice. Learn how to make Salsa Verde Braised Chicken with fresh tomatillos. A Texas farmer works with college researchers to see if sheep can provide effective weed control in cotton fields.

#1703

90 characters: Take a bite into a ripe summer peach and meet almond farmers fulfilling a dream.

400 characters: Fresh, ripe summer peaches are the top crop at this Fresno farm. We’ll walk you step-by-step through making a Peach and Tomato Panzanella Salad at peak season. Meet an almond farmer whose parents immigrated from India and settled in California’s fertile Central Valley. An Alaska family builds a flour factory right on their barley farm, and leads the way in promoting soil health to others.

#1704

90 characters: See how olives are transformed into olive oil and learn to cook olive focaccia bread.

400 characters: Olives grown near Sacramento are rushed to a nearby processing plant and mill, guaranteeing the freshest olive oil. Follow along as we prepare an Olive and Goat Cheese Focaccia bread recipe. See what it takes to grow figs and pistachios in California’s Central Valley. A family-owned South Dakota cattle ranch is trying some innovative practices borrowed from abroad.


#1705

90 characters: Red chili peppers become sweet chili powder, and a food bank harvests fresh green beans.

400 characters: Bright red chili peppers grown at this Mendocino farm are turned into a spicy and sweet chili powder beloved by chefs. See how farmers and volunteers are making a difference in southern California, where fresh produce is grown just for food banks. Learn how to make a Sweet Corn Polenta dish. A new peanut plant in Alabama is owned by hundreds of local growers of this popular legume.


#1706

90 characters: Tour the largest producer of endive in America and visit a sustainable walnut farm.

400 characters: How do you pronounce endive? We find out at the largest endive producer in America. Visit a walnut farm where the debris from the harvest is used to enrich the soil. Learn how to make an appetizer with Whipped Goat Cheese with Dates and Bacon. Tour a cheese plant in Tennessee that provides a home for the milk from a co-op of Minnesota dairy farmers.


#1707

90 characters: Oranges and cantaloupes are grown for peak sweetness at these California farms.

400 characters: Meet a family growing oranges for the long haul in California’s Central Valley. Cantaloupes make a sweet treat, picked and packed right off the vine. We’ll show you how to put together a Lemon Cous Cous Chicken dish for your family. Discover how California is expanding its “Farm-To-School” effort to bring K-12 students more local foods.


#1708

90 characters: See why artichokes are California’s official vegetable and meet a protea flower farmer.

400 characters: Artichoke farmers reveal why you shouldn’t be intimidated by this thorny but delicious crop. Journey up steep terrain in San Diego County to see how farmers grow protea flowers for bouquets. Follow along as we cook up a sweet Caramel Apple Crisp. Meet Georgia farmers supplying “imperfect” produce to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.


#1709

90 characters: An urban couple grows saffron, and a tomato farmer adds solar panels to his farm.

400 characters: An urban couple realizes their dream by moving to the country and growing saffron, one of the world’s rarest spices. A tomato farmer adds solar panels to farmland that’s been affected by drought. We’ll walk you through the steps to cook a hearty White Bean and Beef Stew. Tour a lumber mill in Alabama, a state that’s become one of the leading timber producers in the nation.


#1710

90 characters: See why mandarins are exploding in popularity and visit a lettuce and herb farm.

400 characters: Mandarin farmers explain why this tiny, easy-to-peel fruit is exploding in popularity. Visit a lettuce and herb farm that grows just about “everything in a salad.” We’ll show you how to make a popular Greek recipe, Spanakopita with Tzatziki sauce. Meet a multi-generational family in Iowa growing soybeans.