America's Heartland

Meet a farmer growing dates in the California desert, including his own variety that he calls "Black Gold."

Are dates a safe choice if you have diabetes? Dr. Daphne Miller explores the latest research on eating these sweet treats on Harvesting Health.

Cantaloupes make a sweet treat, picked and packed right off the vine. The Turlock Fruit Company is best known for their sweet-tasting melons, particularly cantaloupes, honeydews and mixed melons. The family says they focus on flavor, producing the melons that efficiently transfer sugar from the plant to the melon.

Bright red chili peppers grown at this Mendocino farm are turned into a spicy and sweet chili powder beloved by chefs. The husband-and -wife team behind Boonville Barn primarily grow espelette peppers, along with about 10 other varieties of specialty chilies that are hard to find elsewhere.

Visit a walnut farm where the debris from the harvest is used to enrich the soil. Craig McNamara, his family, and their longtime workers have been harvesting walnuts on this 350-acre farm for more than forty years. California farms nearly a half-million acres of walnuts and produces 99-percent of all

How do you pronounce endive? We find out at the largest endive producer in America. Endives originated in Belgium, where almost two centuries ago, a chicory farmer found out, quite by accident, that long-term cold storage of chicory plants would produce tender, tasty leaves.

Meet a fourth-generation artichoke farmer, whose family has been growing artichokes for a century. Scattini Family Farms grows perennial artichokes, based from a rootstock that was originally brought to America from the Mediterranean in the late 1800s.

Meet a family growing oranges for the long haul in California’s Central Valley. The Gillette family began farming oranges in Southern California, which at one time was the heart of the citrus industry. But that began to change after World War II, with many growers moving north to the

Journey up steep terrain in San Diego County to see how farmers grow protea flowers for bouquets. Protea flowers grow as weeds in their native Africa, but here in Southern California, more than 250 varieties of Proteas can be found. And they're as varied as the Greek God

Artichoke farmers reveal why you shouldn’t be intimidated by this thorny but delicious crop. Artichokes may be a popular dish in California – and in fact, were named the Official State Vegetable in 2013 – but they still remain a mystery to many people outside the Golden State. We meet farmers

A tomato farmer adds solar panels to farmland that’s been affected by drought. Woolf Farming is known as a leader in sustainable agriculture in the Central Valley. It's a point of pride to Stuart Woolf, and, he hopes, a way to ensure the future success of his

An urban couple realizes their dream by moving to the country and growing saffron, one of the world’s rarest spices. Peace and Plenty is the largest grower and producer of saffron in North America. We joined them for the fall harvest, which lasts 6 weeks starting each November. The

Mandarin farmers explain why this tiny, easy-to-peel fruit is exploding in popularity. A father-and-daughter team head up Mulholland Citrus. They're the third and fourth generations of the Mulholland family to farm citrus, moving operations from Southern California to Orange Cove in the Central Valley.

Visit a lettuce and herb farm that grows just about “everything in a salad.” The Ratto family immigrated to America from Italy in 1878. Ratto Brothers was founded by Antone Ratto, who was known as the "Market Man" delivering vegetables to customers with a horse drawn carriage – the

Discover all the delicious treats that California’s Apple Hill has to offer to visitors, from pies to pastries.

Learn how to make Salsa Verde Braised Chicken with fresh tomatillos.

Tour a cheese plant in Tennessee that provides a home for the milk from a co-op of Minnesota dairy farmers.

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.

Follow along as we prepare an Olive and Goat Cheese Focaccia bread recipe.

A family-owned South Dakota cattle ranch is trying some innovative practices borrowed from abroad.

Make a Peach and Tomato Panzanella Salad at peak season.

An Alaska family builds a flour factory right on their barley farm, and leads the way in promoting soil health to others.

A Texas farmer works with college researchers to see if sheep can provide effective weed control in cotton fields.

Discover how to prepare a Wild Mushroom Galette with chimichurri sauce.

Meet the women who own a rural farm in Pennsylvania that’s a leader in organic and sustainable agriculture.

Learn how to put together a Lemon Cous Cous Chicken dish for your family.

Annie Walker says that cranberries are one of the most important fruits in America. The cranberry is a Native American plant and was growing here long before the first settlers arrived from Europe. Annie’s family tie to cranberries dates back before the American Revolution. Today she keeps that tradition

Chef Sharon Vaknin shares some recipe secrets that add extra flavor to one of America’s most popular vegetables. Sweet corn can be a treat when simply boiled in water. Sharon creates a mango and sweet corn salad and also serves up spicy corn fritters.

Behind-the-Scenes with Associate Producer Tyler Bastine.

Cattle Drive Kid Safety

Visit a bustling farm in California’s Central Valley as they harvest bell peppers. Live Oak Farms grows bell peppers in four different regions in California, allowing the family-owned farm to harvest bell peppers nine months out of the year.

A mushroom farm near Monterey Bay grows unique varieties like Lion’s Mane and Cauliflower mushrooms. Far West Fungi is family-owned, reaching customers at more than a dozen farmers markets throughout Northern California. Many shoppers are attracted to the exotic mushroom varieties seldom found elsewhere.

Prunes are being rediscovered by chefs and consumers as a healthy food choice. Meet the fourth generation family members who are running The Mariani Family fruit company. Their goal is to introduce new customers to prunes, as Americans have a greater focus on healthier, plant-based eating.

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. In order to set themselves apart from other table grapes on the market and remain profitable, Grapery has evolved from a traditional producer of table

Meet an almond farmer whose parents immigrated from India and settled in California’s fertile Central Valley. Thanks to its Mediterranean climate, nearly all the almonds Americas eat come from the Central Valley. California supplies close to 80 percent of the world's almonds.

Fresh, ripe summer peaches are the top crop at this Fresno farm. Mountain View Fruit is family-owned, with every member of the family playing a role in the operation. They grow, pick, pack, sell and market peaches and other stone fruits by the millions of pounds.

See what it takes to grow figs and pistachios in California’s Central Valley. Pistachios are one of California's fastest-growing specialty crops. California grows more than a billion pounds each year, or 99 percent of all the pistachios grown in the United States.

Olives grown near Sacramento are rushed to a nearby processing plant and mill, guaranteeing the freshest olive oil. Great soil, water, and weather create the perfect growing conditions for this bountiful harvest and the production of extra virgin olive oil. Cobram Estate has a quarter million trees on thousands of

See how farmers and volunteers are making a difference in southern California, where fresh produce is grown just for food banks. On about 40 acres of farmland in highly populated Orange County, a non-profit has partnered with local food banks to harvest fresh green beans and other vegetables to fight

Meet Georgia farmers supplying “imperfect” produce to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

Follow along as we cook up a sweet Caramel Apple Crisp.

Tour a lumber mill in Alabama, a state that’s become one of the leading timber producers in the nation.

We’ll walk you through the steps to cook a hearty White Bean and Beef Stew.

We’ll show you how to make a popular Greek recipe, Spanakopita with Tzatziki sauce.