Episode segment takes viewers to Migrash Farm in Baltimore County
Maryland Public Television’s (MPT) popular original series Maryland Farm & Harvest, now in its seventh season, will offer viewers a special holiday episode with segments set in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, and Somerset counties at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 24.
Maryland Farm & Harvesttakes viewers on journeys across the state, telling stories about the farms, people and technology required to sustain and grow Maryland’s number one commercial industry: agriculture. MPT’s production team filmed episode segments at more than four dozen farms in preparation for its seventh season.
Series hosts Joanne Clendining and Al Spoler celebrate the season at Star Bright Farm in White Hall (Baltimore County). The episode includes a photo montage of farms in winter featuring more than 30 images submitted to the Maryland Farm & Harvest Facebook page by farmers across the state. Viewers will enjoy scenes of snow-covered barns, cows wearing Santa hats, and other images illustrating the spirit of the season.
The holiday episode also includes these segments:
- Holiday Wreaths (Anne Arundel County) Maryland Farm & Harvest travels to Willow Oak Flower & Herb Farm in Severn, where fourth-generation farmer Heather Carr makes beautiful wreaths for the holiday season with greenery grown on her family’s 40-acre Anne Arundel County farm. This family tradition has been passed down for 40 years, and now Heather’s son Silas is part of it, too.
- Growing Kosher Grain (Baltimore and Somerset counties) Jewish farmer Ian Hertzmark of Migrash Farm in Randallstown takes special care while working with Maryland farms – such as Freshcut Organics in Eden in Somerset County – to grow specialty crops, including ancient organic grains like emmer and einkorn. Ian uses the latter to make flour for sufganiyot, a traditional doughnut eaten during Hanukkah. Viewers also see how grain grown for other Jewish holidays, including Passover, requires special inspection and kosher certification by a rabbi, and how this connection of faith and food drives Ian’s passion for his work.
- The Local Buy: Ginger(Carroll County) Segment host Al Spoler heads to Two Boots Farm in Hampstead, where famer Elisa Lane grows ginger. This popular spice is typically grown in tropical climates, but Lane has figured out a way to grow it in Maryland, and this year’s crop is ready just in time to use it in holiday cookies. Al learns how to harvest and clean ginger, and then tries his hand at decorating gingerbread men cookies. The cookie recipe will be available at mpt.org/farm.
Maryland Farm & Harvestairs on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on MPT-HD and is rebroadcast on Thursdays at 11:30 p.m. and Sundays at 6 a.m. Each show also airs on MPT2/Create® on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. Episode segments are made available for streaming on the series’ YouTube channel, and full episodes can be viewed online for free on the MPT app and at https://video.mpt.tv/show/
Viewers can join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and by using the hashtag #MDFarmHarvest.
Agriculture continues to be Maryland’s largest commercial industry, contributing more than $17 billion in revenue to the state each year. More than two million acres of land is used for farming, making up 40% of total land in Maryland. As of 2017 the Free State has more than 12,400 farms, and agricultural businesses employ 350,000 Marylanders. Additional farming data is available on the Maryland Department of Agriculture website at https://bit.ly/2MIWkSK.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture is MPT's co-production partner for Maryland Farm & Harvest. Major funding is provided by the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board.
Additional funding is provided by Maryland’s Best; the Maryland Agricultural Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation; MidAtlantic Farm Credit; the Maryland Department of Agriculture; the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation; Rural Maryland Council; and the Maryland Soybean Board.
Other support comes from the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts; Wegmans Food Markets; the Maryland Nursery, Landscape & Greenhouse Association; the Maryland Seafood Marketing Fund; the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service; the Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc.; the Maryland Farm Bureau; The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment; Mar-Del Watermelon Association; Eddie Mercer Agri-Services, Inc.; and Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (a division of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland).
About MPT
Launched in 1969 and headquartered in Owings Mills, MD, Maryland Public Television is a nonprofit, state-licensed public television network and member of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). MPT’s six transmitters cover Maryland plus portions of contiguous states and the District of Columbia. Frequent winner of regional Emmy® awards, MPT creates local, regional, and national television shows. Beyond broadcast, MPT’s commitment to professional educators, parents, caregivers, and learners of all ages is delivered through year-round instructional events and the super-website Thinkport, which garners in excess of 14 million page views annually. MPT’s community engagement connects viewers with local resources on significant health, education, and public interest topics through year-round outreach events, viewer forums, program screenings, and phone bank call-in opportunities. For more information visit mpt.org.
