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America's Heartland is made possible by...
Farm Credit - Financing agriculture and rural America since 1916.
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nutritious food for communities around the globe.
Hi there, I'm Rob Stewart.
Are you up for some corn dogs, cotton candy,
livestock and music on the midway?
We're taking you cross country to share some fun at
America's fairs and festivals.
Ready for some southern home cookin'?
We'll head for southeast Tennessee and the
National Cornbread Festival.
Then... a little "motor mayhem" is part of the
attraction at this rural fair in Wisconsin.
Those corn dogs may be traditional fair food,
but our Sharon Vaknin has some other ideas about
heartland recipes in our "farm to fork" segment.
And then... an Iowa community celebrates its heritage with
a very unique festival and parade.
It's all coming up on America's Heartland.
[horn honks]
♪You can see it in the eyes Of every woman and man♪
♪In America's Heartland living close to the land♪
♪There's a love for the country And a pride in the brand♪
♪In America's Heartland♪
♪Living close Close to the land♪
♪♪
We're spending a little time at the California State Fair.
You know, agriculture has always been the centerpiece
for the heartland's biggest state fairs.
It's not only an opportunity for farmers and ranchers to
take home a blue ribbon; it's also a chance for city folks to
learn a little more about where their food is coming from.
Farm crop and livestock exhibitions
date way back to the early 1800's.
They provided a showcase to share ideas about improving
yields or developing a better breed of animals.
And, depending on where you live, the focus might be on
a specific kind of agricultural activity.
We've taken you to peach festivals in Georgia and
logging championships in Maine.
But the common thread is a bit of education
wrapped in a great deal of fun.
We remind people of the wonderful things they've
already achieved and we also present what the future may
look like and they want to be a part of that.
And part of it's what we call FOMO-'fear of missing out'.
They want to be together with other people,
with their neighbors, family, and friends.
They want to come out and celebrate, be entertained,
and, in our case, we educate constantly.
While fairs and festivals have been around for a long time,
there's still something about the
"old school" attractions that brings 'em through the gate.
Let me give you a "gee ***" number.
State and agricultural fairs like this one will draw more
than 150 million visitors a year.
So let's head for one of those fairs and festivals
with a specific theme in mind.
The "theme" here might well be said to be good eating.
Our Sarah Gardner says it's all about sweet and tasty cornbread.
What are you going to make today?
A Mexican chicken cornbread.
Mexican chicken cornbread...
Serving up something special with an historic American
farm product is what many people look for when you
talk about "farm kitchens" and "home cooking."
And for chefs young and old, the National Cornbread Festival
celebrates a culinary creation that
predates the American Revolution.
Wow!
That looks good doesn't it?
But, this celebrated cook-off actually started as a
way to "heat up" the economy in this rural southern community.
When a new interstate siphoned off travelers
passing through South Pittsburg, Tennessee,
the locals went looking for a way to bring visitors back.
So, how about something this community knew something about?
I suggested cornbread, and the other two people
in the room, including my wife said,
"That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard."
But we thought about it awhile and pitched it to the
community and had a meeting of local citizens and came
up with the idea and the rest is history.
♪♪
So today, South Pittsburg will welcome more than
50-thousand visitors to this annual 3 day event.
Not bad for a rural community of 33 hundred people.
Bluegrass music and a colorful midway are part of the draw...
But cornbread is the real attraction.
Cornbread that generates a good deal of cash for the community.
In the last 12 years we've donated over a million dollars
back to the downtown area to be used for streetscape,
and libraries, and restoration of the theater, and any
number of activities that help make our small town greater.
As with any other fair or festival in the heartland,
you'll find plenty of good eatin' here.
Much of it centered around cornbread cook-offs that
draw competitors from around the country.
I'm making a southern cornbread skillet pizza.
It's a caramelized maple and apple bacon brunch bake.
So it's sweet instead of savory.
Hundreds of cooks enter their recipes for consideration:
Those are narrowed down to ten adults
invited to cook up their cornbread creations on site.
In addition, youngsters from regional 4-H clubs are
testing their recipes in the children's' competition.
What are you making Taylor Jay?
Cornbread Fiesta.
What's in it?
Okay, I was going to take out a secret recipe.
Duck eggs... Duck eggs.
Farm raised chicken eggs from my farm.
Um, here's the name right here, it's called taco seasoning.
As you can see, there's lots of room
for using a variety of ingredients.
In the spirit of full disclosure,
we should tell you that one item that must be used is
Martha White's Cornbread Mix, a prime sponsor of the festival.
The imagination used in creating those recipes is amazing.
Every year we're surprised by that..
Another sponsor provides the cookware.
Going back in time, it's something you'd expect to
find in any heartland home- cast iron skillets and Dutch ovens.
Lodge Cast Iron began producing cookware in South Pittsburg
in 1896, and quickly became a staple in Southern kitchens.
It was time to see if the proof was in the pudding
or... in this case... the cornbread.
Here's what it looks like before we cut into it.
A panel of judges will sample the final creations.
We're looking for of course the texture,
the flavor, just exactly something
a little bit different than what you do with cornbread.
Just something that's really good.
And finally...the moment of truth.
For 10-year-old Marissa Brown,
the win came with her "Berry Delightful Cornmeal Cake."
Tastes more like cake than cornbread.
Butter, sugar, Martha White's Cornmeal Mix, flour,
flour, eggs, vanilla, and almond paste.
In the adult competition, the prize went to a former attorney
who found more joy in the kitchen than in the courtroom.
The winner of the Martha White National Cornbread Cook :
Jennifer Beckman of Falls Church, Virginia.
Your Tennessee Onion Soup Gratin.
Congratulations!
What it basically is French onion soup that is mingled with
Southern style beans and greens with a cornbread topper.
So it's a little French,
a little South Pittsburg, Tennessee.
Apparently that appealed to my audience.
That "audience appeal" earned Jennifer $5000
and a gas range identical to the one she cooked on.
As she put it, "a good day at the fair."
I came here for a good time and for the experience and
this completely blows any expectations out of the water.
♪♪
Native Americans were making corn bread long before
European settlers arrived in the New World.
Cornbread became a cornerstone of Southern
cooking along with johnnycakes,
hush puppies and corn fritters.
Oh and don't forget that corn is an essential ingredient in
Latin American favorites: tamales and tortillas.
Entertainment is, of course, a key part of any fair or festival
Think of the options: big name bands, harness racing,
horse shows or maybe even pie eating contests.
But Jason Shoultz takes us to a fair in Wisconsin where
some old style "motor mayhem" is the attraction.
And in this case, one of the competitors
has a day job on his family's dairy farm.
It's Sunday Sunday Sunday
at the Racine County Fairgrounds in Wisconsin.
And the main attraction this on this hot afternoon...
is the demolition derby.
While the grandstand fills up with fairgoers...
teenager Andrew Winski is hard at work
making last minute preparations.
His van is stripped clean... the windows are gone
and the doors are welded shut.
Andrew is one of a few dozen competitors
in the fair's demolition derby.
In a few minutes he'll square off with
a dozen other drivers... including his brother.
The goal... smash all the other vehicles
into submission... before they smash you.
Once a vehicle has been cleared to compete,
there aren't many rules for the demolition derby.
Don't slam into the driver's side door of another vehicle.
If the horn blows stop where you are.
And if your car catches on fire... well, get out.
The derby rounds before Andrew's competition are fierce
and a good sign of what he's got in store.
It's muddy, dangerous... and loud.
And last year Andrew won his division: large trucks and vans.
But it's a far cry from the dairy farm Andrew spends
most of his off-school hours.
Gotta fill grain pails to feed all the calves in the pens.
Gotta, the freestall barn's gotta be scraped out.
And we've got a little sand leveler
that levels the beds off for the cows.
As soon as school is out, you'll find Andrew,
along with his brother helping their grandfather;
from corralling the cows to milking,
they may not live on the farm,
but they carry that farm-kid title with pride.
I love being here.
This is a family thing, y'know we don't hire.
Other than when we get some kids to help.
At least the younger generation,
they've got to start somewhere.
But he's real good- both of them are.
As Andrew's grandfather Marv scales back some of the work he does on the dairy farm,
the responsibility grows for Andrew and his brother.
Andrew hopes someday to take over the family farm.
I want to stay around here.
I don't want to move out of this area. I just love it here.
You'll find examples of Andrew and his brother's
agricultural endeavors at the County Fair hog barn.
Like many other kids in rural areas,
they bring their livestock here for judging.
But for the Winski brother's, today isn't about
the care it takes to raise animals...
it's about the guts it takes to endure this muddy madness.
The afternoon and evening demolition derby
competitions will draw thousands of fans.
Some will get covered in mud,
all will sit in the sweltering sun.
It'd be snowing and they'd all come.
For some reason people like to see stuff smash up.
I've watched it ever since I was a kid.
My uncle did it when he was younger.
And I just said I'm gonna try it.
[whistle blows]
And for this competition,
Andrew gets in some good bashes and crashes.
And just when it looks like he could have
the same success as last year,
his engine dies,
and won't start back up.
Andrew, what happened man?
Well, I'm not sure.
The battery came out of the little holder thing
and pulled the wire to power the fuel pump.
So it wasn't pumping no fuel.
At least it's in good enough shape to go to another fair.
Just like in farming,
in demolition derby you win some and you lose some.
Fortunately for this teenager he's got plenty of
years ahead for winning at the fair, and on the farm.
♪♪
Let's serve up some history on your favorite fair food.
Do you like corn dogs?
Depending on who you believe,
the corn dog was invented in the 1920's but really took off
around 1940 at the Texas State Fair,
the Illinois State Fair, and the Minnesota State Fair.
Machine spun cotton candy dates way back to the 1890's
and became a favorite fair food following
the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.
Now you may be hankering for some cotton candy,
corn dogs or almost anything deep fried right now,
but Sharon Vaknin has
a recipe that's really much, much better for you.
She takes us from Farm to Fork.
♪♪
Barley is one of the more overlooked grains.
Probably because 90 percent of the barley produced ends
up being used to make beer.
Well that 2 percent, it can be used in many ways.
Barley is a very versatile grain.
So today I'll be making a barley corn and blue cheese salad
and barley crepes with apple barley filling.
I've already cooked the barley which is as simple as
boiling it in water for about 45 to 50 minutes until it's soft
and ends up having a texture a lot like brown rice or pasta.
But first, let's prepare the rest
of our ingredients for the salad.
So we've got our corn here.
So we'll flip the corn on its head
and just cut straight down.
I'm using fresh corn here, not canned corn because I
want that nice crunchy contrast; the soft barley pearls.
Corn's in so next up we'll add some
cherry tomatoes for that nice, acidic kick.
We'll throw in some avocado for that creamy texture and
for that beautiful green color.
I love red onions in my salad but this time I sautéed them
a little bit so they're going to be a little bit sweeter.
And finally, of course, our barley.
So let's throw in a cup and a half here.
So for our dressing I've got an orange here
and that goes right into my blender.
We want about a quarter cup of orange juice.
We'll add a couple tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar.
And of course, some honey, some salt, and pepper.
So to bring this vinaigrette together,
I'm going to hit it with the lid,
and drizzle in some olive oil while it's going.
This will allow us to emulsify it and
give us a creamier vinaigrette.
Here we go...
Check out that beautiful orange color.
It goes right into our salad.
I mentioned barley has a nutty flavor
and that always goes well with fruit,
especially with something really citrus like oranges.
Now before I add a few finishing touches to this salad,
we're going to let it sit for a bit, marinate,
and in the meantime we'll work on another dish that
uses barley in an unexpected way.
We've got our flour, add a little salt,
and that's it for our dry ingredients.
Now to that we want to add two eggs,
and one and a quarter cups of milk.
The batter you end up with should be relatively watery;
you don't want it to be thick like a pancake batter.
Crepes are much thinner.
So our batter looks lump-free,
it's the right consistency, but before we go to the stove,
we need it to rest for about ten to fifteen minutes.
When our pan warms up, we'll just take about a third of
our cup of the batter, put it in on one side here,
and quickly swirl it around.
Now you know the crepe is ready to be flipped when
those edges start curling up,
so what I like to do is I'll just take a spatula and
grab it with my hands, flip it over,
and that's a beautiful crepe.
The second side doesn't need as much time.
Check it out.
And we're good.
So now that our last crepe is done,
it's time to concentrate on the filling.
For that we'll need some apple pie filling.
We got a couple cups of that right here
to go straight into the pan.
And then, we'll add some cooked pearl barley;
the same one we used for our salad.
About a cup here...
And raspberries for that nice tart flavor
but also to give it some color.
So I'll throw a bunch in there
and save a few for the toppings later.
So we'll let this mixture warm up for a couple minutes
and then we'll be ready to fill in our crepes.
Our filling is warm, our crepes are ready,
and now, it's time to fill them up.
So it's this simple, we take a crepe,
we'll just take a couple spoonful's of this
apple, barley, and raspberry mixture.
It's now red because we warmed up those raspberries
and they popped a little bit.
Then, we'll just roll it up, and that's your crepe.
Let's make two more.
♪♪
And to top these off, I'm going to sprinkle them with
a little powdered sugar; can't go wrong with that.
And some fresh raspberries.
Now that's what I call a beautiful desert.
To finish up the salad, I'm adding cilantro and arugula.
Whenever you're making a salad
ahead of time like this one, it's always best to
add those greens at the very end so they don't wilt.
And of course, our blue cheese.
I like to just crumble this right on top at the very end.
Our barley corn and blue cheese salad is complete
plus we got an unexpected dessert:
barley, apple, and raspberry crepes.
With these two beautiful dishes,
using the versatile barley grain,
I think we've proven that barley isn't just for making beer.
♪♪
When you think about it, fairs and festivals are a
way to share the best of what we have to offer.
It's a chance to generate pride about your home,
your farm, and your community.
That's why festivals are such an integral part of
rural life in many parts of this country.
Neighbors get together and demonstrate what makes their
lives special and what brings them together.
Case in point?
Jason Shoultz takes us to a small community in Iowa.
The flowers are in place, the Tiki heads are mounted while
the Mummelthei family makes last minute preparations.
Across town the lawn chair spectators
jockey for their spots.
The Waverly Heritage Day's Parade is about to begin.
Deb Mummelthei is entering a float for her flower and
gift shop and Steve's entry promotes his seed business.
I think the key to making a family farm work is we all
try to specialize in a different area.
And my wife started this store about 15 years ago.
15 years ago when my boys got old enough to drive the tractors
and combines, I came to town to start a business.
♪♪
Waverly's summertime celebration is an annual affair.
Ike Ackerman is the mayor of this Eastern Iowa town of 8-thousand.
Agriculture is the lifeblood of small towns in the Midwest.
Reminders of agriculture's importance to this town
can be found at the parade.
From equipment dealers to THE 4-H,
Waverly's economy is largely agricultural-based.
About 5 miles from town the Mummelthei's grow about
1-thousand acres of corn and soybeans.
We're always trying to think of ways
to be creative and, you know,
when you want to live in an area and sustain a lifestyle,
you have to always be looking for the next thing.
He also sells corn and soybean seed to other area farmers.
His sons help him with the family business.
Today they're operating this seed wagon
converted into a parade candy-shooter!
Also adding to the Waverly economy
is Deb Mummelthei's downtown business.
Selling gifts and wedding merchandise,
her business generates tax revenue
for the city and helps the downtown thrive.
I was born and raised here, went to high school here,
my husband went to high school here and we got married,
stayed in town and he started farming.
We raised our children in this town and my whole
entire family lives in this town.
So you may not live within the city limits per say, but you
have a vested interest in the future of Waverly, right?
Absolutely.
While the reach of that agricultural economic impact
is worth celebrating, townspeople across the
heartland have learned that when times are tough on the
farm they feel a direct impact.
Agriculture is, kind of like, construction: it's cyclical.
Sometimes soy beans are $13 a bushel and sometimes they're $4.
And you have ups and downs and if you're into, uhm..
only Ag then the downs are really down.
And just like the Mummelthei's diversifying to
maintain their family finances,
town leaders have learned over the years that
diversification is essential for economic survival.
The town is home to a college and industrial employers.
We've got some industries that are, that have
really you know weathered this economic time and done well.
And so that's really helped create
a nice environment for Waverly.
♪♪
Something else that helps small towns like Waverly - the
willingness of residents to pull together during tough times.
Something the Mummelthei's saw first hand when
floodwaters from the Cedar River invaded their town one
recent summer after heavy storms.
It just kept rising and rising.
We thought we could beat it and we almost had it beat
and then the water came through the walls from the
seepage in the ground and then so we had to start all over.
We moved our store and hauled everything out
into four semi-loads and moved.
You always watch the news where a tragedy or something
happens in the country and you always think,
you know "I know where that place is" or something,
but all of the sudden it becomes you.
But today this town is celebrating a comeback,
at the same time it celebrates its heritage and future.
What do you think about the future for Waverly, Iowa?
I think the future for Waverly is good.
So, we're hoping that people just stay on top of it and
keep supporting each other and keep living life like
you're enjoying it, like you should.
[siren sounds]
That's going to do it for us this time.
Thanks for traveling the country with us
on this edition of America's Heartland.
And don't forget,
we have a lot to share with you on our website.
You can access all of Sharon Vaknin's great "Farm to Fork"
recipes and watch video from this and other programs.
Just log onto AmericasHeartland.org and
there's lots going on in our social media arena,
you'll find us there as well.
We'll see you next time, right here,
on America's Heartland.
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♪♪
♪You can see it in the eyes Of every woman and man♪
♪In America's Heartland living close to the land♪
♪There's a love for the country And a pride in the brand♪
♪In America's Heartland♪
♪Living close Close to the land♪
♪♪
America's Heartland is made possible by...
Farm Credit - Financing agriculture and rural America since 1916.
Farm Credit is cooperatively owned by America's farmers and ranchers.
Learn more at farmcredit.com
CropLife America - Representing the companies whose
modern farming innovations help America's farmers provide
nutritious food for communities around the globe.