America the Bountiful

The most sacred food of the Anishinaabe people has become a prized ingredient in the upper Midwest and beyond. We’ll dig into the history of the “food that grows on water,” see how it’s harvested and processed, sample decolonized cuisine that includes wild rice at the James Beard award-winning Owamni with Sioux Chef Sean Sherman and even taste how wild rice shows up at the biggest state fair in America, the “Great Minnesota Get Together” where Capri is joined by Andrew Zimmermn.

Pears got their start in Oregon back in 1847 when a Iowa native brought the fruit to the region. In 2005, the Oregon legislature named the pear the state fruit as Oregon’s climate and soil allow pears of many varieties to thrive. Capri meets the family behind the Pear Bloom Farm who demonstrate their regenerative farming practices.

We’ll explore the storied history of the oyster in modern-day South Carolina. It was enjoyed by the first Americans and is a critical ingredient in Gullah Geechee foodways—in short, an extraordinary bivalve. Capri harvests oysters with members of the Gullah community, enjoys a traditional Gullah oyster dish and shucks oysters alongside women who have been perfecting the art of hand shucking for generations.

Chiles are the backbone of Southwestern cuisine and are celebrated throughout the region. Through a colorful New Mexico road trip, we trace the history and current state of chiles from Santa Fe to Hatch and beyond. Capri is hosted by a multigenerational farm family both in the field and in the kitchen, stops by a roadside haunt that serves chiles in everything…including milkshakes and helps judge a chiles tasting contest. Chiles are the backbone of Southwestern cuisine and are celebrated throughout the region. Through a colorful New Mexico road trip, we trace the history and current state of chiles from Santa Fe to Hatch and beyond. Capri is hosted by a multigenerational farm family both in the field and in the kitchen, stops by a roadside haunt that serves chiles in everything…including milkshakes and helps judge a chiles tasting contest.

No fruit helped build America more than the apple, often referred to as “our democratic fruit.” Recently, there’s a movement underway to return to some of the original varieties that apple connoisseurs say taste better than what is typically found in grocery stores today. We discover the story of the apple is as complex as American history itself by visiting with a horticultural historian from Monticello and with a foodways interpreter who brings the stories of enslaved persons to life.

There is a long tradition of hunting wild game in the Plains. Capri travels to South Dakota for pheasant season which is welcomed by both locals and visitors each year. Capri witnesses a pheasant hunt and samples a famous pheasant sandwich that can trace its origins back to World War II.

Maryland is synonymous with crabs and has been dating back to the 17th Century. Crabs of many varieties are plentiful in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and people from all walks of life catch and eat this popular crustacean. Capri harvests crabs off Maryland’s Eastern Shore in her own crab pot and gets out her mallet and apron to enjoy a crab feast with two sisters who started a crab business in Baltimore.

Corn is a sacred food for all indigenous tribes of Arizona, including the Tohono O’odham, Yoemi, Navaho and Hopi. Many of the original varieties of corn were lost since the time of colonization, but a handful of farmers and organizations are carrying on these traditions and creating a variety of memorable ancient and modern foods from blue, yellow and red flour-making maize. Capri learns how seeds are saved, visits a garden of living history that captures pre and post contact plants of the region and helps make blue corn cakes.

Known for their pungent smell and uniquely delicious flavor, ramps have been foraged across North America for centuries. Also known as spring onions, ramsons, wild leeks, wood leeks, and wild garlic, North American ramps (Allium tricoccum) are a member of the allium family and have been celebrated in Appalachia for centuries, where there is a strong tradition of foraging a variety of greens, mushrooms, and wild vegetables. Capri forages for ramps in the West Virginian hills with a local family and celebrates the self-sufficient nature of Appalachian culture at a few seasonal ramp dinners and festivals.

The term pecan was coined by the Algonquin from the word “pacane”, which means a nut that needs to be cracked with a stone in the Algonquin language. Commercial pecan cultivation started in the 1840’s and grew through the 1880’s. By the 1950’s, Georgia had become the country’s leading producer of pecans and remains the largest pecan-producing state in the nation to date. Capri meets Charles and Shirley Sherrod, civil rights activists and founders of the New Communities Agricultural Co-Op who explain the important role of African-American farmers to the pecan industry in Georgia. Capri helps harvest pecans and tastes them right from the source and also tries a unique twist on pecan pie.

One of the oldest food traditions in America is tapping trees for sap and boiling it down for the prized maple syrup. Vermont has long been a mecca for the practice and is now innovating in incredibly fun and delicious ways. Capri learns from a family who use traditional methods to harvest sap and make syrup and gets a glimpse of how maple producers are experimenting with flavors.