Episode list

They're America's second favorite... vegetable? Fruit? Tomatoes are a fruit -- technically a berry -- and Americans eat more of 'em than anything except potatoes. We visit a longtime Florida tomato grower, DiMare. Then we spend some time at the University of Florida seeing what's coming next for tomatoes. And then we wrap it up with a man who was challenged to build a better tomato... and did.

We take a look at how berries have evolved in 20 short years from a treat to a nutritional powerhouse that has revolutionized eating habits -- and the agricultural landscape. We'll also show you where new berries come from -- and how an ancient fruit is making a comeback.

Nat Bradford's family has been farming the same land in South Carolina for 200 years. He and his family -- the only labor force -- are committed to keeping their family legacy alive. They still grow many of the same crops their ancestors did, with heirloom seed handed down generation by generation. Amazingly, they still grow it all the same way the old folks did, too -- this is farming like it's 1699.

Joe Iovino is a Tampa Bay firefighter. That's all he wanted to be. Well, he did have a flirtation with rock stardom when he was a little younger. But once he put on the uniform, he knew he'd found his calling... or thought he had. Now he's a farmer, too. Joe grows hundreds of thousands of gourmet mushrooms in his home laboratory and grow space for local restaurants and grocers. Ironically, when he started, he didn't even care for mushrooms. His wife loved 'em. He was looking for a hobby. He started poking around... and a new career was born. But he says he'll never quit driving the fire truck.

Farming doesn't just happen in the country -- there's an urban agricultural revolution afoot that has food growing everywhere. We took a visit to Brick Street Farms in downtown St. Petersburg, FL, right off Central Avenue and within site of Tropicana Field. There, on a 1/3 acre asphalt lot, Brick Street is growing greens and microherbs. So how much could they grow in a tiny spot like that? Well, if they were doing the same thing outdoors, instead of climate controlled, computer operated rehabbed shipping containers, they'd need about 43 acres of land. It's an amazing story -- and it's coming soon to a city near you (if it's not already there).

Quick, how to you spell sweetpotato? If you think we just did it wrong, think again -- that's the scientific way. And if you grow sweetpotatoes in North Carolina, that matters. And what North Carolina sweetpotato growers think matters because they grow more than two-thirds of the U.S. sweetpotato crop. How did one state become so dominant in a single industry? Believe it or not, tobacco played a role.

Tobacco was the crop that built not just North Carolina agriculture, but the entire state. It supported universities, hospitals and created opportunities for growth that have made North Carolina one of the fasted growing states in the nation. But as word spread about tobacco, that market went into a steep decline. Amazingly, sweetpotatoes like the same land, the same equipment, the same workers -- it was a natural transition. So much so that today North Carolina grows over two-thirds of the U.S. sweetpotato crop.

We take oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes for granted. They've been around our entire lives. They're always there when we want 'em. But did you have any idea that in just a few years they may all be gone? There's a lethal disease called citrus greening decimating Florida citrus. It started in China, then spread to Brazil before finding its way to Florida. In the 20 years since it arrived, Florida has lost half its citrus land -- some 500,000 acres of groves. We look at what happened, why it happened and the frantic chase to find a cure. But it's not all bad news. Farmers are nothing if not ingenious. And adaptable. Some have found better ways to protect their fruit. Others have expanded into producing other commodities -- like blueberries and peaches -- as well for leverage. We'll also take a side trip to Port Everglades, FL to try to do a little detective work as to how the bug that brought greening to America arrived -- and to show the pivotal role our ports play in keeping us all fed.

Citrus is an endangered species -- Florida has already lost half its orange groves. In Part 2, we'll meet a Frenchman who's devoted his life to saving the Florida grapefruit industry. You'll also see hundreds of acres of trees growing under cover in screened-in closure (like a giant back porch the size of several football fields). They're all fighting against citrus greening, a lethal disease that came here from China 20 years ago. The bug has also made it to Brazil. China and Brazil are less impacted by greening than Florida -- because in those countries, when a grove dies off, the powers that be simply grab more land and replant. In the U.S. -- and especially in a prime real estate state like Florida -- that's not an option. Florida growers have a choice: Stand and fight, quit, or adapt. We'll introduce you to people who've taken every one of those paths.

Where the food comes from doesn't much matter if you can't get it from there to where it needs to be. Enter transportation and logistics. We'll visit the Atlanta State Farmers Market -- this is not the typical Saturday morning market you go to with your family -- and see how the food keeps moving 24/7. Then we'll take a look at regional distributor the Nickey Gregory Company, which supplies grocers in 11 states overnight with fresh produce needs. Then we'll roll on up to Raleigh, NC, headquarters to the L&M Companies, with farms across America, distribution in 48 states, and their own coast-to-coast fleet of trucks that someone has to keep up with every minute.

There's always food growing somewhere in America. That's part of the real miracle of nature. Fruits and veggies are in full swing in Florida in the coldest months of the year -- we start this episode in the Everglades in early February with our friends from L&M Farms. Then we roll up to Georgia in spring to visit Baker Farms, one of the largest growers of greens anywhere. Then we head for North Carolina in July to follow the crop as it continues marching north before starting all over again in Florida the next year.

The legendary Vidalia Onion might be the greatest accident in the history of agriculture. It's hard to imagine living without 'em now, but they actually didn't even exist until the 1930s. And it was another 50 years before the rest of us found out. In the 1930s, a farmer in Vidalia had a contract to deliver some regular onions to the local Piggly Wiggly. There was a late freeze that took out his crop. No more seedlings were available locally. Finally, he resorted to having a train car load of onion plants from Texas. They arrived right on time -- but when the crop came up, the onions weren't hot... they were sweet. Nobody was happy about it... at first. The farmer thought he was ruined. The Piggly Wiggly manager decided to give 'em a try anyway. You know the rest of the story... or think you do. We'll tell you how that happened, show you how Vidalia onions grow and are harvested and -- bonus. -- host Chip Carter also introduces us to some of his favorite people in the world in his musical tribute to the region, "Sweet Vidalia". In Part 2, we'll meet three remarkable farmers, each with tragedy to triumph stories that will leave you moved -- and inspired.

In Part 1, we found out that the legendary Vidalia Onion might be the greatest accident in the history of agriculture. Now it's time to meet some amazing farmers. Aries Haygood was 32-years-old and on top of the world. He'd just been named Vidalia Onion Grower of the Year -- an honor usually reserved for his elder peers -- when he got an earth-shattering medical diagnosis. Bo Herndon didn't come from a farming background. But he always knew what he wanted to do. He didn't have much help getting going -- but he's certainly made the most of it since. John Shuman was away at college when he got a call telling him to come home. The family farm had gone bust. He'd planned to come back and join when he graduated. Now there was nothing left. Until he rebuilt it all. These stories will show you why Vidalia, GA is probably our favorite part of everything we do. We love it all, but there's something special about an onion that's sweet and savory at the same time -- and the people who grow it.