WEBVTT 00:01.431 --> 00:04.364   America's Heartland is made possible by 00:04.364 --> 00:09.431 ...They make up a small part of our population, 00:09.431 --> 00:12.864 but have a huge impact on our lives. 00:12.864 --> 00:15.498 They take business risks that few others would tolerate 00:15.498 --> 00:18.031 all on our behalf. 00:18.031 --> 00:22.831 They're American farmers who feed, fuel and clothe the world. 00:22.831 --> 00:26.864 Monsanto would like to recognize them for all they do, 00:26.864 --> 00:30.464 for the rest of us, because ultimately our success 00:30.464 --> 00:36.364 and everyone else's depends on theirs 00:36.364 --> 00:38.031 ...and by the American Farm Bureau Federation 00:38.031 --> 00:41.331 - the voice of agriculture. 00:41.331 --> 00:43.564 COMING UP. 00:43.564 --> 00:45.331 it goes from field to fabric...practically 00:45.331 --> 00:46.631 right down the road 00:46.631 --> 00:49.464 ...the whole cotton-pickin' story of Texas denim 00:49.464 --> 00:53.564 ...a mushrooming business earns dollars in the dark 00:53.564 --> 00:56.264 ...AND  chile conditions in New Mexico mean hot times 00:56.264 --> 00:59.631 for growers...and festival-goers. 00:59.631 --> 01:02.098   America's Heartland is next. 01:02.098 --> 01:08.298   ♪ You can see it in the    eyes of every woman and man ♪ 01:08.298 --> 01:14.231   ♪ in America's Heartland    living close to the land. ♪ 01:14.231 --> 01:20.331  ♪ There's a love for the country    and a pride in the brand ♪ 01:20.331 --> 01:30.698  ♪ in America's Heartland living    close, close to the land. ♪ 01:30.698 --> 01:38.631   ♪ In America's Heartland. ♪ 01:38.631 --> 01:40.164 Hello and welcome to   America's Heartland. 01:40.164 --> 01:41.798 I'm Paul Ryan. 01:41.798 --> 01:44.998 Farming is like any business. To stay profitable 01:44.998 --> 01:48.331 and competitive, you have to find new, more efficient ways 01:48.331 --> 01:50.731 to create your products. 01:50.731 --> 01:53.664 That's what our Pat McConahay found in Lubbock, Texas, 01:53.664 --> 01:56.231 where a group of clever cotton growers not only 01:56.231 --> 01:59.431 plant the fields and pick the crop, they also own 01:59.431 --> 02:03.031 the nearby factory that turns it into denim 02:03.031 --> 02:04.931 - a fabric used to make some of the world's 02:04.931 --> 02:08.598 most popular fashions. 02:08.598 --> 02:11.731 These machines are turning out one of the most 02:11.731 --> 02:15.098 widely used fabrics in the world - denim. 02:15.098 --> 02:18.064 Chances are your favorite pair of jeans started out 02:18.064 --> 02:21.431 in a cotton field near Lubbock Texas. 02:21.431 --> 02:23.498 So this is a pretty good year? 02:23.498 --> 02:25.331 Yeah, it's pretty good, real good. 02:25.331 --> 02:28.498 We are, a lot of these bolls up here have opened up real nicely. 02:28.498 --> 02:32.398 Good news for Dahlen Hancock, a 4th generation cotton grower. 02:32.398 --> 02:35.398 He's a member of the Plains Cotton Cooperative Association, 02:35.398 --> 02:39.631 the worlds largest producer and supplier of Texas style cotton. 02:39.631 --> 02:43.564 It's also the only farmer-owned cooperative that operates it's 02:43.564 --> 02:45.864 own denim manufacturing plant. 02:45.864 --> 02:47.698 So what's picked in the field one day 02:47.698 --> 02:51.431 could be fabric the next (day.) 02:51.431 --> 02:54.264 But here's where the denim story actually begins: 02:54.264 --> 02:56.698 This ominous-looking machine, the cotton picker, 02:56.698 --> 02:59.498 has certainly made the fall harvest a lot easier 02:59.498 --> 03:03.198 than in the days when people picked cotton by hand. 03:03.198 --> 03:04.931 IT TAKES IN EIGHT ROWS AT A TIME. 03:04.931 --> 03:08.731 IT HAS SOME LITTLE BATS AND BRUSHES. 03:08.731 --> 03:12.264 BY THAT I MEAN LITTLE RUBBER BATS AND BRUSHES THAT ACTUALLY 03:12.264 --> 03:17.831 WIPE THE COTTON, AND IT BRUSHES AND IT TAKES IT OFF THE PLANT. 03:17.831 --> 03:20.764 A combination of saws and brushes extract the cotton 03:20.764 --> 03:22.198 from the burr. 03:22.198 --> 03:24.898 The cotton or  lint is dumped into what's called a boll buggy 03:24.898 --> 03:27.431 and taken to an area where it's packed into what looks like 03:27.431 --> 03:30.931 huge loaves of bread with wrappers on the top. 03:30.931 --> 03:32.931 ONCE THE COTTON IS HARVESTED FROM THE FIELD, 03:32.931 --> 03:35.264 IT GOES ONTO THE NEXT STEP, THE GIN, WHERE IT'S 03:35.264 --> 03:38.798 CLEANED OF ALL THIS TRASH, AS THEY CALL IT. 03:38.798 --> 03:43.264 YOU DON'T WANT THIS WINDING UP IN YOUR DENIM JACKET. 03:43.264 --> 03:46.064 The cotton is sucked into the building through powerful pipes 03:46.064 --> 03:49.498 that send it to various cleaning processes to remove dirt, 03:49.498 --> 03:53.831 leaves and even plastic that may have wound up in the field. 03:53.831 --> 03:57.998 Next the seeds are removed from the lint so the fiber can be 03:57.998 --> 04:01.498 made into your next pair of jeans. 04:01.498 --> 04:03.464 And where that happens? 04:03.464 --> 04:05.731 This textile plant that's not too far from 04:05.731 --> 04:08.164 Dahlen Hancock's cotton field. 04:08.164 --> 04:11.964 The Co-op was formed in 1953 to help farmers get the best price 04:11.964 --> 04:13.864 for their product. 04:13.864 --> 04:15.964 About twenty years later members wanted to 04:15.964 --> 04:19.898 even more to boost their agricultural operation. 04:19.898 --> 04:23.564 BACK IN THE 1970'S MANY OF US FARMERS REALIZED THAT 04:23.564 --> 04:26.264 THE COTTON WE PRODUCED WAS GOING INTO DENIM, 04:26.264 --> 04:29.098 AND DECIDED WE SHOULD BE PRODUCING A VALUE-ADDED PRODUCT 04:29.098 --> 04:32.331 RATHER THAN JUST AN AGRICULTURAL, RAW MATERIAL. 04:32.331 --> 04:35.131 So they created American Cotton Growers Denim Mill 04:35.131 --> 04:37.664 in Littlefield, Texas near Lubbock. 04:37.664 --> 04:39.998 Today the mill turns out enough denim to make 04:39.998 --> 04:43.064 20 million pairs of jeans a year. 04:43.064 --> 04:45.331 Darneille says this plant is just one place 04:45.331 --> 04:49.564 where the cooperative's cotton goes, but it's an important one. 04:49.564 --> 04:53.264 IT HAS BECOME SUCH A COMPETITIVE MARKET NOW WITH SO MANY 04:53.264 --> 04:56.298 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES GETTING INTO IT, THAT IT'S STILL A PROFITABLE 04:56.298 --> 04:59.864 BUSINES FOR US, BUT NOT NEARLY AS MUCH AS IT WAS BEFORE. 04:59.864 --> 05:03.098 HOWEVER, OUR MEMBERS THINK IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE MAKE A 05:03.098 --> 05:04.764 VALUE-ADDED PRODUCT. 05:04.764 --> 05:07.364 A product that begins with the baled cotton being separated 05:07.364 --> 05:10.064 into small tufts and then blended 05:10.064 --> 05:12.064 with various cotton fibers. 05:12.064 --> 05:15.498 Darneille says this is one of the few mills where everything 05:15.498 --> 05:23.864 happens under one roof from spinning...weaving...dyeing 05:23.864 --> 05:27.464 ...finishing...packing and shipping. 05:27.464 --> 05:30.131 WHEN WE CONCEIVED THAT IT WAS A TURNKEY OPERATION, WE SAID 05:30.131 --> 05:32.331 WE WANT TO GO ALL THE WAY FROM COTTON TO FINISHED DENIM. 05:32.331 --> 05:35.464 That denim is sent to Mexico or Latin America 05:35.464 --> 05:39.464 to be turned into apparel. 05:39.464 --> 05:42.164 Darneille says there isn't much difference between 05:42.164 --> 05:44.864 the quality of denim in a ten dollar pair of jeans 05:44.864 --> 05:47.164 and a 300 dollar pair. 05:47.164 --> 05:49.864 The difference is in the styling. 05:49.864 --> 05:52.531 WE WERE IN A FACTORY THE OTHER DAY. THEY SPEND 18 MINUTES 05:52.531 --> 05:54.764 MAKING THE PERFECT PAIR OF JEANS. 05:54.764 --> 05:57.631 THEN THEY SPEND 32 MINUTES TEARING IT APART 05:57.631 --> 06:01.031 - SANDING IT, SAND BLASTING IT, CUTTING IT WITH SCISSORS, 06:01.031 --> 06:03.231 DOING ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS TO ACHIEVE 06:03.231 --> 06:04.831 THIS VINTAGE LOOK... 06:04.831 --> 06:06.564 ...which helps make cotton the single 06:06.564 --> 06:08.564 best selling fabric in America. 06:08.564 --> 06:11.498 As for the future, Co-ops like this one are always looking 06:11.498 --> 06:14.864 for new ways to uses that time-honored fabric 06:14.864 --> 06:17.698 - good news for US cotton farmers whose product 06:17.698 --> 06:23.098 is still in demand worldwide . 06:23.098 --> 06:25.664 There's something else America makes with its cotton crop: 06:25.664 --> 06:29.431 money. Cold cotton cash. 06:29.431 --> 06:31.131 The people who work for the U.S. 06:31.131 --> 06:34.831 Mint can turn one bale of cotton into more than 300-thousand 06:34.831 --> 06:36.864   100-dollar bills! 06:36.864 --> 06:40.698 That's 30-million bucks if you care to count 'em . 06:40.698 --> 06:42.631 Denim jeans are just the kind of comfortable 06:42.631 --> 06:45.798 - rugged clothing you might need for our next story 06:45.798 --> 06:48.431 on the shores of Lake Superior. 06:48.431 --> 06:52.164 Cold, vast and deep. It's virtually an inland ocean, 06:52.164 --> 06:54.464 and it can be a foreboding. 06:54.464 --> 06:56.931 But at the far western end of the lake, just north of Duluth, 06:56.931 --> 07:00.264 Minnesota, a productive harvest is going on virtually 07:00.264 --> 07:04.431 year-round: lake herring, a smokehouse favorite. 07:04.431 --> 07:07.331 And it takes a special kind of character to brave Superior 07:07.331 --> 07:19.298 alone, in an open boat, (and) to chase down this native fish. 07:19.298 --> 07:20.831 There isn't that much sea or wind, 07:20.831 --> 07:23.398 so we're kind of blessed this morning. 07:23.398 --> 07:25.631 Somewhere behind the lead-gray clouds, 07:25.631 --> 07:28.764 the October sun's just rising on Lake Superior. 07:28.764 --> 07:33.164 Steve Dahl is pulling his living from its bitterly cold water. 07:33.164 --> 07:37.898 That was a good pull. Wake you up. 07:37.898 --> 07:41.331 It's only gonna be about 60, 70 pounds. 07:41.331 --> 07:45.098 But that's ok. That's the way it is, too. 07:45.098 --> 07:47.364 You can't do anything about it. 07:47.364 --> 07:49.298 His harvest? The lake herring. 07:49.298 --> 07:52.431 A whitefish native to Superior's icy depths. 07:52.431 --> 07:54.331 A favorite of the many descendants of 07:54.331 --> 07:56.664 Scandinavian settlers in these parts 07:56.664 --> 07:59.464 - now in the midst of a comeback from pollution and parasites 07:59.464 --> 08:03.364 that nearly drove it extinct thirty years ago. 08:03.364 --> 08:06.331 I can go a couple of months without fish, or very little. 08:06.331 --> 08:09.698 You just have to hope they move in, and when they do, 08:09.698 --> 08:13.931 it's a lot of fish. You never know. 08:13.931 --> 08:16.298 Dahl's herring nets are set semi-permanently 08:16.298 --> 08:19.398 a few miles outside the Knife River Harbor 08:19.398 --> 08:22.231 on the shore of this huge and temperamental lake. 08:22.231 --> 08:25.798 He works alone, and he plays the waiting game: his nets catch 08:25.798 --> 08:29.564 herring only at night, only when they're feeding, 08:29.564 --> 08:32.964 (and) only when they happen by this part of the lake. 08:32.964 --> 08:36.231 There is just no other way to fish here. That's only 300 feet, 08:36.231 --> 08:38.564 and I have a hard time making sure it stays there. 08:38.564 --> 08:42.064 Superior doesn't give up its fish easily. 08:42.064 --> 08:44.831 Wind and waves change in an instant. 08:44.831 --> 08:46.431 In the good winter fishing months, 08:46.431 --> 08:49.798 Dahl will be fishing in temperatures far below zero 08:49.798 --> 08:53.064 if the lake hasn't frozen over. 08:53.064 --> 08:54.564 It's a tough way to make a living, 08:54.564 --> 08:57.831 but I wouldn't trade it for anything: to be out on the lake 08:57.831 --> 08:59.898 every morning. 08:59.898 --> 09:02.998 Dahl cleans his herring in a shed near his home in the hills 09:02.998 --> 09:04.731 above the lake. 09:04.731 --> 09:06.864 This is a pretty simple order. 09:06.864 --> 09:09.298 In the fall, then I'm back-splitting. 09:09.298 --> 09:12.198 I can do 70 pounds every 15 minutes. 09:12.198 --> 09:16.131 (In) the bulk of the year, it's local markets, restaurants, 09:16.131 --> 09:20.798 supermarkets, (and) smoke houses. 09:20.798 --> 09:23.431 An hour out of the water, Dahl's catch is in the hands 09:23.431 --> 09:26.031 of Gordon Olson at Kendall's Smokehouse, 09:26.031 --> 09:28.431 on the shore road near Duluth. 09:28.431 --> 09:35.398 We sell his herring filleted, or scaled and headless, or smoked. 09:35.398 --> 09:38.998 It's a ancient process of smoking that we do here. 09:38.998 --> 09:41.531 It's nothing new - nothing very sophisticated about it. 09:41.531 --> 09:44.198 The fish are brined overnight in a salt solution, 09:44.198 --> 09:46.131 (then) they're placed in the ovens, and they're smoked 09:46.131 --> 09:47.864 over open fires. 09:47.864 --> 09:51.731 And we use exclusively Maplewood. 09:51.731 --> 09:54.831 The electric ovens don't add the natural flavor 09:54.831 --> 10:01.231 that the wood does on the old-time ovens here. 10:01.231 --> 10:10.698 Dealing with Steve and shoremen like that 10:10.698 --> 10:13.764 is absolutely fantastic. They're down to earth. 10:13.764 --> 10:19.164 Everybody gets along: from catch the fish to when you sell it 10:19.164 --> 10:24.364 - that's what you gotta have. So Steve's a good man. 10:24.364 --> 10:27.331 A local delicacy will keep its place in Minnesota kitchens 10:27.331 --> 10:31.531 and restaurants, thanks to a few fishermen like Steve Dahl. 10:31.531 --> 10:35.198 Because regardless of the odds, they like working alone. 10:35.198 --> 10:38.631 They like challenging the vastness of Lake Superior. 10:38.631 --> 10:42.098 They like putting food on people's tables. 10:42.098 --> 10:46.264 My job is to supply people who can't access the resource, 10:46.264 --> 10:51.498 but have a right to it. 10:51.498 --> 10:54.498 Lake Superior alone holds an astonishing 10-percent 10:54.498 --> 10:56.631 of the earth's fresh water. 10:56.631 --> 10:58.964 - nearly 3-thousand cubic miles. 10:58.964 --> 11:02.998 That's enough to flood the entire continents of North and 11:02.998 --> 11:07.064 South America with a foot of fresh water. 11:07.064 --> 11:10.198 Still ahead. 11:10.198 --> 11:12.798 Rooting around in North Carolina for the crop that can command 11:12.798 --> 11:15.831 2-thousand dollars a pound. 11:15.831 --> 11:20.864 And the real  red-hots hit the big time in the Southwest! 11:20.864 --> 11:23.998 Let's move back onto dry land and head east 11:23.998 --> 11:27.498 to the farms and fields of Chester County, Pennsylvania. 11:27.498 --> 11:29.564 That's where we found another specialty crop that grows 11:29.564 --> 11:34.164 in entirely different conditions - dark, dank and humid! 11:34.164 --> 11:36.431 We're talking mushrooms. And Pat says 11:36.431 --> 11:39.998 this fantastic fungi is fueling a small fortune 11:39.998 --> 11:43.198 for one farm family that's been growing them commercially 11:43.198 --> 11:47.231 for more than eighty years. 11:47.231 --> 11:51.698 Mushrooms seem to go with about anything - from soup to salad. 11:51.698 --> 11:54.031 One reason they're so versatile is that there are so many 11:54.031 --> 11:55.464 different kinds. 11:55.464 --> 11:58.464 And here's one family that knows about them all. 11:58.464 --> 12:03.198 The Basciani family's been making mushrooms 12:03.198 --> 12:04.931 since the 1920's. 12:04.931 --> 12:08.664 It started with grandfather, Emedio, an Italian immigrant. 12:08.664 --> 12:12.131 Their farm is in Chester County, Pennsylvania, where the U.S. 12:12.131 --> 12:15.364 mushroom industry began in the early 1900's. 12:15.364 --> 12:18.231 Today, it's Pennsylvania's leading crop. 12:18.231 --> 12:21.164 Farmers produce nearly five hundred million pounds 12:21.164 --> 12:23.531 of the fungi each year - almost half 12:23.531 --> 12:25.164 the nation's total. 12:25.164 --> 12:27.131 The key to growing mushrooms? When you get up in the morning, 12:27.131 --> 12:30.031 you look up the sky. The sun's shining, 12:30.031 --> 12:32.064 the sky's out, (and) you gotta be ready to work. 12:32.064 --> 12:33.264 You have to enjoy what you're doing. 12:33.264 --> 12:35.331 And it's hard to do that 7 days a week. 12:35.331 --> 12:38.498 The process begins here in the compost pile. 12:38.498 --> 12:40.264 It's a mixture of very ripe manure 12:40.264 --> 12:42.531 and different kinds of straw. 12:42.531 --> 12:43.898 SO MICHAEL THIS IS THE SECOND STAGE 12:43.898 --> 12:45.698 OF THE MUSHROOM GROWING PROCESS. 12:45.698 --> 12:46.698 YES. 12:46.698 --> 12:48.031 LET'S OPEN THE DOOR. 12:48.031 --> 12:50.098 THIS IS THE PASTEURIZATION STAGE. 12:50.098 --> 12:54.964 OOH, IT'S LIKE ROTTEN VEGETABLES. 12:54.964 --> 12:59.431 It's the smell of ammonia as the compost is pasteurized 12:59.431 --> 13:02.164 or steam-cooked so the growing environment is sterile 13:02.164 --> 13:04.098 and free of impurities. 13:04.098 --> 13:05.964 The temperature in this room will eventually reach 13:05.964 --> 13:09.998 150-degrees Fahrenheit before the process is complete! 13:09.998 --> 13:12.798 In about two weeks, once the compost is ready, 13:12.798 --> 13:16.264 it's seeded with a tiny cultured fungus called a spawn. 13:16.264 --> 13:18.764 NOW IF I DIG INTO THIS WITH MY HAND, 13:18.764 --> 13:21.698 (THEN) YOU SEE HOW IT'S GROWING IN THE COMPOST. 13:21.698 --> 13:23.298 (YOU) SEE THE WHITE SPECKS STARTING TO GROW. 13:23.298 --> 13:26.064 THEY'RE GETTING A BLUISH, WHITEISH, GREY LOOK... 13:26.064 --> 13:29.264 And in a few more weeks, those specks become mushrooms 13:29.264 --> 13:32.231 - their growth monitored every step of the way. 13:32.231 --> 13:34.498 Anybody can just close their eyes and just pick every 13:34.498 --> 13:36.631 mushroom on the bed. A good harvester can tell 13:36.631 --> 13:38.864 when a mushroom's ripe or not ripe. 13:38.864 --> 13:40.998 The Bascianis produce a million pounds 13:40.998 --> 13:42.264 of mushrooms a week. 13:42.264 --> 13:45.231 One type, the Shiitake, does well in Asian markets. 13:45.231 --> 13:48.464 Sales of this exotic mushroom are growing about 15-percent 13:48.464 --> 13:50.264 a year in the U.S. 13:50.264 --> 13:53.398 And the Shiitake is grown like this - on wood logs. 13:53.398 --> 13:55.731 THIS IS BEAUTIFUL. IT'S SO UNUSUAL. 13:55.731 --> 13:57.464 THAT'S THE OLD-FASHIONED TRUMPET. 13:57.464 --> 13:59.131 THAT'S A TRUMPET MUSHROOM. WE CALL IT 13:59.131 --> 14:00.564 A CANARY YELLOW OYSTER. 14:00.564 --> 14:02.031 THESE ARE JUMBO - JUMBO PORTABELLAS. 14:02.031 --> 14:07.631 WE CALL THEM HUBCAPS...I GUESS SO. THEY'RE AS BIG AS YOUR HEAD! 14:07.631 --> 14:10.298 Portabellas are actually Crimini mushrooms 14:10.298 --> 14:13.564 that have been allowed to grow to their distinctive large size. 14:13.564 --> 14:16.831 They've become one of the Basciani's top sellers. 14:16.831 --> 14:19.331 Commercial mushroom growers make up a relatively small 14:19.331 --> 14:23.031 farming community - less than three hundred nationwide. 14:23.031 --> 14:25.764 But business is booming: Americans eat more than 14:25.764 --> 14:28.031 a billion pounds a year. 14:28.031 --> 14:30.664 With this growing fungi fondness comes new opportunities for 14:30.664 --> 14:32.864 growers like the Bascianis. 14:32.864 --> 14:34.998 It's the challenge, and it's just the love. 14:34.998 --> 14:36.898 I like feeding people. 14:36.898 --> 14:41.498 We're actually feeding the world  . 14:41.498 --> 14:43.864 Of the world's more than 70-thousand species 14:43.864 --> 14:47.231 of mushrooms, only 250 ever make it 14:47.231 --> 14:48.798 to the dinner table. 14:48.798 --> 14:52.064 Most are tough, bitter, or tasteless. And a few contain 14:52.064 --> 14:55.564 potentially lethal poisons. 14:55.564 --> 14:58.964 If white mushrooms are the  Chevrolets of fungi, 14:58.964 --> 15:02.264 then these next products must be considered the  Cadillac's ! 15:02.264 --> 15:05.531 Truffles are an expensive delicacy usually grown 15:05.531 --> 15:07.831 and harvested in the forests of France. 15:07.831 --> 15:11.264 But Jason Shoultz met one truffle lover who discovered 15:11.264 --> 15:14.631 they also do well in the hills of North Carolina. 15:14.631 --> 15:16.764 And now, he's convincing other farmers to give up 15:16.764 --> 15:21.531 their tractors and grow this new crop  underground . 15:21.531 --> 15:26.698   TRUFFLE, GINGER, TRUFFLE! 15:26.698 --> 15:29.098 Franklin Garland isn't just taking his dog Ginger 15:29.098 --> 15:30.798 for a walk in the park. 15:30.798 --> 15:33.964 Garland is demonstrating truffle hunting for us. 15:33.964 --> 15:36.764 You can't see the truffles, but Garland is certain 15:36.764 --> 15:39.198 there is a  fungus among us . 15:39.198 --> 15:41.264 The fungus grows on the roots of the trees 15:41.264 --> 15:42.598 - the actual fungus. 15:42.598 --> 15:44.631 It's a symbiotic relationship, so it is mutually beneficial. 15:44.631 --> 15:48.031 Wait a minute, you say, I've eaten truffles many times. 15:48.031 --> 15:49.864 They didn't come from the ground, 15:49.864 --> 15:51.631 and sure didn't taste like a fungus. 15:51.631 --> 15:54.664 You are right. Those were chocolate truffles. 15:54.664 --> 15:57.864 But if Franklin Garland has his way, this black round 15:57.864 --> 16:01.598 Tuber Melanosporum fungus is the truffle that we will 16:01.598 --> 16:03.831 come to know and love instead. 16:03.831 --> 16:06.431 So, breakfast, lunch, dinner? 16:06.431 --> 16:09.264 Anything. Truffles are good anytime  . 16:09.264 --> 16:13.098 To prove it, Franklin invited me to try a truffle omelet! 16:13.098 --> 16:14.764 You won't find them on the breakfast menu 16:14.764 --> 16:16.931 at your local greasy spoon. 16:16.931 --> 16:20.264 Black Perigord Truffles are popular but expensive dishes at 16:20.264 --> 16:22.031 upscale restaurants. 16:22.031 --> 16:24.298 It's very tasty. If you like them, you really 16:24.298 --> 16:26.331   really like them a lot. 16:26.331 --> 16:27.198 And what if I don't? 16:27.198 --> 16:29.598 Then tell me. I'll eat the rest. 16:29.598 --> 16:32.664 There's a small percentage of people who don't like them. 16:32.664 --> 16:35.031 I can describe what people who don't like them 16:35.031 --> 16:36.098 think they taste like: 16:36.098 --> 16:37.798 They think they taste like dirty gym socks! 16:37.798 --> 16:39.931 Ha. Ha. 16:39.931 --> 16:41.898 Well we are going to have a  dirty gym sock omelet, then. 16:41.898 --> 16:46.164 I've never eaten one, so I don't really know. 16:46.164 --> 16:49.364 This  fun guy often invites guests to his kitchen 16:49.364 --> 16:51.731 to sample fungi cuisine. 16:51.731 --> 16:53.898 He says the omelet is the perfect partner 16:53.898 --> 16:57.731 for the black truffle's distinct earthy and nutty flavor. 16:57.731 --> 17:00.831 This is really truffly. 17:00.831 --> 17:02.831 That's really good. 17:02.831 --> 17:04.398 And it's unique. 17:04.398 --> 17:07.298 The origin of the truffle can be traced back to France. 17:07.298 --> 17:10.931 As far back as the 15th century, pigs were used to sniff them out 17:10.931 --> 17:13.498 from the roots of trees in the forests. 17:13.498 --> 17:17.398 Today they are grown using trees inoculated with fungus spores. 17:17.398 --> 17:20.164 But until recently the only place they would grow 17:20.164 --> 17:21.398 was in Europe. 17:21.398 --> 17:25.064 Until 1979 when Franklin Garland bought inoculated trees 17:25.064 --> 17:27.098 from France, planted an orchard on his 17:27.098 --> 17:29.798 North Carolina property, and waited. 17:29.798 --> 17:32.164 And even then, it was not until 1992 that I had my first truffle 17:32.164 --> 17:34.464 in my hand. 17:34.464 --> 17:37.898 So we are talking close to 12 years from the time I planted 17:37.898 --> 17:39.998 to the time I actually harvested truffles. 17:39.998 --> 17:42.231 Garland's discovery, that truffles could grow 17:42.231 --> 17:44.764 in the North Carolina soil, was ground breaking 17:44.764 --> 17:46.298 in the world of truffles. 17:46.298 --> 17:49.898 Now he supplies his truffles to chefs at upscale restaurants 17:49.898 --> 17:52.498 around the country and just down the road. 17:52.498 --> 17:55.231 As a flavor, you can't get anything that's even 17:55.231 --> 17:56.464 remotely close to it. 17:56.464 --> 17:59.331 Garland shares truffles with Chef Sam Poley to create 17:59.331 --> 18:02.031 interesting dishes at Starlu restaurant in Durham, 18:02.031 --> 18:03.264 North Carolina. 18:03.264 --> 18:05.764 They are too expensive to be a regular menu item. 18:05.764 --> 18:09.464 But Poley says the fungus is perfect for experimenting: 18:09.464 --> 18:13.531 like truffle popcorn or even truffle martinis! 18:13.531 --> 18:16.031 That's a seriously good martini! 18:16.031 --> 18:18.264 Franklin Garland and his wife Betty's latest venture 18:18.264 --> 18:21.698 is selling specially treated trees for truffle-growing. 18:21.698 --> 18:24.764 And they are getting interest from all over North Carolina. 18:24.764 --> 18:26.698 Seems lots of folks want to get into 18:26.698 --> 18:28.264 the truffle-growing business. 18:28.264 --> 18:29.764 Why? Money. 18:29.764 --> 18:31.898 The lowest they have been in the last five years is 18:31.898 --> 18:33.898   $500 dollars a pound. 18:33.898 --> 18:37.331 And they got up to  $1600  and in some cases 18:37.331 --> 18:39.231   $2,000 a pound. 18:39.231 --> 18:40.231 Yeah, I'm in truffles now. 18:40.231 --> 18:43.764 So I am a certified truffle farmer. 18:43.764 --> 18:47.064 In 1999 Charles Bradley invested $5000 dollars to 18:47.064 --> 18:50.231 plant 500 of Garland's treated hazelnut trees. 18:50.231 --> 18:53.864 Anytime now, truffles should start growing in the roots. 18:53.864 --> 18:56.631 Which brings us back to why Garland's dog 18:56.631 --> 18:58.598 is nosing around here: 18:58.598 --> 19:01.331 Ginger's snout is sniffing for underground truffles 19:01.331 --> 19:03.598 like the pigs used to do. 19:03.598 --> 19:05.631 It's sight unseen. 19:05.631 --> 19:08.098 You have to have a little faith to know what's going on under 19:08.098 --> 19:09.398 the ground  . 19:09.398 --> 19:10.998 Some quick math tells you why Charles Bradley 19:10.998 --> 19:12.264 is taking the risk. 19:12.264 --> 19:14.664 A good year could produce 100 pounds of truffles an acre. 19:14.664 --> 19:16.898 He's got two acres of trees. 19:16.898 --> 19:19.698 Let's say he gets 1-thousand dollars a pound.that would total 19:19.698 --> 19:22.731 2-hundred grand for that good year. 19:22.731 --> 19:24.298 Sound to good to be true? 19:24.298 --> 19:25.498 A lot of naysayers. 19:25.498 --> 19:27.064 Especially my brother. 19:27.064 --> 19:27.731 " "What did he say? ". 19:27.731 --> 19:29.831 "Well, He says I'm crazy. 19:29.831 --> 19:30.998 Ha ha. " 19:30.998 --> 19:32.764 Or nuts! 19:32.764 --> 19:35.098 Hazelnuts are growing on the branches of these inoculated 19:35.098 --> 19:38.798 trees .but no truffles underground - so far. 19:38.798 --> 19:40.998 But these guys are confident that they will. 19:40.998 --> 19:44.131 And while Franklin makes no guarantees of success. Charles 19:44.131 --> 19:47.564 Bradley is looking forward to proving his brother wrong! 19:47.564 --> 19:49.164 So when I get the truffles in hand. 19:49.164 --> 19:53.298 I can go show him! 19:53.298 --> 19:55.564 Why did nature cheat North America out of its own wild 19:55.564 --> 19:57.098 truffles? 19:57.098 --> 19:58.364 It didn't. 19:58.364 --> 20:01.831 Edible native truffles are harvested in Texas and Oregon. 20:01.831 --> 20:04.798 Oregon white truffles now command 150-dollars 20:04.798 --> 20:07.531 or more per pound. 20:07.531 --> 20:10.298 Let's wrap up this edition of America's Heartland with another 20:10.298 --> 20:13.598 specialty crop that's pretty hot right now - both in popularity 20:13.598 --> 20:15.598 and flavor. 20:15.598 --> 20:18.164 You may think the chile pepper is a relative newcomer in 20:18.164 --> 20:22.831 American ag, but fact is, George Washington cultivated hot chiles 20:22.831 --> 20:25.698 on his farm at Mount Vernon. 20:25.698 --> 20:29.964 Since then, it's evolved into an astounding array of species and 20:29.964 --> 20:31.398 varieties. 20:31.398 --> 20:33.864 I recently visited the small town of Hatch, New Mexico, 20:33.864 --> 20:37.498 and discovered it's a real hotbed for learning about - and 20:37.498 --> 20:42.164 sampling - this hot crop. 20:42.164 --> 20:45.931 WELL, I HAD ALWAYS DREAMED OF BECOMING AN AIRLINE PILOT AND 20:45.931 --> 20:48.498 AFTER HIGH SCHOOL HERE IN HATCH 20:48.498 --> 20:52.164 I ATTENDED COLLEGE AT NEW Mexico state UNIVERSITY 20:52.164 --> 20:57.931 AND HADN'T PLANNED ON COMING BACK TO HATCH AND FARM. " 20:57.931 --> 21:00.931 Chris Franzoy's high-flying dreams of getting behind the 21:00.931 --> 21:04.531 wheel of a jetliner took a back seat when the family farm 21:04.531 --> 21:07.864 beckoned.. It was hard for Chris to ignore almost one hundred 21:07.864 --> 21:11.864 years of family history in this warm fertile valley, 21:11.864 --> 21:15.631 where growing conditions for all things chile turned out to be 21:15.631 --> 21:17.231 ideal. 21:17.231 --> 21:18.631 "Before coming here I had never heard of hatch, 21:18.631 --> 21:21.331 new Mexico or even a hatch chile for that matter. 21:21.331 --> 21:23.298 But these little things right here have put this 21:23.298 --> 21:25.098 tiny town on the map. 21:25.098 --> 21:28.498 a town that claims to be the chile capital of not just 21:28.498 --> 21:32.264 New Mexico or America, but the world. " 21:32.264 --> 21:36.631 Many of Hatch's 2000 residents are involved in some aspect of 21:36.631 --> 21:38.298 the chile business. 21:38.298 --> 21:41.864 It all started around 1888 when a horticulturist at the 21:41.864 --> 21:44.098 New Mexico College of Agriculture 21:44.098 --> 21:47.598 began experimenting with different types of chile pods. 21:47.598 --> 21:50.864 As time went by, some did especially well in the fertile 21:50.864 --> 21:54.464 New Mexico soil, turning the state into a mecca for chile 21:54.464 --> 21:55.998 growers. 21:55.998 --> 22:00.898 Chile fanatics soon followed and Hatch became their ground zero. 22:00.898 --> 22:04.064 Among the biggest players in the local chile business is the 22:04.064 --> 22:07.764 Franzoy family and their "Young Guns Produce Co. " 22:07.764 --> 22:11.264 "Hatch chile is very famous, very popular because of its 22:11.264 --> 22:13.498 spicy flavor. 22:13.498 --> 22:16.364 Our business is growing at the rate of ten percent a year. " 22:16.364 --> 22:19.964 And what is it that's heating up our taste for chiles? 22:19.964 --> 22:21.164 "It's addictive. 22:21.164 --> 22:22.298 Once you've had it the first time you're gonna want it 22:22.298 --> 22:23.898 again and again. " 22:23.898 --> 22:25.798 "This is the Big Jim variety. 22:25.798 --> 22:27.798 It's a large pepper. 22:27.798 --> 22:31.564 it's a medium hot pepper and it's used primarily for making 22:31.564 --> 22:33.131 chiles rellenos. " 22:33.131 --> 22:35.764 The chile harvest begins around the first of August and 22:35.764 --> 22:37.331 is done by hand. 22:37.331 --> 22:40.398 That's because these chiles must be picked carefully without any 22:40.398 --> 22:43.964 bruises, cracks or breaks which can occur with mechanical 22:43.964 --> 22:46.431 harvesters. 22:46.431 --> 22:49.131 By mid-to-late September, these green chiles have turned red. 22:49.131 --> 22:53.398 They're picked by machine and ground into chile powder or red 22:53.398 --> 22:57.831 pepper flakes that you sprinkle on pizza and other foods. 22:57.831 --> 23:01.498   vOY A HABLAR CON LARRY." 23:01.498 --> 23:04.164 AFTER HARVESTING, Chris oversees sorting 23:04.164 --> 23:06.098 IN THE YOUNG GUNS WAREHOUSE, 23:06.098 --> 23:12.898 where the fresh chiles are BOXED UP OR SEALED IN BURLAP SACKS. 23:12.898 --> 23:16.464 hatch chiles CAN BE ROASTED, PEELED, AND CANNED whole, 23:16.464 --> 23:19.698 or ROASTED, PEELED AND CHOPPED FOR DISHES LIKE green chile 23:19.698 --> 23:21.764 enchiladas, or CHILE. VERDE, 23:21.764 --> 23:24.664 A GREEN CHILE STEW. 23:24.664 --> 23:27.964 THE FAVORITE DISH AROUND HERE FOR WHOLE fresh CHILES IS CHILES 23:27.964 --> 23:30.964 RELLENOS-GREEN CHILES STUFFED WITH CHEESE AND COATED WITH A 23:30.964 --> 23:32.964 LIGHT BATTER. 23:32.964 --> 23:37.031 OUR WEB SITE FEATURES AN AUTHENTIC NEW MEXICO RECIPE. 23:37.031 --> 23:46.331 ♪ 23:46.331 --> 23:51.498 "The hotter the better. Want some? " 23:51.498 --> 23:55.231 "No" No place is better to sample the authentic taste of 23:55.231 --> 23:59.631 Hatch than at its annual Chile Festival on Labor Day Weekend. 23:59.631 --> 24:02.998 That's when this little town swells with thousands of people 24:02.998 --> 24:05.831 crazy.about chile. 24:05.831 --> 24:09.531 WADE WORRELL HAS BEEN INVOLVED FOR SOME THIRTY YEARS AND LIKES 24:09.531 --> 24:12.398 HIS CHILE ON THE HOT SIDE. 24:12.398 --> 24:13.764 "You can tell when you got some good chile. 24:13.764 --> 24:16.698 you kind of start perspiring on your face. 24:16.698 --> 24:18.031 Your eyes water a little bit. 24:18.031 --> 24:19.131 That's just about right. 24:19.131 --> 24:21.264 Any hotter than that It's a little tough for me. " 24:21.264 --> 24:27.331 AND FOR ME, too, since a little heat goes a long way. 24:27.331 --> 24:29.498 The next time you pick up a can of chiles or 24:29.498 --> 24:32.231 buy 'em fresh at the grocery store, 24:32.231 --> 24:33.998 remember the little town of hatch. 24:33.998 --> 24:38.564 where green chiles have turned to gold  . 24:38.564 --> 24:40.531 Well, those chili peppers may be tasty, 24:40.531 --> 24:43.764 but don't even think about trying a hot one unless you've 24:43.764 --> 24:46.398 got plenty of milk on hand to neutralize the heat, 24:46.398 --> 24:50.198 water won't do it believe me, or you might be able to slam back a 24:50.198 --> 24:52.964 few margaritas to dull the pain! 24:52.964 --> 24:55.631 Thanks for joining us, and we hope you'll come along again 24:55.631 --> 24:59.231 next time when we discover more great farms, families, 24:59.231 --> 25:03.031 and their fascinating stories. in America's Heartland. 25:03.031 --> 25:07.698 I'm Paul Ryan.. I'll see you next time 25:07.698 --> 25:11.364 To learn more about this edition of America's Heartland, 25:11.364 --> 25:13.431 or to give us your feedback, 25:13.431 --> 25:17.064 visit americasheartland - dot - org. 25:17.064 --> 25:18.631 To order a copy of this broadcast, 25:18.631 --> 25:24.964 visit us online or call 1-888-814-3923. 25:24.964 --> 25:32.098 The cost is 14.95 plus shipping 25:32.098 --> 25:38.298 ♪You can see it in the eyes of every woman and man♪ 25:38.298 --> 25:44.431 ♪in America's Heartland living close to the land.♪ 25:44.431 --> 25:47.464 ♪There's a love for the country♪ 25:47.464 --> 25:53.198 ♪and a pride in the brand in America's Heartland♪ 25:53.198 --> 25:59.631 ♪living close, close to the land.♪ 25:59.631 --> 26:03.631   America's Heartland is made possible by 26:03.631 --> 26:08.931 ...They make up a small part of our population, 26:08.931 --> 26:11.731 but have a huge impact on our lives. 26:11.731 --> 26:14.864 They take business risks that few others would tolerate 26:14.864 --> 26:17.031 all on our behalf. 26:17.031 --> 26:21.864 They're American farmers who feed, fuel and clothe the world. 26:21.864 --> 26:25.798 Monsanto would like to recognize them for all they do, 26:25.798 --> 26:29.631 for the rest of us, because ultimately our success 26:29.631 --> 26:33.531 and everyone else's depends on theirs 26:33.531 --> 26:36.631 ...and by the American Farm Bureau Federation 26:36.631 --> 26:40.264 - the voice of agriculture.