Around the Farm Table returns!

October 10, 2018 Susannah Brooks Leave a Comment

A Note From Inga…

Has it really been six years since we started this quirky little show we call Around the Farm Table? My father Rick (producer, director, and the guy that irons my shirt) and I are absolutely humbled to help tell the stories of the hard working and inspiring farmers here in the great state of Wisconsin.

Read more to find out where we’re headed this season on Around the Farm Table – and join us for our new episodes airing Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on Wisconsin Public Television!

This past summer has been a blur of milking cows, building a creamery and traveling throughout Wisconsin, meeting even more interesting people and helping tell the story of the folks growing our food.

We traveled to Bayfield to meet up with Tia Nelson. She’s the daughter of Gaylord Nelson – the founder of Earth Day, and a former governor of Wisconsin and U.S. Senator – and she’s continuing his legacy of conservation. I celebrated Earth Day with her by popping a bottle of champagne – which I accidentally sprayed all over her and her guests. I made up for it with a light lunch of bison tartare.

We celebrated our Scandinavian heritage with a Midsummer Fest. The kids danced around the maypole and we feasted on Smorgastrata, a Scandinavian-style sandwich cake. It sounds weird, but it’s beautiful! We decorated the table with beautiful peonies from the president of the Wisconsin Peony Society.

Luckily, I didn’t have to ride my bike, because we traveled around the entire state! In our final week of filming, we ended up at MacFarlane Pheasant Farm near Janesville, where I fell in love with the taste of pheasant. I turned it into another delicious Book Club lunch filled with lots of red wine and laughter.

We’ve got more in store for you this season, honoring the people who make rural life possible: a special lunch for the volunteer firefighter brigade; a restorative soup with Korean flavors to keep our neighbors’ strength up for baling hay; a celebratory happy hour with blue corn nachos; and a very special “Friendsgiving” to celebrate the bounty of Wisconsin’s harvest.

I hope our show has inspired you to eat locally in ways you might not have expected – or in ways that take you back to memories of farm life!

I look forward to welcoming you as we gather together for the sixth season of Around the Farm Table. Don’t forget: you can find all sorts of special content – like a video sneak peek at the newest members of our cow herd! – on our Facebook page.

-Inga Witscher

P.S. Here’s a sample of what you’ll see in October!

Maple Syrup and Microgreens
Season premiere – now available to watch online!

Spring is about to arrive on the farm. Inga ventures out for the start of maple syrup season and gets an early taste of summer with microgreens. Rack of lamb and a fresh spring salad are on the menu.

Earth Day: Wisconsin
Premieres 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11

The idea for Earth Day was born in Wisconsin. On its 50^th anniversary, Inga forages the landscape for wild greens, visits a bison farm that is nurturing the land and shows what it takes to restore a Wisconsin prairie.

Scandinavian Midsummer Fest
Premieres 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25

Inga celebrates Midsummer, one of the most popular holidays in Scandinavia. She gathers the ingredients for a traditional Scandinavian Smorgastrata sandwich cake.

Wisconsin Public Television Food Around the Farm Table Inga Witscher