♪ ♪ JOANNE CLENDINING: From every corner of the state, Maryland agriculture is a producer's paradise.

Did you know that farming can help to rehabilitate?

That farming can help feed the needy?

And that Maryland has an indigenous fruit?

Don't go away.

Stories about the people who work the land and feed our state are coming up next on "Maryland Farm and Harvest."

ANNOUNCER: Major funding for "Maryland Farm and Harvest" is made possible in part by... the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board, investing in smarter farming to support safe and affordable food, feed, and fuel, and a healthy Bay.

Additional funding provided by Maryland's Best.

Good for you.

Good for Maryland.

A grant from the Rural Maryland Council, Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Fund, Marbidco, helping to sustain Food and Fiber Enterprise for future generations.

A grant from the Maryland Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Program.

Farm Credit.

Lending Support to Agriculture and Rural America.

The Maryland Soybean Board and Soybean Checkoff Program.

Progress Powered by Farmers.

The Maryland Nursery Landscape and Greenhouse Association, the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts.

The Maryland Farm Bureau Incorporated, the Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment.

The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation.

Promoting the importance of agriculture in our daily lives.

The Maryland Pork Producers Association proudly works to educate consumers and advocate for farmers.

Taste what pork can do.

(theme music plays) (chicks cheep) JOANNE: Although farms fall into certain agricultural categories, each one is unique and special in its own right.

Hi, I'm Joanne Clendining.

Welcome to “Maryland Farm and Harvest.” In this episode, we explore how farming is changing lives, providing hope, and offering a new beginning for many who are struggling with an uncertain future.

We are in Hydes, Maryland, at Boordy Vineyards, where 80 years ago, the future of the Maryland wine industry was anything but certain.

Now, thanks to the stick-to-itiveness of the Deford family, along with other local wine families, Maryland wines are among the top performers in national and international competitions.

Plus, the atmosphere here at Boordy is relaxed and inviting.

Coming up, a small farm delivers big rewards in a quest to feed the hungry.

But first, there's a produce farm on the lower Eastern Shore that provides for the local food bank, but the farmers who grow the vegetables do it from behind bars.

(tractor engine).

JAMES DAVIS: Let's go over there and pick some of these squash.

This first year we done them.

First year we done them Honeydews.

Well, we got crimson watermelons, sugar baby watermelons, Charleston Gray watermelons, uh, Jubilee watermelons.

But we would like to get some of those seeds, but, uh, and some of that fertilizer, but that's just too expensive.

But as I'm saying, we could get some topsoil, it don't have to be grade one, it could be, uh, two or three.

Anything's better than landfill.

My family lived on a farm down North Carolina.

When I turned 16, I left the farm.

I wish I never would've, I should've stayed down there, then I wouldn't be here, you know.

But the choices we make in life, you know?

JOANNE: Behind concrete walls and lock doors, an unusual farm is taken root.

The space is tight.

The routine is strict, but the work is real.

JAMES: My daily routine is get up around six o'clock in the morning, have a cup of coffee, wait to be called to work.

Call for them to call the yard workers out around 7:30.

Um, keeps your mind straight, you don't have to think about being locked up all the time when you're out here, your mind's on the garden, what you're doing, you know?

So it takes you out of being behind bars for a while.

At Eastern Correctional Institute in Somerset County, James Davis and Edward Gaines work in the facility's farming program.

Participation is earned through good behavior and can mean up to six hours a day on the farm.

But prison lockdowns and limited funding from government grants shape what's possible.

Um, this jail is built on a landfill.

So the soil is not a high-quality soil.

We do the best we can with the grant we get to, um, buy pottin' soil, city cow manure, you know, little bags of that.

JOANNE: And behind the scenes, the program requires approval, funding, and oversight.

WILLIAM BAILEY: So what do we, what do we have here?

JAMES: This is carrots.

WILLIAM: Carrots?

JAMES: Well, you can see 'em right here.

Half-inch round, they'll be about maybe six or seven inches long.

WILLIAM: Now, will they all be ready at the same time?

JAMES: Yes, sir.

WILLIAM: Okay.

In collaboration with the Somerset County Health Department, each year they are awarded a grant, rather, and with that grant we're able to purchase seed and anything that we may need for the three gardens that we have on our, our complex.

And then, as we harvest 41 pounds of zucchini, uh, that food goes from the facility into the community to be distributed by the Somerset County Health Department.

JAMES: 43.

JOANNE: Program officials estimate this farm grows 10 tons of fruits and vegetables yearly, but none of it will reach the dining hall.

Instead, the produce will all be shipped to local food banks.

KATIE KLEIN: So I work with the Infants and Toddlers Program, um, and we provide in-home services to help, um, reduce a delay or disability that they may have.

I am on my way to go visit some families in the community, and I'm bringing them some fresh produce.

JOANNE: And the food Katie Klein is collecting doesn't travel far; it stays in Somerset County, where food insecurity is highest in the state.

ERIC KERSEY: It makes me feel like I'm begging for stuff, but honestly, am I begging or am I trying to survive?

So I feel that I'm surviving the best way I can until I can get on my feet and get me a job.

And this is truly a blessing.

It is truly a blessing to me today.

JOANNE: For families with children, access to fresh food matters.

WOMAN: That's supposed to be beans... JOANNE: But for some, it starts behind these walls.

EDWARD GAINES: Got a couple seeds for you, man.

This is my favorite part.

The group, just giving it something so it can feed.

I'm able to make amends.

This is my good deed.

This is my give back to help out, so it's not a challenge to come out here and grow some vegetables to help feed somebody that can't, don't have it for theirselves to feed.

JAMES: All, all the stuff.

They joke with us a lot, saying, you working for the man, you know, uh, shake the bush boy and all this stuff when they walk by, they're just joking with us.

But, you know, my position of, of, of it is, uh, it, it helps your mental, mental state and, and have because, uh, you, you're outside.

You get your mind out being locked up all the time.

JOANNE: And some picture, what they might take with them when they leave.

EDWARD: Uh, four years max.

I go to parole tomorrow, though.

I just want to teach my grandkids.

Just spend some time with my grandkids and show them like, this is what you can do for fun, 'cause it's actually fun just watching the grow, doing it, and watching your work grow.

I'm gonna take some of it home.

Some of it I gotta leave behind.

One day soon, I'll be walking through that gate.

JAMES: Well, I'm doing a life sentence.

I got 38 years in.

I'm getting ready to go back to court.

I got a court date for November 14th.

So I think I could be, uh, a, a asset to the society instead of a burden on society if I ever get a second chance.

JOANNE: For these inmates, the time spent working the prison farm has given them purpose and a way forward in an uncertain future.

The vegetables, the inmates grow are so desperately needed in Somerset County.

And did you know, in a recent annual survey, Maryland inmates worked with Farming for Hunger to grow and harvest more than 318,000 pounds of food, including 650 broiler chickens and 6,500 dozen eggs for local food pantries.

(bird chirping).

♪ ♪ All right, it's time to test your agricultural know-how.

Here is our thingamajig for the week.

Do you think you know what it is?

Here's a hint.

It may look like a papoose, but what's made from what it carries is for adults only.

Stay tuned, and we'll have the answer at the end of the show.

Since the camera phone came into existence, the selfie has emerged as the most prolific form of self-expression.

Here are our favorite selfies on the farm.

Enjoy.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ JOANNE: Our next segment finds Catholic friars, an ex-con chef, and a fledgling farmer feeding thousands of Baltimoreans from a tiny three-acre property.

FRIAR GARY JOHNSON: Oh God, from the very beginning of time, you commanded the earth to bring forth vegetation and fruit of every kind.

You provide the sower with seed and give bread to eat.

Enriched by the gifts of your goodness, we'll praise you unceasingly now and for ages unending, we ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

JOANNE: At the shrine of St.

Anthony, the day begins with a blessing for their three-acre farm.

MATT JONES: Good morning, everyone.

GROUP: Hey Matt.

MATT: Thanks for coming.

Uh, so the plan for today, wait on the drip tape until after we plant.

JOANNE: And here faith meets action as Matt Jones leads a team of volunteers in service.

All right, everybody, let's get started, have a great morning.

VOLUNTEER: Okay.

VOLUNTEER: Thanks, Matt.

MATT: So my, the job before this, I was working, uh, faith-based environmental advocacy role in D.C., and through that role I happened to meet the Friar who was looking for somebody to manage this farm that they were starting.

JOANNE: Using sustainable practices, Matt has grown this farm to three acres.

All of it is dedicated to providing food for the needy.

One of our partners is the Franciscan Center of Baltimore, uh, they, uh, they have a soup kitchen in the city, uh, that feeds several hundred people every day.

(kitchen chatter).

CHEF: Yes, chef.

DERRICK PURCELL: Thanks.

Alright, so, as you know today, is Wednesday, it's our NBA day.

So we'll be fabricating the chicken, we have rice.

Um, we will switch starch if we need to go to penne pasta.

But we should definitely prepare, be prepared to serve 600 plus for lunch today.

JOANNE: And what began quietly on a farm is felt immediately in the city.

JEFFREY GRIFFIN: We're blessed to get lots of produce donated to us from local farms, um, Little Portion Farm.

DERRICK: There's nothing better, nothing more flavorful then fresh tomato.

JEFFREY: And that allows us to create some of the best meals, uh, and the most nutritious meals possible for our guests who truly need it.

DAVID GOLDBERGER: Didn't have nothing, no, ID, no nothing, um, birth certificate, I didn't have nothing.

WOMAN: In Jesus name, we say amen.

GROUP: Amen.

WOMAN: Thank you, bon appetite, let's eat!

DAVID: Help me get, uh, my certificate, social security card.

Now I got my driver's license back and, uh, it's nice to have somewhere to go where you know you're gonna get a meal every day while in recovery.

STEVEN ALLBRIGHT: You'll take everything?

Alright, nice little chicken.

JOANNE: And former head chef Steven Allbright knows a bit about starting over.

STEVEN: Welcome to the Franciscan Center.

We have chicken drums today with rice... In 2008, uh, I was convicted of a first-degree assault, um, and I spent almost seven years in prison, six, six and a half years in prison.

And I started cooking in prison.

Uh, and believe it or not, I would sit and watch MPT every day and watch chefs, uh, Emeril, John Besh, Julia Child, and, uh, I would try to emulate what I, what they were doing by cooking in a microwave.

JOANNE: And when he was released, helping others became a way forward.

STEVEN: The Franciscan Center was where we were able to, uh, where I got, I would say, really my, my big break.

I found out when I got here that we had a farm, and I was like, oh my goodness.

So, farm to table and The Little Portion farm in Ellicott City, having Jeff as the director, giving me free range, we decided to change the way we fed the homeless.

(overlapping chatter) PATRON: Thank you.

JOANNE: The goal here is to limit processed foods and cook meals from real ingredients whenever they can.

JEFFREY: Many of our guests, because of the conditions that they live in, they have diabetes, they have cholesterol issues; they have other issues that we don't know about.

But the food, processed food, does not make that matters any better at all, and in fact, many ways, it's actually hurts them even more.

So, being able to serve fresh, healthy meals, we're, we're actually are helping to heal, uh, you know, our, our guests, our neighbors, um, just by serving healthy meals.

And that's says something when you, when, especially when you pair that with the way that we greet, and we sit down, and we eat with our neighbors, it's just a powerful combination.

JOANNE: So every meal grown at the Little Portion Farm and cooked at the Franciscan Center becomes a source of dignity for the farmers, the chefs, and the neighbors they serve.

Beyond the meal kitchen, the Franciscan Center also helps their community by providing needs like diapers, emergency, dental care, and financial assistance to uplift their Baltimore neighborhood.

And did you know, the Franciscan Center serves lunch from Monday to Friday and dinner on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, providing a critical foundation for individuals and families struggling to make ends meet.

(bird chirping).

Coming up, Al enjoys a festival celebrating a most unusual fruit.

But first, water is the lifeblood of crops.

And regulating the amount of water during the growing season makes or breaks a harvest.

The evolution of irrigation on this week's “Then and Now.” ♪ ♪ The earliest example of irrigation practices date back over 6,000 years to Mesopotamia, where the Sumerians built dikes, canals, and gates to direct the water flow from nearby rivers into their fields.

Many great societies would expand upon the ancient methods of the Sumerians, including the Egyptians and the Chinese.

Yet it would be the Romans who had drastically evolved the irrigation process with the invention of their famous aqueducts.

The engineering of the aqueduct allowed water from faraway sources to be delivered throughout the reaches of the Roman Empire.

By the 20th century, aided by new technologies and a desperate need for innovation, several new practices would be created.

Most importantly, drip irrigation.

Developed in the 1960s, drip irrigation supplied water directly to a plant's roots.

Nowadays, mechanized devices like pivot sprinkler systems provide precision irrigation.

And with the evolution of technology, farmers could even use AI in smart irrigation systems to analyze the environment, along with the plant's needs, to provide water when it's needed.

So, regardless of what the practice may look like in the years to come, there will always be a need for irrigation both “Then and Now.” ♪ ♪ On this week's “The Local Buy,” Al Spoler gets all festive in celebration of paw paw, a truly native fruit to Maryland.

And it has quite a storied past, Al?

♪ ♪ AL SPOLER: They say the paw paw is America's forgotten fruit.

Well, it's being remembered today here in Frederick County at the annual Paw paw Festival.

It's gonna be the first chance for a lot of people to try America's largest indigenous fruit.

MICHAEL JUDD: It's a life-changing experience when you try a good paw paw.

The paw paw is the only member of the custard apple, a tropical and subtropical family that is full of a pudding cream that tastes like banana, pineapple, and mango.

It's dessert that grows on a tree.

AL: Michael Judd is the founder of the Paw paw Festival at Long Creek Homestead, where he's growing hundreds of paw paw trees among other plants in his food forest, that's as majestic as it is bountiful.

Oh my goodness.

Michael, this is amazing, it's like being in a wizard's garden, how many different things you got going here?

MICHAEL: We have hundreds of different types of fruits and nuts and medicinal plants, all done with permaculture principles.

AL: What's permaculture?

MICHAEL: Ah, permaculture is taking natural patterns, mixing in indigenous knowledge, and designing your landscapes so that it functions like an ecosystem.

Gives you freedom to do other things.

AL: Mm-hmm.

MICHAEL: And just come out and harvest your fruit.

AL: And it takes care of itself all year long.

MICHAEL: It does.

AL: Wow.

MICHAEL: It's a perennial food system.

AL: With just days until the festival, I've come to give Michael a helping hand with the last remaining harvest.

Oh, look at this.

I think we got something here.

MICHAEL: Oh wow, oh yeah.

There's a beautiful pair of paw paws.

AL: Oh my, they're actually very pretty.

MICHAEL: Yeah, let's see, let's harvest those babies.

AL: Okay.

Oh, look at those, oh, those are beautiful.

Do, do they often grow in pairs like this?

MICHAEL: Up to nine per cluster.

AL: You're kidding?

MICHAEL: No.

AL: Holy moly.

MICHAEL: Yeah.

AL: As an indigenous fruit, it's not uncommon for foragers to come across paw paws.

And it's important to know when they're ripe.

Hey, look at these, are these ready to pick yet?

MICHAEL: Wow, let's check.

Nope, these are still rock hard.

AL: Oh, they gotta be soft?

MICHAEL: Sometimes they will do a color change to a lighter yellow.

AL: Yeah.

MICHAEL: But the squeeze test, the gentle squeeze test, like you would a peach.

AL: Right.

MICHAEL: 'Cause they bruise easily, so be gentle, and that's how you can tell.

AL: How about that?

600 people will be attending the festival, so every paw paw counts, and they'll all end up back in Michael's kitchen to be prepped for the weekend, with one or two missing.

MICHAEL: The paw paw is one of the most delicious tropical-tasting fruits on the planet that only grows in the north.

AL: How about that?

It looks tropical to me.

MICHAEL: It is, it migrated over millions of years to live in the north.

AL: Uh-huh.

MICHAEL: Ah, lucky us, right?

AL: Yeah, sure.

MICHAEL: You have this fruit, and they're really gorgeous inside.

AL: Oh, look at that, it looks like vanilla custard to me.

MICHAEL: Ooh.

Ooh, and it has the flavor and smell of vanilla, too.

AL: It really does, holy mackerel.

MICHAEL: Here you go.

AL: Thanks.

MICHAEL: Have a taste.

I, I like just to push-pop mine up like this and eat it.

But you're welcome to use a spoon.

AL: I'm going to try a spoon.

MICHAEL: Mm, this is nature's dessert.

AL: Mm, it's like a whole combination of tropical flavors.

You taste banana, a little bit of coconut, maybe a little bit of, of pineapple, all sorts of things just blended all together.

But the amazing thing is the texture.

It is so smooth, it is just like pudding, I can't believe it.

It's amazing to see a staple of Washington, Jefferson, and the indigenous cultures of the land now drawing crowds of people, some who've never had a paw paw and others who are aficionados.

WOMAN: I'm obsessed with paw paws.

AL: Oh, really?

WOMAN: Yeah, yeah.

As you can see, the little earrings.

AL: Oh my gosh, you guys really do like them, what, what do you like about 'em?

MAN: Well, it's funny, it's, uh, North America's largest fruit, and it's got this weird combination of flavors like it's banana and mango mixed, so if you like those Caribbean fruits, this is like our equivalent.

WOMAN: It's surprising.

The texture is delicate and creamy, and not what you would expect at all.

AL: You also might not expect the paw paw to have its very own song.

♪ GROUP: Picking up a paw paw, put it in my pocket.

♪ ♪ Picking up a paw paw, put it in my pocket.

♪ ♪ Picking up a paw paw, put it in my pocket.

♪ ♪ Way down yonder in the paw paw patch.

♪ AL: Michael, I'm having the time of my life today here at the Paw Paw Festival.

You must be really happy the way things have turned out.

MICHAEL: I'm very pleased.

It's a wonderful turnout.

People are trying paw paws for the first time.

AL: Uh-huh.

MICHAEL: They're eating paw paw ice cream.

They're learning about how to plant paw paws in their yards.

This is a beautiful day and a beautiful place.

AL: It sure is.

Are we gonna do this again next year?

MICHAEL: Absolutely.

Well then, what we're gonna do is put information about next year's festival on our website at mpt.org/farm, you can make plans to come.

For “The Local Buy,” I'm Al Spoler, Joanne?

JOANNE: Thanks, Al.

Be sure to check out mpt.org/farm for all our recipes and resources.

Plus, you can watch all “Farm and Harvest” episodes there as well.

Also, don't forget to follow us on social media for show updates, pictures, and videos.

Now, hold on, we're not done yet.

Remember our thingamajig?

Did you guess it?

Our hint was that this may look like a papoose, but what's made from what it carries is for adults only.

This is a grape harvest backpack basket.

It's used to carry the harvested grapes from the vineyard to a wagon or container.

Congratulations if you got it right.

Join us next week for another thingamajig, along with more stories about the diverse, passionate people who feed our state.

I'm Joanne Clendining, thanks for watching.

(music plays through credits).

ANNOUNCER: Major funding for "Maryland Farm and Harvest" was made possible in part by... the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board, investing in smarter farming to support safe and affordable food, feed, and fuel, and a healthy Bay.

Additional funding provided by Maryland's Best.

Good for you.

Good for Maryland.

A grant from the Rural Maryland Council, Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Fund, Marbidco, helping to sustain Food and Fiber Enterprise for future generations.

A grant from the Maryland Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Program.

Farm Credit.

Lending Support to Agriculture and Rural America.

The Maryland Soybean Board and Soybean Checkoff Program.

Progress Powered by Farmers.

The Maryland Nursery Landscape and Greenhouse Association, the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts.

The Maryland Farm Bureau Incorporated, the Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment.

The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation.

Promoting the importance of agriculture in our daily lives.

The Maryland Pork Producers Association proudly works to educate consumers and advocate for farmers.

Taste what pork can do.

♪ ♪