ANNAPOLIS, MD – Maryland Public Television's (MPT) popular original series Maryland Farm & Harvest, now in its seventh season, will offer viewers a special holiday episode with segments set in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, and Somerset Counties on Tuesday, December 24 at 7 p.m.

Maryland Farm & Harvest takes viewers on journeys across the state, telling stories about the farms, people, and technology required to sustain and grow Maryland's number one commercial industry – agriculture. MPT's production team filmed episode segments at more than four dozen farms in preparation for its seventh season.

Series hosts Joanne Clendining and Al Spoler celebrate the season at Star Bright Farm in White Hall (Baltimore County). The episode includes a photo montage of farms in winter featuring more than 30 images submitted to the Maryland Farm & Harvest Facebook page by farmers from across the state. Viewers will enjoy scenes of snow-covered barns, cows wearing Santa hats, and other images illustrating the spirit of the season.

Segments featured on the new holiday episode are:

• Holiday Wreaths (Anne Arundel County): Maryland Farm & Harvest travels to Willow Oak Flower & Herb Farm in Severn, where fourth-generation farmer Heather Carr makes beautiful wreaths for the holiday season with greenery grown on her family's 40-acre Anne Arundel County farm. This family tradition has been passed down for 40 years, and now Heather's son Silas is part of it too.
 
• Growing Kosher Grain (Baltimore and Somerset Counties): Jewish farmer Ian Hertzmark of Migrash Farm in Randallstown takes special care while working with Maryland farms – such as Freshcut Organics in Eden – to grow specialty crops, including ancient organic grains like emmer and einkorn. Ian uses the latter to make flour for sufganiyot, a traditional doughnut eaten during Hanukkah. Viewers also see how grain grown for other Jewish holidays, including Passover, requires special inspection and kosher certification by a rabbi, and how this connection of faith and food drives Ian's passion for his work.
 
• The Local Buy: Ginger (Carroll County): Segment host Al Spoler heads to Two Boots Farm in Hampstead, where famer Elisa Lane grows ginger. This popular spice is typically grown in tropical climates, but Lane has figured out a way to grow it in Maryland. This year's crop is ready just in time to use it in holiday cookies. Al learns how to harvest and clean ginger, and then tries his hand at decorating gingerbread cookies. The cookie recipe will be available at mpt.org/farm.

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Maryland Farm & Harvest airs on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on MPT-HD and is rebroadcast on Thursdays at 11:30 p.m. and Sundays at 6 a.m. Each show also airs on MPT2 on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. Previous episodes of the series can be viewed for free on the MPT app and online at MPT's website.

Viewers can join in on the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using the hashtag #MDFarmHarvest.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture is MPT's co-production partner for Maryland Farm & Harvest. Major funding is provided by the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board.

Additional funding is provided by: Maryland's Best; the Maryland Agricultural Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation; MidAtlantic Farm Credit; the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program; the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation; the Rural Maryland Council; and the Maryland Soybean Board. Other support comes from: the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts; Wegmans Food Markets; the Maryland Nursery, Landscape & Greenhouse Association; the Maryland Seafood Marketing Fund; the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service; the Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc.; the Maryland Farm Bureau; The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment; Mar-Del Watermelon Association; Eddie Mercer Agri-Services, Inc.; and Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission.

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Follow Maryland Department of Agriculture on Twitter @MdAgDept

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