Host Inga Witscher shares her passion for grazing dairy cows and delivers "haymaker's punch" to the farm workers using old-fashioned Austrian Scythes. She makes a batch of switchel, an oddly palatable drink made of vinegar, honey and ginger.
While planning a picnic for her nephews, Inga gathers black currants at Hilltop Community Farm and visits Deutsch Family Farm to find pastured pork.
Inga tends the sheep at Hidden Springs Creamery, then it's off to Driftless Organics CSA for sunflower oil and a chance encounter with fly fishing.
Inga, chef Nathan Berg and guests celebrate the end of summer with a pastured poultry dinner on the farm.
Inga prepares a Scandinavian smorgasbord from locally sourced ingredients - in the dead of Wisconsin winter.
Inga welcomes a new batch of baby chicks to the farm and learns how to make dandelion wine. She travels to Wisconsin author Michael Perry’s house to collect eggs from his rented hens, then cooks up a soufflé for her book party guests.
A group of farmers stops by to see the progress of Inga’s pastures. Inga heads off to turn her milk into cheese with her father, then visits Fromagination in Madison to deliver a truckle of the cheese. Next it’s off to Baldwin and Silver Bison Ranch for a roast, which she cooks into pasture picnic sandwiches for her guests.
Inga and Joe get a chance to get away from the farm and go camping “up north.” Inga explores the countryside with wild food expert Sam Thayer to gather ingredients for lunch. She discovers a sheep dairy along the way and gets a taste of their sheep’s milk gelato.
It’s fair season and Inga can’t wait to grill some pizzas for the kids who are showing cows. First stop is at Copper Kettle Farm for homegrown garlic, and then it’s over to the Boerson Farm for fresh CSA vegetables.
Inga is invited to visit Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa to learn about saving seeds, but first she stops by 45th Parallel Distillery in New Richmond to pick up Wisconsin-grown vodka, which she plans on pairing with the delicious heirloom tomatoes at Seed Savers for a local twist on the Bloody Mary.
The Viking game Kubb has taken Wisconsin by storm. Inga and Joe invite some Kubbers to the farm for a tailgate party. Inga heads off for hazelnuts at New Forest Farm to make veggie burgers. She then stops by Valkyrie Brewing Company in Dallas, Wisconsin for Viking beer.
Farm dogs are good for lots of things. In winter, Inga’s farm dog Carlos gets to pull her around the countryside on her skis to gather ingredients for a Wisconsin chili. Inga skis into Bull Brook Keep in Clear Lake to learn the ins and outs of grass-fed beef farming and bread making. She also stops at Keppers Pottery and Produce in Turtle Lake to see what a winter CSA looks like.
Since they had to milk on Christmas Day, Inga and Joe invite other folks who had to work for a Boxing Day party at the farm. Before the party can begin, they need to attend to a down cow named Abbey. A cow chiropractor joins Inga to give Abbey an adjustment. Then Inga snowshoes to The Cider Farm in Iowa County for a taste of apple brandy. Back at the farm she makes a figgy pudding for her guests.
Inga prepares a "thank you" lunch for her farmer friends who have always been there to lend a helping hand. She prepares a veal roast baked in hay and lemon tarts for dessert!
Inga's little nephews visit the farm and help make homemade ice-cream. Inga hitches a ride on a milk truck to Viroqua to find out how to make root beer pop. She then discovers a field full of organic strawberries. Then it's back to the farm for a fun ice cream social for her nephews and their friends.
Inga makes tea and scones for the farm crew at Indianhead Holstein Farm. She picks up flour from Great River Mill near the village of Pepin. Then she learns how to grow herbs for tea at Sunbow Farm near Eau Claire.
Inga invites friends to her version of a 'Downton Abbey Shooting Breakfast'. She visits Turnip Rock Farm to pick up cheese, bacon and kale. And then learns about fish farming at Eat my Fish near Menomonee. She makes a British kedgeree and braised greens.
It's calving season at the farm and Inga helps Isabella the cow through an easy birth. She then bikes off to Spring Green to attend a Devon cattle auction and visits Taliesin to pick fresh veggies and rhubarb. Inga finishes a busy day by serving a delicious meal in Frank Lloyd Wright¹s dining room.
Inga is thinking about starting a bed & breakfast (B&B) at her farm. She travels to Blanchardville to learn about running a farm-stay B&B. After milking goats, making beds and cultivating the garden, she discovers it's a lot of work. Before leaving, Inga cooks up a frittata with fresh sheep milk cheese and tiny zucchini bundt cakes for the guests.
Inga sets off to learn what it means to be part of a community. She visits a century-old church, travels to Eau Claire and helps her Amish friend move his pigs to a fresh pasture. Back in her kitchen, she makes some pickles and bakes up a vegetable pie with lard crust for The Church Ladies Picnic.
Inga visits a quail farm and finds out about the Beginning Farmer Project. After milking, some of Inga's biking friends visit the farm and Inga serves them a meal of pickled quail eggs, lamb ragù and fresh homemade pasta.
Wisconsin author Nickolas Butler is invited to Inga’s book club lunch. Inga visits a mushroom farm and picks up veggies at a biodynamic farm, then cooks shiitake soup and crispy socca flatbread with pesto and arugula for her guests.
Inga takes a mini-vacation. After visiting a robotic dairy farm, she meets up with her cousin CeCe on Washington Island. Amidst a lavender field, they cook the catch of the day and make a panna cotta dessert.
Inga discovers the importance of dung beetles on her farm. She visits a potato farm and learns about growing sorghum for whiskey. For an afternoon party, Inga and chef Nathan Berg make some unique Wisconsin craft cocktails and lefse hors d’oeuvres.
Inga goes back to school: a children's garden at an Eau Claire elementary school. She makes blueberry yogurt popsicles and tasty carrot sorbet – that's one way to get kids to eat their veggies!
Cheers to the Soil Sisters! Inga celebrates women in agriculture with Door County whitefish caviar and a toast of Wisconsin bubbly.
Inga visits the historic Hoard’s Dairyman farm and the UW Research Station, where she helps milk some sheep. Then Inga bakes some desserts for the Alice in Dairyland reunion.
Inga walks down the aisle – actually, the hayloft stairs – and says her “I do's” in her barn between milkings. She picks up a sustainably grown bouquet in East Troy, then learns about growing hickory nuts in Wisconsin. She bakes a hickory nut wedding cake with cream cheese frosting.
Paul Bunyan never ate so good. Inga visits her neighbors’ Hereford beef ranch and also learns about logging a forest using horses, then makes a hearty, beefy Logger Pie and Irish soda bread for the logging crew.
It is fall harvest time and Inga prepares a “thank you” meal for the farm friends that helped her undertake a new adventure with garlic. Scottish Highland beef and an apple turnover are served.
Inga prepares a bachelorette lunch for cousin CeCe at the beautiful and historic Ten Chimneys estate. Lowline Angus beef is served along with a chance encounter at the garden of Inga’s TV idol.
Spring has arrived on the farm! Inga is off to get some new baby chicks in far northern Wisconsin and check out Gloucestershire Old Spots piglets across the border in Minnesota. Then it’s back to the farm to prepare a spring nettles pesto pasta.
What does it take to start your own cheese-making business? Inga is on a mission to find out, with stops at Darlington Dairy Supply and Saxon Creamery. Then it is up to Door County to visit a new cheese cave. Once she’s gathered what she needs, it’s time to head back to the farm to feed some hungry 4-H kids a cheesy snack.
Inga makes a ploughman’s lunch for a world champion sheepherder, picks up some heritage wheat in Mount Pleasant, learns how to grow herbs near Amery and visits Wisconsin’s very own Jung Seed in Randolph.
Inga finds out about new drone technology on the farm before biking the Lake Superior shore. She’s intrigued by how the local co-op works with farmers and the community on sustainably-raised, high-quality food. Inga also explores the farm-to-table movement in Ashland.
After a long day of farm chores, it’s time for yoga in the barn to soothe away aches and pains. Inga checks out Amanda’s Eggs in Tilden, Wisconsin and serves vegetable strata to her farmer yoga friends, along with dill aquavit to quench their thirst.
There’s something new on the farm! Inga picks up two beautiful Welsh Cob Ponies as a birthday surprise for her nephews. Later, Inga gathers goat butter at Nordic Creamery in Westby, then stops at the Driftless Folk School in Viroqua and a root cellar to pick up ingredients for a chocolate beet birthday cake.
Spring is about to arrive on the farm and Inga ventures out for the start of maple syrup season. She also gets an early taste of summer with microgreens. Rack of lamb and a fresh spring salad are on the menu.
The idea for Earth Day was born in Wisconsin and upon the 50th Anniversary Inga goes foraging the landscape for wild greens, visits a bison farm that is nurturing the land and shows what it takes to restore a Wisconsin prairie.
Inga celebrates midsummer fest, one of the most popular holidays in Scandinavia. Inga gathers the ingredients for a traditional Scandinavian Smorgastrata sandwich cake.
Volunteer firefighters are the backbone of rural emergency services. Inga and Cousin CeCe prepare the volunteers a meal of Waygu beef, stops by the largest horseradish producer in the world and checks out an urban yard in Eau Claire that has been converted into a garden paradise.
Bailing hay can be hard work and the body needs time to rest, relax and restore. With that in mind, Inga will be cooking up a Korean chicken soup for her neighbors. The ingredients include homegrown rice from Mequon, pastured poultry and ginseng from Marathon County.
Inga welcomes a brand new calf to the farm and then travels to learn about Mangalitsa Hogs and discovers how to grow hops in Wisconsin. This week’s recipe Blue Corn Nachos for happy hour on the farm.
Inga prepares a “Friendsgiving” feast for her farmer friends. Fresh organic cranberries, hard cider and homemade pumpkin pie will be served.
Inga visits Cherry Tree Mushroom Farm and America’s Largest Pheasant Farm in Janesville to gather ingredients for the Book Club’s lunch with John Hildebrand, author of ‘Mapping the Farm.’
Inga meets with Wisconsin farmers who've found different ways to earn a living with goats. She travels to Cross Plains to meet a dairy goat farmer who makes artisanal cheese, then up to Mondovi to meet with a friend who makes goat milk soap. Finally, she takes a hike to meet ecologists who use grazing goats to manage natural wildlife areas. She makes a goat cheese frosting cake for friends.
Inga explores different ways to preserve the summer’s bounty. She visits fruit farmers in LaValle and Menomonie who are using different methods to grow fruit orchards, then passes by Gilmantown to meet a man who is growing herbs and flowers for a boutique line of herbal teas. Inga’s cousin Cece visits the farm and they make currant jam.
Inga celebrates the spring by taking a trip to the Driftless Region. She visits and urban greenhouse in Lacrosse, then travels down to Viroqua to harvest wild ramps and talk with a family who are homesteading. She prepares a meal of ricotta dumplings with ramp pesto for her neighbors who are helping her clean up after her barn fire.
Inga invites friends to the farm for a trail ride, live country music and a campfire barbecue. She travels to the town of Dane to meet a family who are producing high-quality bourbon from the corn they grow on their farm. She then meets up with some ranchers in Hillsboro who use their horses and rodeo skills to herd cattle. Inga’s brother pays a visit to the farm to show her how to shoe horses.
Inga cooks a meal made entirely of ingredients produced by local friends. She learns about urban beekeeping from a beekeeper whose hives are all located in yards and gardens in the city of Eau Claire. She then picks up some grass-fed beef from a farming family in Neillsville, and pays a visit to a friend who is growing garlic near Fairchild. She hosts a barbecue for her friends at the farm.
Inga visits the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin to tour various agricultural projects. She visits Tsyunhehkwa organic farm to learn about a proprietary strain of white corn, hemp, and grass-fed cattle. She then learns how the Oneida Nation brought a herd of bison to Wisconsin before visiting the Oneida Nation Orchard. Chef Arlie Doxtator visits to show her the traditional way of making white corn soup.
Inga celebrates America’s Dairyland. She visits the World Dairy Expo in Madison to learn about the world’s largest gatherings of dairy farmers. After the expo, she visits the Sassy Cow Creamery, a family-owned farm that makes ice cream. Back at Inga’s place, we get an update on her own dairy farm since losing her barn to a devastating fire. Finally, Inga prepares a classic Wisconsin cheese fondue.
Inga shows us how to keep life going through the cold Midwestern Winters. She visits a winter greenhouse and a modern root cellar in Duluth, then she visits the American Birkebeiner in Hayward and serves up a warm snack for a group of young skiers.
Join Inga for a tour of her dairy farm in western Wisconsin as she takes us from the pastures to the milking barn, and into the new creamery where she shows us how she makes her clothbound farmstead cheddar cheese. Along the way she and her father talk about their lives as dairy farmers and cheesemakers before taking a trip to the Eau Claire farmers market.
Inga travels to the small community of Prairie Farm, Wisconsin to visit three unique farms. Along the way she learns about the importance of buying locally-grown flowers, preserving a rare breed of goat, and how a married couple developed America’s first organic pumpkin seed oil. She prepares a meal of corn chowder to share with her new friends.
Inga travels across Wisconsin to learn all about Kernza, a new perennial grain being used in brewing, baking and as a forage crop for livestock. Along the way she visits a brewery using Kernza to make beer, tries a loaf of bread made from Kernza grain, and learns about the grain's environmental benefits from a university professor.
Inga Witscher visits with members of a grassroots network of women farmers in southwestern Wisconsin called the Soil Sisters. She learns about habitat restoration from a woman who restores native prairie, visits with a farmer who is raising a heritage breed of pigs on pasture, and discusses the Soil Sisters group with one of its founders.
Around the Farm Table host Inga Witscher makes a delicious butter board, studded with walnuts, juicy cranberries and tart blue cheese, drizzled with golden honey.
Baba ghanoush is a creamy, savory dip that goes great with veggies and pita bread. It's a fantastic, light option to bring to your next party or potluck, or you can enjoy it anytime you find yourself with too many eggplants.
People often ask Around the Farm Table host Inga Witscher why she wanted to create a television show about farmers. In this reply video, Inga explains her original motivation for starting the show, and what it’s meant to her to be able to tell the stories of so many farmers and food producers around Wisconsin.
Using fresh ingredients and an easy method for making a pie crust from scratch, Inga walks us through her recipe for baking a simple, yet elegant apple tarte.
Wisconsin is known for its expert cheesemakers and a wide variety of artisanal cheeses. Around the Farm Table host Inga Witscher shows her method for slicing up a large truckle of aged Wisconsin cheese in order to get it ready for market.
Dairy farmer Inga Witscher makes cheddar cheese using the milk from a micro herd of Jersey Cows. She invites us into her pasture and explains why Jerseys are her favorite breed of cow and why they're a perfect fit for her farm.
Around the Farm Table host, Inga Witscher, travels to Monroe, Wisconsin to meet with Kalee Schaefer, a young woman who has taken over the management of a herd of cattle on the Wegmueller Dairy Farm. Kalee talks about her duties on the farm, and why she loves working with dairy cows.
Inga visits the Mystic Water Fiber Mill in Mondovi and meets with Roxy, who shows how she and her husband, Dave, take wool and other animal fibers and process them into yarn.
Host Inga Witscher takes a journey around the state to visit small farms and specialty makers who are finding new ways to preserve traditional agricultural practices. Along the way she meets with a sheep farmer, a maple syrup producer, a beekeeper, and several small family farms before hosting a community celebration on her own farm.
