The folks in Castroville, Calif., couldn’t be prouder of their town’s culinary treasure. When this delicious veggie snagged the title of California’s official vegetable in 2013, it put Castroville on the map for good reasons.

“We’re stewards of the land. We’ve been in business nearly 100 years growing in California, and we plan to continue that legacy,” says Chris Drew, President and CEO of Ocean Mist Farms.

In 1924, a group of family farmers opened shop and started Ocean Mist Farms. Fast forward to today, Ocean Mist is the largest growers of fresh artichokes in the United States. Thanks to the special climate in Monterey County, they are also able to grow asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts, celery, cilantro, kale, leaf lettuce, and plenty more.

Check out the episode by clicking here.

Episodes of “America’s Heartland” can be viewed on your area’s PBS station – check your local listings for exact date and time; more than 90 percent of all PBS stations in the country carry the show – as well as on PBS.org; the PBS standalone app; “America’s Heartland’s” website and YouTube; as well as weekly on RFD-TV. “America’s Heartland” is a production of Sacramento’s PBS KVIE.