Baking Soda (06:35)

FREE PREVIEW

Pancakes require minerals to rise. In Wyoming, workers mine trona from tunnels 800 feet below ground. The ore is crushed, screened, and spun dried. Workers pump the soda ash with carbon dioxide; crystals form while cooling.

Buttermilk (05:34)

Bobby Bognar tours Marburger Farm Dairy and learns traditional and mechanical methods of milking. Workers churn the milk and add cultures and salt. The milk sits overnight before it is bottled and shipped.

Pigs (06:25)

4K Farms uses artificial insemination to breed swine, insuring consistency and quality. Piglets receive booster shots when weened. They fatten for twelve to fourteen weeks in a finishing room; ideal market weight is 250 pounds.

Sausage and Bacon (09:33)

Farmland workers cut pork bellies with specialized knives. A machine tenderizes and injects slabs with seasonings; the meat is smoked, sliced, and inspected before packaging. Workers grind fat trimmings, meat, and spices, and inject the mixture into beef skin casing to create links.

Maple Syrup (04:08)

Warm thawing after a cold night encourages sap flow in trees. At Butternut Mountain Farm, tappers drill one inch holes in trunks and plug them with spouts. The collected liquids undergo evaporation until reaching 67% sugar before bottling.

Traditional Syrups (04:05)

At Lyons Magnus factory, tankers of heavy corn syrup undergo heating before the syrup is pumped into holding tanks. Workers add stabilizers, sugar, and flavorings. The product receives inspection before bottling. Bognar samples new varieties in a test lab.

Orange Juice (06:48)

Workers hand pick oranges. At Sunkist juicing plant, workers quality check the fruits before they are washed and sorted. Machines separate the pulp and peels from the liquid.

Credits: Pancakes and Bacon (00:32)

Credits: Pancakes and Bacon