in 2011, after being concerned that certain food traditions would be lost without documentation, howard contacted her friend cynthia hill, a filmmaker from eastern north carolina. together, howard and hill filmed a pilot. pbs and south carolina educational television picked up the show, and seasons 1 and 2 aired nationally from 2013 to 2015. season 5 premiered in october 2017. after five seasons, the show ended with a one-hour finale, "harvest special."