Produce Buzzers - A Podcast for Lovers of Fresh Fruits and Veggies

On the Produce Buzzers Podcast, we usually only feature fresh fruits and veggies instead of processed products. But there are some good processed products in the produce aisle. Most juices in the grocery store are not very good for you. They are often made with concentrated fruit juice which is almost like pure sugar syrup. But if you look in the produce section you will find some that are loaded with nutritional benefits. One of the best brands is Suja Juice. All organic and non-GMO, their juices undergo “high-pressure processing” to extend their shelf life without using any heat or preservatives. This keeps the nutrition and the delicious flavors locked in, unlike most juices that undergo heat pasteurization. Because of that, you will only find Suja Juice in the produce aisle. They are like fresh produce in a bottle.

This week’s guest is Jody Cnossen, EVP of Sales for Suja Juice. Listen in to learn about their delicious and nutritious line of products. They have immunity boosters, energy, digestive, and cleansing shots, and just plain juice made with the most nutritious fruits and veggies. They can definitely juice up your diet!

The Giumarra Companies have been fulfilling those two missions for over 100 years. This week’s guest will tell us about that legacy and about some delicious new varieties from this company that sells almost every fruit and veggie. Have you heard of the new “Lemonade” apple?

This week’s guest on the podcast represents a company that began as a family farm over 100 years ago. Gary Caloroso is Regional Business Development Director for the Giumarra Companies, founded along with his brothers in 1922 by Giuseppe “Joe” Giumarra an immigrant from Sicily. The company started as a wholesaler and distributor for California farmers, primarily citrus. But within a few years the family started growing its own fruits and vegetables. They were a pioneer in growing table grapes and quickly became one of the largest grape companies in the world. Now Giumarra markets almost every type of fruit and vegetable under their wonderfully named “Nature’s Partner” brand.

Gary is a longtime colleague of the Produce Buzzers and he joins us to tell us all about his long career in “Feeding the World in a Healthy Way,” the company’s tagline. The other company motto is “The Love of the Land” and the company has lived up to that priding themselves on being a good steward of the acreage they tend. Gary will tell us about those visions and also about a few of the fantastic fruits and veggies the company specializes in. They have some exciting new varieties that you will want to learn about. Have you heard of the “Lemonade” apple? Tune in. You will want to look for this delicious new treat.

Yes, once again, it's one of the most sacred times of the year. Yes, Easter, Passover, and Ramadan. But for fruit and veggie lovers, it's also a new season of artichokes. It's here and in full swing. So we are going to peel away the leaves on this heavenly veggie, (which technically is a flower!) to get a closer look at it.

To do so, we welcome back a great friend of the Produce Buzzers, Mark Munger. Mark is Senior Director of Marketing for Ocean Mist Farms based in Castroville, CA in the Bay Area of the State. The company has been around for almost 100 years and was the first to grow artichokes commercially in the U.S. Today they are the leading grower of artichokes in North America.

Mark worked for Theresa’s Nolan Network alongside Rick, Cynthia, and Edwin in the early 1990’s. He was a valuable part of our team of merchandisers representing our clients of companies and commodities on the West Coast. Since that time, he has been a rising star in the produce business. He will tell us all about artichokes and how to prepare and eat them. We will learn about some new varieties and one of the most beautiful varieties, the purple artichoke!

This week we are delighted to have Robert Schueller, Director of Public Relations at Melissa’s World Variety Produce, back on the show. Robert has been dubbed the “Produce Expert” by the media since he has unique access to such a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. He has written several books about the cornucopia Mother Nature has to offer in the world of fresh produce.  

In this week’s episode, Robert has a long list of new and delicious items from Melissa’s Produce, the largest purveyor of fresh produce in the U.S. Listen in to hear about spicy popcorn, ready-to-eat pastas, great spice blends, kumquats, Ojai Pixie tangerines, pink pineapple, quince paste, sweet young coconut, coconut flavored snacks, and a flight of dragonfruit! 

A Group of Young People Are Diminishing a National Tragedy to Help Solve a National Emergency. Listen to the Inspiring Story of The Farmlink Project and Their Heroic Procurement Officer to Learn How Food Waste is Being Redirected to Hungry Families. 

This week we have an inspiring story to tell you about a group of young people who came together during the Covid crisis to help address one of the world’s biggest problems—hunger. And our guest today became one of their advisors and eventually a full-time soldier in their war against food insecurity. Luis Yepiz, the Chief Procurement Officer for The Farmlink Project, an organization based in Los Angeles, CA that connects farms that have surplus fruits and veggies to food banks and people in need. The organization is only about four years old, but in that short time they have delivered over 165 million pounds of food and over 137 million meals to people and families facing hunger. 

Luis has worked for over 20 years helping find food that was destined for the dump and redirecting it to people who most needed it. His personal story is also an inspiring one. A man with many talents, he works hours and hours tirelessly every day to fulfill what he believes is his calling. Luis knows how to connect people and build synergy among companies, farms, and charity organizations to get the job done most effectively. He is also talented in another way. He is a trained opera singer! And he will sing a few lines of one of his favorite melodies to show off his beautiful voice.

As our regular listeners know, we love to feature family farms on our program to help dispel the myth that agriculture in the U.S. is all huge corporations. Our guest this week is a third-generation farmer of a family farm that has been growing citrus in Florida for almost 100 years! It is a testament to their hard work and dedication to keep their land in production. To do so over those many years, they have faced overwhelming odds created by adverse weather, devastating pests and disease, and perhaps the greatest pressure of all, escalating real estate and land costs. Many farms in Florida have given in to that latter factor especially when the first two factors became too much.

This week’s guest is Quentin Roe, president of William G. Roe & Sons and the Noble Citrus label based in Winter Haven, Florida. Quentin will tell the inspiring story of his family’s farm and how they battled so many obstacles, like freezes, hurricanes, and seemingly unstoppable pests to keep the farm producing all varieties of citrus and blueberries. You will learn about how citrus is grown and the challenges these heroic farmers face.

This week on the Produce Buzzers Podcast we are going to learn about a unique citrus fruit that is taking the fruit world by storm. It is fast becoming a “heavy weight” in the produce aisle. It is a fruit that no doubt you are seeing front and center in the produce departments right now and will see for the next few months. But they are not a pretty sight! They are odd shaped and covered in bumps. And to top it off, they have one huge bump on the top of the fruit that makes it look like it is deformed. It’s kind of like the “Elephant Man” of the fruit world!

But we here at Produce Buzz think they are beautiful. Rather than an “elephant man” we think they are more like that pug-nose or bulldog that so many dog lovers adore and love. It’s their strange shape and gnarly look that draws us to them. Because just like that bulldog, there is something very special going on underneath their lovable skin.

We are talking about Sumo Citrus. One of the sweetest citrus fruits you can get. And they are super easy to peel and seedless. Today we have Sunnia Gull, VP of Marketing for Sumo Citrus, as our guest and she will tell us everything we wanted to know but were afraid to ask about these weird and wonderful treats.

This week we are going to have some more game show fun on the podcast and test our Produce Buzzers knowledge of different fruits and veggies. They will play a version of the classic TV Game Show “Jeopardy” with all the categories being about fruits and veggies. They will choose clues from these topics: 

·      Fruit Fiesta

·      Veggie Ventury

·      Berry Bliss

·      Citrus Spectacle

·      Tropical Treasures

·      Veggie Impersonators

That last category features produce items that are thought of and used like vegetables but technically they are not.

Each category has clues worth $100, $200, $300, $400, and $500. The contestants have to choose a category and amount. The clue is revealed and is in the form of an “answer.” They have to determine the correct “question” to be right and get the dollar amount added to their score. If they get it wrong, the amount of the clue is detracted from their score.

How will they do? Who will win? Can you match their knowledge and get the right “questions” to the “answers?” Listen and play along. You are certain to find it entertaining. And you will learn some very interesting facts about fresh fruits and veggies.

Peanuts are a superfood. Most everyone knows they are loaded with protein. But they are also loaded with many other nutrients. And they are super in several other ways. They rejuvenate the soil and, like soybeans, they can produce more protein per acre than all other plants. They are also environmentally and ecologically good for the planet.

This week’s guest has been practicing and teaching medicine for almost 40 years. He is going to tell us about this superfood that you should be eating every day to build and sustain your health. Perhaps you eat peanuts often. But most likely you are not eating it in the way that is the most nutritious way to consume them. And those that know this secret say this way to eat them is the most delicious way to prepare them.

Dr. Phillip Flexon joins us along with his daughter Lauren Marcinkoski, CEO of the Luray Peanut Company in Hardeeville, SC, just across the border from Savannah, GA. They are growing and packaging boiled peanuts and working hard to spread the gospel of this miraculous food. Tune in to be amazed at the power of peanuts, especially boiled peanuts.

What a fantastic year it has been on the PB Podcast! Our audience grew steadily and continues to grow. And that is in large part to the wonderful guests we had on the show during the past year. So today we are going to dedicate the last episode of the year to these giants in the produce industry and the world of fruits and veggies and the nutrition they provide. We are going to reminisce about some of the highlights from these interesting experts.

There are way too many highlights from the show that we would like to review today. But we only have time to pick a few that stood out to each of us. Tune in to see which podcast episodes we think you should check out first.

Thanks to all our guests and thanks to you the listeners for tuning in. Happy New Year!

Many, if not most of you have grown up knowing and consuming delicious grape flavored products made by Welch’s. Grape juice, jams, and jellies. Along with a whole line of other fruit based products. The company has been around for over 150 years! But did you know that you can also get delicious fresh fruit from Welch’s? That’s right. You can. And today we will be hearing from a man who knows all about them. And makes sure those treats are in your produce aisle year-round.  

Andy Kampa is our guest this week. He is general manager of sourcing for C.H. Robinson, a global fresh produce distribution company based near Minneapolis. Also known as Robinson Fresh, they have the license to package and distribute fresh fruit under the Welch’s brand. Andy is charged with making sure those products live up to the standards of Welch’s many decades of superior quality. We will learn about the challenges he faces in getting the grapes and berries to market. Be inspired by the values he and his team adhere to as they work hard to supply the world’s best fruit.

You will also learn about the history of the Welch’s brand, how it got started and what fueled its international growth. It was so popular that it featured regularly in the Flintstones cartoon series!

This week we are delighted to have Robert Schueller of Melissa’s World Variety Produce back on the show. He has been dubbed “The Produce Expert by countless consumer and national trade publications along with TV and radio personalities.

There is probably no one on the planet who is more of an expert on produce than Robert because his company sells over fifteen hundred different varieties of fresh fruits and veggies from all over the world. He has written several books on fresh produce including Melissa’s Great Book of Produce which tells all about some of the most exotic fruits and veggies from around the world.

This week we are going to focus on veggie side dishes for all the upcoming holiday meals But as you might expect, a Thanksgiving, Hannuka, or Christmas meal featuring fruits and veggies from Melissa’s might be a little different than the traditional ones we serve up in America. And while Melissa’s does sell all those traditional fruits and veggies, they have some very interesting alternatives to give your Thanksgiving meal an exciting twist. Robert is going to tell us how to have a “Fresh and Modern Thanksgiving.”

This week we are launching a new segment for the podcast that we hope will become a regular feature throughout each season. As our regular listeners know, all of us Produce Buzzers like to cook. None of us are professional chefs, but we are all “foodies” and have a good sense of what makes a good dish and how to pair those dishes to make a good meal. So, I am confident that each of us could stand his or her own on a show like the “Iron Chef.”

So today on the podcast, we are going to play our version of the Iron Chef that we call “The Veggie Iron Chef!” Each of our contestants will receive three random ingredients and they will have to come up with a recipe using those ingredients before the end of the show. Their ingredients will be chosen by our “Veggie Wheel of Fortune!” This is a roulette wheel with ten veggies on it. We will spin it and whatever veggie it lands on that will be the veggie our contestant will have to work with. We also have a “Spice Wheel of Foturne” and a “Fruit and Nut Wheel of Fortune” to select the other ingredients. Those also have ten ingredients each on the wheel. They can also use any other ingredients that they want to add to the dish to make it more interesting or flavorful.

Edwin will be the primary judge of the recipes they create and award points according to his superb taste and sophistication. But he will be making the rules up as he goes along, so don’t pull too hard for your favorite Produce Buzzer or you might be disappointed!

And one surprise element in our game will be that, after they create their recipes, the Produce Buzzers will see what Artificial Intelligence (AI) would do with their ingredients. Can they beat ChatGPT?

Now all the veggies on our Veggie Wheel of Fortune are in season now in the Fall, so hopefully listeners you can be inspired by our work today to create your own fall veggie dishes.

We haven’t yet had an episode on the podcast that featured packaged products of fruits and vegetables. But that doesn’t mean we don’t think there are not any good ones in the produce aisle. Pre-cut, prepared, and pre-packaged fresh fruits and veggies have gained a lot of popularity with consumers over the past decade and for good reason. With our lives becoming busier and busier, these products can save a lot of time on getting the evening meal on the family table. This week we have a guest who is going to tell us about some fantastic and delicious treats that can really spice up your meals with hardly taking any of your valuable time.

Today we welcome Tara Murray, VP of Marketing for Fresh Innovations and the ¡Yo Quiero brands based in Texas. The name of the company and the brand are spot on because they are truly creating some very innovative products that will make you say “¡Yo quiero ¡Yo Quiero” when you see them. They specialize in all kinds of avocado dips including a package of fresh avocado that’s nothing but avocado. But they have also created some other delicious dips. Bean dips, cheese or queso dips, salsas, and many more combinations that will truly spice up your plate. And they are all fresh, natural, and clean with no preservatives or chemicals. They truly belong in the produce aisle.

Tune in to hear about their revolutionary and safe way of packaging these products without needing heat or chemicals to preserve them and ruining their delicious flavor. And Tara will reveal an exciting new product that will be in your local produce aisle very soon.

Watermelons are never out of season. And today we have a special guest to tell us how that can be and why you should be including watermelon on your shopping list all year long. She will reveal some surprising info about them that will convince you of this.

Rachel Syngo is Chief Marketing Officer of Melon 1, the oldest and largest shipper of watermelons in the U.S. She has real passion for the work she is doing, which is why we are delighted to have her on the podcast to share that since we are all about passion for everything fruit and veggie.

Rachel joined the Melon 1 team in 2016 and is central in the sales and marketing for the company. She is the 8th generation in her family to work in American agriculture, and in watermelon farming. Tune in to hear where and how watermelons are grown. You will learn how to choose a good watermelon and how to cut and store them. You will get real insight into the lives of watermelon farmers and the challenges they face.

This week the Produce Buzzers are going to take a walk down memory lane and reminisce about the wonderful food we grew up with in Western North Carolina which always featured lots of fruits and veggies fresh off the farm.  

To help us do that we have a very special guest returning to the program. Our guest today is our cousin Colette Worley. Her mother was our father’s sister. Her family owned a very popular restaurant in our hometown of Hendersonville, NC, called “The Tasty Treat.” You could get just about anything you wanted to eat at their café, but standard fare was a daily specials board with a choice of several meats and two or three veggies to go along with it. You don’t see restaurants like that much anymore. But in the 1960’s and 70’s when their restaurant served the area, these were very common. 

Today we are going to have Colette tell us about the restaurant and some of her memories from those days and then she is going to share with us one of her favorite veggie sides that you could have ordered at The Tasty Treat and how to prepare them. And she will also tell us the method her husband Wayne uses to can an heirloom green bean called Morgan Beans.

Season Seven Episode Two

A mother and daughter-in-law share how their love of fresh fruits and veggies changed their lives. A conversation with a professional dietitian and her favorite patient. This week we have a very interesting mother-in-law, daughter-in-law duo as our guests. Both of them have a passion for all things fruit and veggie and are going to share that passion with us today and explain why fresh produce not only brings great joy, but is key in maintaining and bolstering your health.

Stephanie McBurnett is a registered dietitian who is doing some very important work to get fruits and veggies recognized as a crucial factor in treating chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and inflammation. She works  for the non-profit organization Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine which is dedicated to the promotion of plant-based diets for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases

Our guest this week has spent his career at one of the largest and premiere fruit growers in the nation. Mac Riggan, the director of marketing for Chelan Fresh and the “Joyfully Grown” brand, joins us to tell us the story of the Chelan Fresh farmers.

Chelan Fresh is a shipper of apples, pears, and cherries owned by the farmers who grow the fruit. Their farms are family-owned, many of which are now being led by the fourth, fifth, and even sixth generations of those families. Sons and daughters have followed in the footsteps of their parents and grandparents, in some cases great and great-great grandparents. Growing fruit and growing it well is just in their genes.

Tune in to learn about why the foothills of the Cascade Mountain range in central Washington state has ideal fruit growing conditions. Learn about how the apples are grown and delicious new varieties are developed. And hear their family story that inspired the name of the “Joyfully Grown” brand.

We have a very special guest returning to the show this week. Lori Taylor is the Founder & CEO of The Produce Moms®, a global community on a mission to put more fruits and vegetables on every table. She has been making a great impact in getting more people to eat fresh fruits and vegetables through the wonderfully creative content on her website theproducemoms.com. Lori is also a fellow podcaster as the host of The Produce Moms Podcast. Over the past month she featured a very interesting series there on the subject of “Food As Medicine.” We are going to ask her about that and how the idea is getting a lot of attention across many professional and scientific disciplines. More and more, doctors are prescribing fresh fruits and veggies to solve and prevent health issues and insurers are beginning to pay for them. It’s an exciting trend that is building great momentum.

This week we are delighted to have Robert Schueller, Director of Public Relations at Melissa’s World Variety Produce, back on the show. Robert has been dubbed the “Produce Expert” by the media since he has unique access to such a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. He has written several books about the cornucopia Mother Nature has to offer in the world of fresh produce.

In this week’s episode, Robert is going to tell us about some strange but wonderful exotic fruits. These fruits are freaky and look so strange. Eating them is an adventure too. We will learn about lychees, rambutans, passion fruit, and “the queen of fruits,” mangosteens. Listen to learn about their unique look, unsurpassed flavors, and how to get inside them to eat them.

Artichoke season is here and in full swing. The origin of these deliciously creamy and rich flavored vegetables is an interesting journey around the Mediterranean to the modern world. And has for thousands of years been associated with romance. In this week’s episode, we are going to get an in-depth look at this veggie, which technically is a flower!

This week’s guest is Mark Munger, Senior Director of Marketing for Ocean Mist Farms based in Castroville, CA in the Monterey, CA area. The company has been around for almost 100 years and was the first to grow artichokes commercially in the U.S. Today they are the leading grower of artichokes in North America.

Mark worked for Theresa’s Nolan Network alongside Rick, Cynthia, and Edwin in the early 1990’s. He was a valuable part of our team of merchandisers representing our clients of companies and commodities on the West Coast. Since that time, he has been a rising star in the produce business. He will tell us all about artichokes. Learn about how the unique climate of the Bay Area of California allows the top quality veggies to grow there. The name Ocean Mist is a clue to why that area is called the world’s “salad bowl.”

June is National Mango Month. So, in this week’s episode we celebrate this delicious and healthy fruit, one of the most popular fruits in the world, if not the most popular.  Mangos originated in India and are considered a sacred fruit there as well as other Asian cultures. They became symbols for many rulers and spiritual leaders throughout Indian and Asian history. According to legend, Buddha meditated under a mango tree.

This week’s guest is Dr, Noris Ledesma, a horticulturist specializing in tropical fruits. She is one of the world's foremost experts on mangos. She is an emeritus curator at the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden in Coral Gables, FL. and a courtesy professor at the University of Florida, Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead, FL.  

Her work has taken her all over the world—the U.S., Mexico, Latin America, Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Africa, India, Oman and Saudi Arabia. Dr. Ledesma is working on breeding the “perfect mango.” In this episode she will tell us how mangos made it to the New World and how new varieties are being developed. Her passion for mangos is contagious and you will be craving them after hearing her talk about them. She will tell you why mangos are the "Fruit for your Soul!"

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month so we have a guest today who is going to enlighten us on the great contributions Japanese Americans made to agriculture in the United States beginning in the late nineteenth century and continuing today. Our guest this week is Glenn Tanaka, a.k.a. “Farmer Tanaka,” a third-generation Japanese American farmer who is continuing the legacy of his family’s farms in Southern California. He joins us along with Ron Inatomi, a produce manager at Gelson’s Markets in Southern California. They will talk about the major contributions that Japanese American farmers have made to American agriculture since the early twentieth century. When Pearl Harbor was bombed, thousands of them were forced off their farms and into internment camps for the duration of the war. Most of them lost everything and had to completely rebuild. Listen to be inspired by their resilience. Learn about their dedication and loyalty to the United States, even though they had everything taken from them by the country they loved and of which they were legal residents.

Build your passion for fresh fruits and veggies as you listen to a 50-Year Veteran of the Produce Industry. Our guest this week is Dan Avakian, a.k.a. “Dan, The Produce Man” and he has almost 50 years working in the produce business. He has a deep passion for all things about fresh produce and brings that energy, along with his deep, rich, velvety voice when he talks about fruits and vegetables to his audience. He was probably the first person to have a radio show that focused on fresh produce. Long before we had the term “podcasting” our guest was on the radio airwaves across the country with a show called “The Produce Pair.” Now Dan is featured regularly on one of the most popular podcasts about fruits and veggies, “The Produce Industry Podcast.” He is featured in a specially themed version of the show called “Fresh from the Field Fridays” in which he zeroes in on a particular fruit or veggie to give the audience everything they need to know about it. We love Dan’s passion for fruits and veggies

Season Five Episode Thirteen

Spring has arrived and spring vegetables have been showing up in your local produce aisles and markets for a few weeks now. But this week is the sweetest week of the spring vegetable season. That is because this is the week that the sweetest onions in the world will be first shipped for the 2023 season. Yes, it’s time for a fresh crop of Vidalia Onions. They are named for a small town in Georgia which is at the center of the growing region for onions in the state. The area there has a special soil that gives them their deliciously sweet flavor. Today we are going to celebrate Vidalia Onions and we have a very special guest joining us to tell us all about them. Delbert Bland and his family have been growing Vidalia onions for over 40 years. They started with just five acres of the onions but now are the largest producer of them in the region. From those humble origins, Delbert has grown the business into a nationwide and international farming success with farms in Texas, California, Mexico, and Peru.

The Environmental Working Group recently released its annual report known as “The Dirty Dozen” which identifies the fruits and veggies that have the most pesticide residue. But the fear it inspires might harm our health more than these pesticides. This week's guest is Dr. Steve Savage, a plant pathologist, and agricultural expert who has studied the data in great detail. Listen to our latest podcast to hear his findings. They may surprise you. He will answer whether organic is safer than conventionally grown produce. If you are not eating fresh fruits and veggies because you are afraid of these residues, you may be impeding your well-being. The chemicals in these fruits and veggies will do more to help you than the pesticides on them will harm you.

Bananas are underpriced. This most popular fruit is one of the cheapest fruits per pound in the produce aisle. They are usually one-fourth to one-third the price of apples, oranges, and pears. The reason is that the farmers and farm workers who grow and harvest the fruit are underpaid, while the global companies who export and distribute them keep the vast share of the profits. Our guest this week on the podcast is out to change that. Kim Chackal is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Equifruit based in Montreal, Canada. They are the leading importer of Fairtrade bananas. Fairtrade is an independent international organization that certifies products are produced and sold according to established fair trade standards.

Kim calls herself a “banana badass!” She took the title to draw attention to her and Equifruit’s mission to make the banana industry predominantly fair trade and ensure the growers and workers get more of the benefit from the billion-dollar revenues that flow from it. She will enlighten you about all things banana and convince you of the importance of looking for fair trade bananas coming to a store near you. It may cost you a bit more, but fair trade bananas are still a bargain compared to other fruits and other foods in the grocery store. And the extra cost to you as a consumer need only be pennies per purchase to ensure they are fair trade. For the average consumer, that may only be the price of one Starbucks coffee per year added to their banana purchases!

The peanut originated in South America and was first cultivated by Indigenous people in Peru. It was a status symbol in those societies and used as a currency! So, working for peanuts there was not a bad thing. But peanuts throughout the centuries were mostly eaten boiled. Since the 1800’s people in the Southern United States have preferred them boiled rather than roasted. In fact, roasted peanuts did not come onto the scene until the mid-20th Century. And peanuts in most other cultures around the world are primarily eaten boiled.

Lauren Marcinkoski, CEO of Luray Peanut Company in South Carolina is our guest this week and she is going to enlighten you about the delicious boiled peanut. Also known as the “caviar of the South!” Her company is on a mission to popularize them with a very convenient and tasty new microwavable package of boiled peanuts. Boiled peanuts are much more nutritious than roasted peanuts and have 40% fewer calories! Tune in to learn about them and the amazing peanut—the most sustainable source of protein on the planet according to Lauren.

We have a unique guest joining us on the podcast this week. She is a pioneer in the produce industry and one of the first women to establish her own business in the fresh produce world. Janice Honigberg is the founder and CEO of Sun Belle, a leading grower and importer of all types of berries and some other specialty fruits and vegetables. Janice’s story is an inspiring one. She is truly a visionary who anticipated and instigated trends that changed the global fruit and veggie markets. She was one of the first to begin importing berries from Central and South America so that we can have them year-round. She will tell us about how those get to us from so far away and the great strides that are being made in taste and quality. And you will learn about a delicious new fruit called “goldenberries.”

Farmers and purveyors of fresh fruit and vegetables face tremendous risks like no other business or industry. In addition to the risk of adverse weather, pests, and the high perishability of their products, they put themselves at legal risk. This week’s guest is an attorney who helps them navigate those legal minefields. Katy Koestner Esquivel has over 15 years of litigation and advisory experience in the produce industry. She has earned a reputation for being a fearless, thorough, and aggressive advocate for her clients. Add to that her experiences as a woman, and a mom, as well as her perseverance, grit, and determination and you will understand why Katy has been able to build a very successful law firm that has helped people and businesses in the fresh produce industry. Katy will tell us about the dedication and commitment of these people to keep the grocery store shelves stocked with healthy fruits and veggies. We hope it will give you newfound respect for the people who grow your food.

Today the Produce Buzzers are in a bit of a pickle. But don’t worry. We wanted to be. Because we are going to honor one of our favorite foods—pickles! Almost any vegetable can be pickled but we are going to focus on the most common ones, those made from cucumbers. And we have one of the country’s foremost experts on them with us today. Bill Olvey buys and sells cucumbers to pickle packers all over the U.S. He joins us to tell us all about how they are grown, harvested, processed, and packed.   S05:E06

This week, we welcome back Robert Schueller of Melissa’s World Variety Produce. He will tell us about some unusual, exciting, and delicious new products they will be offering in 2023. Robert’s official title at Melissa’s is Director of Public Relations. But we prefer his unofficial title given to him by countless consumer and national trade publications along with TV and radio personalities. “Produce Expert.” There probably is no one on the planet who is more of an expert on produce than Robert because his company sells well over a thousand different varieties of fresh fruits and veggies from all over the world. Tune in to hear about miracle berries, Tasmanian cherries, Calypso mangos, guava paste, toasted chickpeas, and a Japanese melon that is so delicious and prized that it sells for over $100 each.

Patrick Kelly is a recognized expert in the supply chain for fresh produce. For more than 15 years Patrick has been dedicated to growing supply chains for produce partners around the world. He is also a fellow podcaster with a show that focuses on how the industry works. He joins the Produce Buzzers to tell us all about how fruits and veggies get from the farm to your table. It’s a complex system with delicate time and temperature sensitivities. It involves the dedication of a community of people who work tirelessly to ensure that they arrive as fresh as possible. And Patrick is also dedicated to building and strengthening that community. Hear his insights about bridging the generation gaps and what he is doing to bring people together in the one-half trillion-dollar global produce industry. Patrick is an entrepreneur who is wise beyond his years and gave us a lot of nuggets of enlightening thoughts. Tune in to be inspired by them.

The Chinese calendar is based primarily on the phases of the moon which is why this celebration is also called the Lunar New Year. The new year usually begins on the second new moon after the winter solstice. This year it begins on January 22nd and ends on February 5th. It is believed that the Chinese have celebrated the new year for about 3,500 years. But the first reference to it came from a Chinese agronomist during the Han Dynasty named Cui Shi. He wrote a book on agriculture called Simin Yeuling sometime during the second century A.D. So today we welcome back a very honored guest on the show, Robert Schueller of Melissas World Variety Produce and recognized “Produce Expert.” Robert is going to tell us all about his favorite Asian fruits and veggies today and we will talk about how some of them are used in the Chinese New Year celebrations.

January is the beginning of the season for the most delicious citrus fruit of the year. Groves in California, Florida, and Texas are getting into full production and will peak soon in flavor and volume. To celebrate that, we have a guest on the show this week who is one of the world’s foremost experts on tree fruit, especially citrus. Zak Laffite, the president of Wonderful Citrus, one of the largest growers and shippers of citrus in the world and the largest in North America. They grow and market the Halos brand of mandarins and clementines, one of the most recognized and loved brands in the produce aisle. He joins us to tell us about the delicious citrus products the Wonderful Company grows and distributes. Including Seedless Lemons! And you will learn what pomology is!

Welcome to Season Five of the Produce Buzzers Podcast! We start the New Year with a little alliteration. LOL! There is no more satisfying meal in the cold winter months than one featuring a hot, rich, and hearty soup. And if it is chock full of veggies there is nothing that is healthier. But soups are not just gastronomic treats. They are usually very quick and easy to make and very budget friendly. Now that the winter is here the Produce Buzzers wanted to share a few recipes for their favorite soups. Tune in to learn how to make them and at the same time, learn some interesting trivia and a little history about soup. And what are some of the most bizarre soups made around the world?

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On this week’s episode of PB Podcast, we want to look back at 2022 and pay tribute to the wonderful guests we had on the show. They helped make our podcast one of the most popular podcasts in the food category and right at the top of podcasts about fruits and veggies. So get ready for some of the best clips of the podcast in 2022 featuring the most interesting and knowledgeable experts in the fresh produce industry. This show is chock full of fascinating nuggets about fruits and veggies. Hope you enjoy it. And we have many more lined up for 2023, so make sure you subscribe and keep checking in for new episodes as the new year begins.

When we think of Christmas, we tend to believe that most of the world will celebrate it beside a toasty fire indoors wearing comfy sweaters and nice warm socks because, well. “Baby, it’s cold outside.” We see them imbibing imbibe in hot chocolate and hot mulled cider. They are feasting on roasted meats, winter root vegetables, and the fruits of deciduous trees like apples and pears. But on the other side of the earth, it will be the beginning of summer. And along the center of the earth, most people will still be able to go outside in shorts and t-shirts. They will be more likely to build a sandcastle than a snowman. The fact is the vast majority of people around the world will be celebrating a "Warm Christmas", not a "White Christmas." So what are some of the fruits and veggies they celebrate with for the holidays?

This week we have an extraordinary guest on the show with a fascinating mission in the world of fresh fruits and veggies. This man has to be one of the foremost experts, if not THE foremost expert, on the amazing diversity of edible plants that mother nature has to offer. Bob Harrington is the president of Specialty Produce, a wholesaler of fresh fruits and vegetables primarily to restaurants in San Diego, CA. They sell every type of fruit and vegetable, but as the name implies, they have become an invaluable source for chefs of more exotic, rare, and hard-to-find varieties. Bob has been traveling the world for almost three decades looking for and cataloging thousands of fruits and vegetables and their seemingly endless varieties. And he is going to tell us all about that adventure and what he has achieved. Tune in to hear about his quest and how you can access information on the thousands of fruits and veggies he has documented. 

Doing good is good business. That is the belief of Martin Casanova of THX! Dreams, a fresh produce company that donates part of its profits to help farm workers fulfill vital needs. And it is not only his belief, but he is showing that it is true. THX! Dreams provides many types of necessities to needy families who work on farms where their fruits and veggies are grown--from computers and tablets for children in school to home improvements like adding rooms to their homes to online education and medical needs. Listen to the podcast to be inspired by Martin’s story and vision to give back after many years as a successful business owner. And learn how you can help him in his quest.

It will probably come as no surprise that November is National Roasting Month since the Thanksgiving meal most often features plenty of roasted dishes. So just in time for your holiday meal, the Produce Buzzers talk about a few of the best vegetables to accompany your turkey. Beets, Brussels sprouts, and rutabagas. But some anthropologists believe that humans learning to cook may have been one of the primary reasons for their rapid development physically. And that might help explain the vast difference between humans and animals. The first method of cooking for humans was roasting.

Consumers have always despaired over the high perishability of fruits and veggies and how easy it is to lose them to rot or decay before having a chance to eat them. But now that Inflation is here and stinging us in the …ummmmm… back pocket, throwing away those veggies is even more painful. Even before the pandemic and the steep rise in costs we have seen over the past year, tossing out those moldy berries or sprouting potatoes has discouraged people from eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. But now the Produce Buzzers are here to help. Today we are going to show you how to make your fruits and veggies last longer. We will take a look at the ten most popular items in the produce department and those on that list that frustrate us the most when it comes to decay and loss in our pantries and refrigerators. 

We all desire “La Bella Vita” or the beautiful life. And eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies is one of the keys to experiencing it. In Italian, “Bella Vita” translates literally as “beautiful life” but, it also means “healthy life.” The Italians know well the ingredients and recipe for a beautiful and healthy life. This week’s guest on the podcast is an Italian man who has been in the fresh produce business for his entire life and his family for over a century. Celso Paganini is the owner and CEO of Bella Vita Foods, a company helping bring those Italian secrets for a healthy life to the United States. He has been importing some unique and delicious fresh produce items from Italy for over 30 years. Today he joins us to talk about one of the sweetest onions in the world from Tropea on the southern coast of Italy and Italian chestnuts, the best and highest quality chestnuts in the world. Celso will tell you the very best way to roast chestnuts just in time for the holidays. Tune in to learn all about these delicious Italian treasures.

How well do you know your exotic fruits and veggies? Mother Nature has given us some strange and wacky fruits to delight us and sometimes disgust us, but either way, they are fascinating. Some of Mother Nature’s weird creations have become commonplace for us in the modern world, like kiwifruit. But some exotic fruits have not made their way to our grocery store shelves here in the United States and are weird in name, appearance, and flavor. So today we will play a game we call “Which of these is a real fruit?”

`She is “The” Produce Mom." But she will not pester you like your mom did and tell you to “Eat your veggies!” Instead, she will inspire you to LOVE fresh fruit and veggies and make them a delight in your meals like they should be. Lori Taylor, founder and CEO of The Produce Moms® joins the Produce Buzzers to tell her amazing story of creating a multimedia powerhouse that is having a major impact in getting people to eat more fresh fruits and veggies. The Produce Moms® is a global community and Certified B Corporation that is on a mission to put more fruits and vegetables on every table. Lori often appears in the media as a cook and produce industry expert. Her media appearances always include innovative and inspiring ways to prepare and eat fresh produce. She has been featured by Oprah, Martha Stewart, GQ Magazine, Real Simple Magazine, HuffPost, StyleCaster, and more. Listen to be inspired not only to eat healthier but also by her hard work and diligence to make The Produce Moms a success.

September is National Fruit and Vegetable Month! Since we are celebrating all things fruit and veggie this month, we are thrilled to have back on the podcast this week a woman who is at the epicenter of efforts to get people to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, is the President and CEO of the Produce for Better Health (PBH) Foundation. At PBH, she guides the Foundation’s efforts to work with more than 500 industry and government partners to advance the overall effort of increasing fruit and vegetable consumption through all produce forms — fresh, frozen, canned, dried, and 100% juice. She will tell you how to get more fruits and veggies in your diet by using behavioral science.

You have heard of “Johnny Appleseed,” but have you heard of “Johnny Mushroom Spore?” He is the man who is spreading mushrooms throughout Western North Carolina, and we have him on the podcast this week. Greg Carter of Deep Woods Mushrooms in Mills River, NC, joins us to tell us about the amazing world of mushrooms. Greg has been growing mushrooms for over 20 years and has made a successful career out of growing, foraging, and selling mushrooms. He also teaches people how to forage for wild mushrooms and how to grow them using the best methods for the highest quality mushrooms. And he is a genuinely "fun guy!" Groooaaann!

Fresh fruits and vegetables are a bit of a paradox because they are probably the only thing you can buy that are usually the least expensive when their quality is at its best. That is because the peak volume and supply typically coincide with the peak quality. We are once again joined by Robert Schueller of Melissa's World Variety Produce, a recognized "Produce Expert." Robert is eager to share with you all the information about some of the summertime's most delicious fruits. These fruits are in peak season now in August and exhibit the fruit and veggie paradox the most. Robert will focus on melons and grapes and tell you about some exotic melons that are the most flavorful and sweetest that you can find.

What is the hottest pepper in the world? Not the Carolina Reaper, not the Ghost Pepper, not the Scotch Bonnet! It's the Hatch Chili Pepper! But we are not talking about Scoville or heat levels. We are talking about popularity. It's so popular that it has a cult following. But they are only available six to eight weeks each year. From August to September, many Hatch chili enthusiasts buy scores of pounds (several cases) of these peppers to roast and freeze so they can have them year-round. A major festival is dedicated to them in their hometown of Hatch, New Mexico every Labor Day. Thousands of people descend on the tiny mile-long town to pick, consume, and roast these delicious peppers with an unrivaled flavor. What gives them that special flavor? Tune in to find out. Robert Schueller of Melissa's World Variety Produce, recognized as a "Produce Expert," joins us to tell us all about them. But beware. You might be persuaded to join the Cult of Hatch Chili Peppers! 

As our regular listeners know, we focus primarily on fresh fruits and veggies on the podcast, but we are not discriminatory when it comes to frozen and canned fruits and veggies. Especially knowing that freezing and canning of fresh produce is often done just hours after harvesting and preserves the nutrients of those fruits and veggies allowing them to be enjoyed much longer than fresh. So today we are going to diverge from our fresh tradition and talk about one of the most delicious fruits you can get in a can. Pears from the Pacific Northwest United States. To help us learn all about them, we have Susan Renke, promotion director for the Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service. She will tell all about the amazing process of getting pears from the tree into the can.