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

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. 

July is one of the most abundant months for all kinds of fruits and veggies. And there are many celebrations featuring so many of them. July is National Blueberry Month and National Peach Month. So, we join in the celebration by replaying a couple of segments from last year in which we featured these two most delicious summer fruits. The blueberry is one of only a few fruits native to North America. Learn the surprising story of how the wild versions became cultivated and grown commercially, producing the superior varieties available today.