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

Our guest today is Dr. James Hebert, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. Dr. Hebert has studied and researched for years how what we eat affects our health. He is arguably the world’s foremost expert on inflammation and especially on how what we eat can contribute to increasing or decreasing inflammation in our bodies. We are going to ask him what he has learned from decades of research on the subject and specifically how eating more fresh fruits and vegetables is key in fighting it.

In this episode, the Produce Buzzers tell us about fruits and veggies that have inspired romantic love and have been thought to be aphrodisiacs. Yes, we will talk about strawberries, but some of them will surprise you and might make you giggle. But fair warning, don't try to replace your gift of flowers and chocolate-covered strawberries this Valentine's Day with them. You might find your love rejected.

Winter can be a gloomy time, but probably one of the few things that is really awesome about wintertime is the marvelous variety of delicious citrus fruits that are in season, plentiful and inexpensive. The winter months and into early spring is the absolute best time for citrus fruits. So today on the Produce Buzzers Podcast, Rick is going to tell us all about winter citrus and what to know as you look for them in the next few months. Learn all about grapefruit, oranges, tangerines, clementines, and others. And have you ever heard of the orange so nice they named it twice?

Dr. Brian Asbill, a practicing cardiologist, and the world’s first board-certified lifestyle medicine physician joins the Produce Buzzers podcast to explain how eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and adopting a plant-based diet can help you not only become healthy, but healthy and whole both physically and mentally. After twenty years as a cardiologist, our featured guest today took a big turn in his career when he had what he calls an “epiphany.” He came to realize at that time he had not been practicing “health care” but instead “sick care.” And he took some dramatic steps to change that.

Robert Schueller may be the world’s foremost expert on exotic fruits and vegetables. As the Director of Public Relations for Melissa’s World Variety Produce, one of the largest purveyors of fruits and vegetables from all around the world, he knows about thousands of varieties of fresh produce. He joins the Produce Buzzers to talk about a few fruits and veggies that will trend in 2022. Learn about pink pineapples, graffiti eggplant, dragonfruit, and a few other delicious foods you may not have heard of before.

In this episode, the Produce Buzzers celebrate National Pizza Week! Why talk about pizza on a show about fresh fruits and veggies! Why of course—the fabulous fruit and veggie toppings that adorn them! That is the best part of any pizza. The crust, sauce, and cheese are just a flavorful delivery system for delicious fruit and veggies! But we will also talk about some of the best ways to make pizza doughs, to cook pizza, and some veggie crusts that can serve as an alternative to wheat crusts.

Today we celebrate the mighty bean! Because it is National Bean Day in the United States. Beans have been a staple of the human diet for many thousands of years. Learn about all their tremendous health benefits and get a couple of delicious recipes. And hear the strange story of the famous Greek mathematician and philosopher, Pythagoras, who was deathly afraid of beans!

Why are fruit cakes so maligned as Christmas gifts? Maybe because they didn't have Aunt Midge's recipe! Which was the victim of the Great Fruit Cake Scandal!

Happy Holidays everyone! Welcome to our special Christmas episode. What the heck are “sugar plums?” Are they real fruit? How many pear trees with partridges will your true love send you on the 12 Days of Christmas? And the fruitful tradition of stocking stuffers including oranges and walnuts!

On this week's podcast, we focus on a little veggie that you may not be too aware of, but chances are you have eaten them at one time or another. And we play another Mystery Fruit or Veggie Quiz Challenge. Play along and see if you can guess what it is.