Narrated by David Suzuki, this two-part CBC series is a fascinating look into the world of fruit hunters — people who travel the globe seeking rare fruits, to preserve their diversity, or just to enjoy. The documentary also covers some interesting background history on some of the fruits we’ve come to take for granted, and you’ll meet interesting characters worldwide who have recognised the immense value of the diversity of plant material that was being lost around them, and who have worked to counter that trend, by creating their own "living libraries".
You’ll find it highly watchable, and will come away with a greater appreciation for the value of our natural heritage. See Part I above, and Part II below.
This is a fascinating video. There is a also a documentary at my local library with almost the same footage called “The Fruit Hunters.” It was produced as a motion picture in 2012. There is footage in this David Suzuki series that was not in the motion picture and it may be true in reverse as well so it’s worth watching both versions.
Agreed Renee. Amongst other aspects, I was particularly fascinated with the process of trying to get seed from Cavendish bananas – getting one seed from around 1000 bunches of bananas… It shows how unnatural our plant breeding has got.
It is much, much easier to preserve diversity, and extend on it, than it is to try to retrieve it when it’s gone.
Thanks for sharing!
Observation from the first video @ 23:50 as they are talking about this white mango.
The fruit changes with age- the skin and flavor both improve.
This seems similar to the observation of Geoff Lawton in his “edible suburb” video from California where many of the trees are now over thirty years old. He surmises that the very good flavor of all the trees has something to do with deep access to minerals and long-term access to water.
I would be interested to hear more about these aspects, of the improvement of fruits (and perhaps nuts?) as the trees mature in systems where they are able to access these deep resources; as opposed to systems where they are dependent upon shallow inputs.
Thanks for sharing these, Stefan. Fascinating!
On this note: I’m on the lookout for Red Huckleberry (Vaccinium parviflorum), Evergreen Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) and Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis). I’m in Europe. If anyone knows of nurseries that sell these or if anyone would share plants or cuttings please let me know.