The Nature of Things

The Fruit Hunters (1): Evolution of Desire (52x11)

Air date: Feb 21, 2013

A journey through nature, commerce and adventure, The Fruit Hunters takes us from the dawn of humanity to the cutting of edge of modern agriculture — a series that will change not just the way we look at what we eat, but what it means to be human. The Fruit Hunters' first episode, "The Evolution of Desire," explores the origins of fruit's diversity and tells the story of humanity and fruit's intimate co-evolution. Every variety of fruit has a story, the story of the person who cultivated an individual plant, and then shared something wonderful with the world. To preserve this diversity is to retain this living memory. A passionate few, the fruit hunters, fight to preserve this diversity in a world increasingly dominated by economically driven monoculture. Richard Campbell and Noris Ledesma, the "Indiana Joneses of fruit," travel around the world searching for exotic fruit at their source: the local's market. We follow them on a mission to Bali, in search of the elusive white-fleshed mangoes, which they hope to preserve before it is erased by industrialization and urbanization. Meanwhile, in the picturesque hills of Umbria, Italy, Isabella Dalla Ragione, an arboreal archaeologist, searches for heirloom varieties of fruit by investigating Renaissance paintings for clues. We also discover the underground network of the Rare Fruit Council International and meet Ken Love, Hawaii's fruit guru. Fruit hunting with Ken Love in Hawaii is like getting a tour of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. In this episode, we'll meet the people who have dedicated their lives to preserving fruit's vital genetic diversity for coming generations.