Traces the author's investigation into the process by which scientists, farmers, and fruit breeders have experimented with hybrid horticulture to develop an ultimate fruit, describing the career of forefront breeder Floyd Zaiger and the San Joaquin Valley creation of the pluot.

There's no such thing as non-genetically-altered fruit. Even that organic peach or heirloom tomato is the result of hundreds and even thousands of years of crossbreeding. Since the dawn of agriculture, people have been obsessively tinkering to develop fruits that are hardier, healthier, and better-tasting. After a couple millennia of this, a handful of farmers in California's San Joaquin Valley believe they just may have developed the perfect fruit: a sweet, juicy, luscious plum-apricot hybrid known as a pluot. In Pluot, William Brantley goes in search of what it takes to trick nature into producing culinary greatness-and to bring it to a market near you. The story begins with Floyd Zaiger, a humble and wily farmer who is arguably the greatest fruit breeder in the world. From there, it stretches both back and forward: back through a long line of visionaries, fruit smugglers, and mad geniuses, many of whom have been driven to dazzling extremes in the pursuit of exotic flavors; and forward through the ranks of farmers, scientists, and salesmen who make it their life's work to coax deliciousness out of stubborn and unpredictable plants. The result is part biography, part cultural history, and part horticultural inquest-a meditation on the surprising power of perfect food to change the way we live.

"First published in the United Kingdom by Ebury Press in 2015."--Title page verso.

Grow your own apples, figs, plums, cherries, pears, apricots, and peaches in even the smallest backyard! Ann Ralph shows you how to cultivate small yet abundant fruit trees using a variety of specialized pruning techniques. With dozens of simple and effective strategies for keeping an ordinary fruit tree from growing too large, you’ll keep your gardening duties manageable while at the same time reaping a bountiful harvest. These little fruit trees are easy to maintain and make a lovely addition to any home landscape.

Luscious peaches, crisp apples, and sweet plums right off the tree are hard to beat. For gardeners yearning for the pleasures of home-grown fruit plucked straight from the tree, this deliciously encouraging guide cuts the subject down to size. Colby Eierman, garden designer and fruit expert, shows how trees can easily be tucked into the tiniest spots and still yield a bumper crop of gorgeous fruit. Fruit Trees in Small Spaces covers everything a gardener needs to know about choosing and nurturing the most delicious small-space varieties, including selection, pruning, training, irrigation, and disease prevention. With inspiring ideas for spaces of all shapes and sizes and creative recipes for your incredible harvest, you'll want to plant a mini-orchard in every intimate corner. For the gardener with space limitations, bountiful fruit trees are now within arm's reach.

Eleven short stories of the Cuban immigrant experience as characters adjust to life in the United Sates, from an award-winning author. From the prize–winning title story—a masterpiece of humor and heartbreak—unfolds a collection of tales that illuminate the landscape of an exiled community rich in heritage, memory, and longing for the past. In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd is at once “tender and sharp-fanged” as Ana Menéndez evocatively charts the territory from Havana to Coral Gables, Florida, and explores whether any of us are capable, or even truly desirous, of outrunning our origins (LA Weekly). “With the grace of Margaret Atwood and the sensuality of Laura Esquivel,” Menéndez makes an unforgettable debut “rich in metaphor, wisdom, and delicious subtlety” (St. Petersburg Times).

Sophie lives in the city and spends her summer in the countryside where she learns all about the fruits that grow there: apples, plums, cherries and all kinds of berries. When Sophie's family moves south, where the weather is warmer, she discovers that different plants and trees grow in her new garden. With the help of her friendly neighbours, Sophie harvests melons, grapes, figs, oranges and pomegranates. At school, Sophie and her classmates learn about tropical fruits and nuts from all over the world -- bananas, coconuts, cashews, pineapples and many more. This is a wonderful book for children to learn about how fruit grows and where. It combines a charming seasonal story with fascinating facts and beautiful, accurate botanical illustrations. It is a superb companion to Gerda Muller's beloved How Does My Garden Grow?