Chip Brantley

The man does read a lot, but I was still nerdily excited to hear that Tyler Cowen finished and liked The Perfect Fruit. Cowen, a professor of economics at George Mason University and author most recently of Create Your Own Economy, writes often about the effects of technology and globalization on the arts, food and culture. For a good Cowen cross-section, read his thoughtful critique of Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma, watch his talk at Google on the difference between grants and prizes, and listen to his On the Media appearance to discuss Radiohead's release of In Rainbows.

In the August 28 issue of New Scientist, Jonathan Christison reviews The Perfect Fruit, writing that "you may not find yourself as swept away by the pluot as Brantley was, but you are sure to look at things differently on your next trip to the produce aisle."

Read Jonathan Christison's whole review.

I'm a little late getting mentioning this, but the writer and pomologist David Karp, formerly known as the "Fruit Detective," has a review of the book in last Wednesdsay's Los Angeles Times. David calls the book"an engaging one" and then goes on to say that

it is not just about the Zaigers and Pluots -- that would be a bit much for anyone but die-hard fruit geeks -- but a wide-ranging look inside the California stone fruit industry, its breeders, farmers, history and commerce, its controversies and intrigue. His central theme, the struggle to deliver flavorful fruit despite the compromises of industrial growing and marketing, should interest anyone who cares about food.

David's article about the Zaigers in the September 2000 issue of Gourmet was the first thing I ever read about pluots, and as he did in that piece, he raises some interesting points in the review about the reach of the work the Zaigers and other fruit breeders do.

Read David Karp's whole review.

This past weekend, I chatted about the book for an hour on Michael Olson's Food Chain radio (scroll down to show #648). Among his many other accomplishments, Michael is the author of MetroFarm: The Guide to Growing for Big Profit on a Small Parcel of Land. We bashed the Red Delicious Apple and talked a lot about Luther Burbank. It was fun.

Last Friday, I sat down with the Birmingham News's Alec Harvey and did my best to bore him with pluot arcana. In today's Food section, Alec has a great profile of the The Perfect Fruit.