Mangos: The Fruit for Your Soul!

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

June is National Mango Month. So, in this week’s episode we celebrate this delicious and healthy fruit, one of the most popular fruits in the world, if not the most popular. Mangos originated in India and are considered a sacred fruit there as well as other Asian cultures. They became symbols for many rulers and spiritual leaders throughout Indian and Asian history. According to legend, Buddha meditated under a mango tree.

This week’s guest is Dr, Noris Ledesma, a horticulturist specializing in tropical fruits. She is one of the world's foremost experts on mangos. She is an emeritus curator at the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden in Coral Gables, FL. and a courtesy professor at the University of Florida, Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead, FL.

Her work has taken her all over the world—the U.S., Mexico, Latin America, Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Africa, India, Oman and Saudi Arabia. Dr. Ledesma is working on breeding the “perfect mango.” In this episode she will tell us how mangos made it to the New World and how new varieties are being developed. Her passion for mangos is contagious and you will be craving them after hearing her talk about them. She will tell you why mangos are the "Fruit for your Soul!"