The pineapple may have begun as a rare curiosity from the tropics, but by the 18th century, it had become a symbol of imperial power, elite refinement, and national rivalry. In this second and final part of their journey into the history of the world’s most flamboyant fruit, John and Patrick explore the height of pineapple mania in Georgian Britain, where aristocrats competed to grow the perfect specimen in lavish “pineries,” often at extraordinary cost. Possessing a pineapple was no longer just a sign of wealth - it was a performance of dominance, control, and taste.

But the fruit’s story didn’t end in the hothouses of Surrey. As tensions simmered between Britain and its American colonies, the pineapple -by now appearing in colonial door frames, tableware, and rebellion-fueled satire - played an unexpected supporting role in the growing transatlantic divide.

By the 19th century, technological innovations transformed the fruit from rarefied luxury to household staple, while industrial canning and the rise of plantation production brought pineapples into the homes of an emerging American middle class.

From the lush fields of Florida to the imperial fantasies projected onto Hawaii, the pineapple was reshaped, rebranded, and ultimately reborn as a golden icon of tropical abundance. But behind its sunny image lay a legacy of labor, land seizure, and corporate control. And just when it seemed the fresh pineapple had been lost to a syrupy tin, it made a glittering comeback with the launch of the Gold Pineapple, engineered for sweetness, shelf life, and spectacle.

Join John and Patrick for the extraordinary conclusion of the pineapple’s global odyssey - one of science, scandal, colonial ambition, and the enduring power of fruit to shape empires.

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The pineapple - today a familiar tropical fruit, boxed in lunch kits and blended in cocktails - was once the most exotic and awe-inspiring delicacy known to Europeans. Its journey from the hands of Indigenous cultivators in the rainforests of South America to the hothouses of Georgian England is a tale of exploration, obsession, imperial rivalry, and horticultural espionage.

In this first episode of a two-part series, John and Patrick trace the pineapple’s origins to the Tupi-Guarani people, for whom the nana was a cherished crop. Then came Columbus, who encountered the fruit on the island of Guadeloupe and, dazzled by its flavour, brought it back to Spain as a trophy of the New World - presenting it to King Ferdinand as evidence of the riches ripe for conquest. From there, the pineapple set off on an extraordinary global voyage, becoming an object of fascination in courts and colonies alike.

Within decades, the fruit had spread to Asia and Africa, and it wasn’t long before European elites became obsessed. In England, King Charles II embraced the pineapple as a symbol of royal magnificence, commissioning portraits to cement its mythic status. Meanwhile, the Dutch, ever resourceful, mastered the art of growing pineapples using rotting tanners bark in heated greenhouses, setting off a botanical arms race. The English soon caught up thanks, ironically, to a Dutchman of their own.

Join John and Patrick as they uncover the tropical fruit that ignited imperial rivalries, captured royal imaginations, and reshaped global agriculture. The humble pineapple was never just a fruit - it was power, prestige, and paradise incarnate.

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In Sponsorship with Cornell University: Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

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Tariffs might seem like dusty matters for economists, but their effects on fresh produce have been anything but dry. In this episode, John and Patrick trace the surprising - and at times surreal - impact of American trade policy on fruits and vegetables.

First, they dive into the Mongrel Tariff Act of 1883, where a tomato’s very identity was put on trial to decide whether it was a fruit or vegetable. Next it’s on to the chaos of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, a protectionist gamble that backfired spectacularly on American farmers during the Great Depression. Then, they move on to more recent history to discuss the so-called "Banana Wars" - a bitter trade dispute between the United States and Europe that saw fresh produce caught in the crossfire. Finally, John and Patrick turn to the present day, asking what Trump’s tariff wars have meant for modern growers, and whether history offers any guidance for navigating the uncertain future of fresh produce.

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A new Pope has been chosen! And that got us thinking: have Popes of the past shaped the history of fruits and vegetables?

In this month’s livestream, John and Patrick explore the surprising connections between the Papacy and produce.

From Popes with a passion for fresh fruits to the hidden stories of the Vatican gardens, this episode offers a fresh perspective on the role of produce in the lives of history’s holiest leaders.

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From the windswept Caucasus Mountains to the decadent tables of Renaissance Europe, few fruits have lived a life as rich (or as risqué) as the cherry. In this episode, John and Patrick trace the cherry’s remarkable journey through time, beginning with its elusive origins in ancient Mesopotamia and Anatolia, where birds, not botanists, first sowed the seeds of this future delicacy.

As Greek philosophers began to take note of its cultivation, cherries found their way into the hands and stomachs of empires. With a Roman general, the cherry became more than food. It became a symbol of conquest, luxury, and horticultural ambition, spreading from Roman villas to British roadsides.

But that’s only the beginning. The cherry takes root in Islamic gardens, medieval courts, and the bustling markets of early modern London, where barrow-women hawked “cheryes in the ryse” with babies on their hips. Along the way, it becomes a sensual symbol - adorned in love songs, sacred art, Shakespearean innuendo, and more than a few barely veiled metaphors for desire.

Join John and Patrick as they uncover the fascinating story of this small red fruit. From botany to mythology, empire to erotica, this is fruit has it all.

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The rise of Carthage is one of the most dazzling stories of the ancient world. A tale of cunning queens, glittering harbors, and empires built not just by sword and sail, but by soil.

In this episode, John and Patrick trace the astonishing birth of Carthage - from Queen Elyssa’s legendary ox-hide bargain to the booming agricultural empire that threatened Rome itself. Far from a mere city of merchants, Carthage was a powerhouse of farming innovation: with iron plows, vine-laced terraces, and sweet wines that made even the Romans jealous.

At its heart was a rich and fertile land, one so abundant that Homer himself sang its praises. From pomegranates to elephants, from olive groves to slave-worked estates, Carthage was an empire rooted in the earth. And behind it all loomed a mysterious figure: Mago of Carthage, the so-called "father of agriculture," whose lost treatise would echo across centuries.

Join John and Patrick as they unearth the agricultural engine behind Carthage’s meteoric rise. A story of invention, ambition, and the fields that fed an empire on the brink of war with Rome.

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The tulip - elegant, exotic, and ephemeral - has long captivated the human imagination. But in 17th-century The Netherlands, it ignited something far more volatile: a frenzy. This is the story of Tulip Mania, the extraordinary episode in Dutch history when a single flower became the object of national obsession - and financial ruin.

In this episode, John and Patrick trace the tulip’s journey from the windswept mountains of Central Asia to the refined gardens of Persian poets and the grand courts of the Ottoman Empire, where it became a potent symbol of power and beauty. Then there was Carolus Clusius: the eccentric botanist whose passion for plants (and a few misplaced bulbs) unleashed the tulip upon Europe.

As the Dutch Republic soared to riches during its Golden Age, so too did its appetite for rare and unusual tulips. At first the preserve of aristocrats and collectors, tulips soon spilled into the hands of speculators, shopkeepers, and artisans. As demand for variegated and ‘broken’ tulips surged, prices climbed to lunatic heights - until, suddenly, they didn’t.

What followed was a spectacular crash, a financial catastrophe that would echo down through the centuries. Or did it?

Join John and Patrick as they uncover the truth behind the tulip craze: from its exotic roots to its supposed ruinous end, and how one 19th-century Scottish journalist may have exaggerated the entire affair.

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How did a drunk church-goer influence the Navy’s go-to-beverage? What does a Persian fruit beverage and sherbet powder have to do with each other? How did an American favorite drink fall from grace? And why does tomato juice taste so much better on a plane?

In this month's livestream, John and Patrick each reveal their top three produce-based drinks from history.

From orange juice’s vital role in World War II to grape juice’s unexpected place in the fight against alcoholism, these drinks don’t just quench thirst - they reflect the spirit of their times.

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