Kale, hops, mangos, avocados, peaches, plums, and thousands upon thousands of other food and useful plants made their way to this country over a century ago because of David Fairchild. He even brought the famed cherry blossom trees to Washington, D.C. from Japan, despite an initial disastrous effort.

It’s all in Daniel Stone’s new book, The Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats. Listen as Edible South Florida talks with Stone and Fairchild’s granddaughter, Helene Pancoast, who shares recollections of growing up with a legend who changed our diet forever.