Did you catch my latest article in Mental Floss? It’s called 10 Crazy Creations of “Plant Wizard” Luther Burbank. It’s about white blackberries, thornless cactus, pitless plums, and the russett potato.
Even if you haven’t heard of Luther Burbank, you probably tasted his work the last time you ate a french fry. In the early 20th century, Burbank created over 800 varieties of fruits, flowers, and vegetables. The “Plant Wizard,” as he was called, had a unique approach to horticulture that was part Darwinism, part Thomas Edison. And while his failures often sound like something out of a sci-fi novel, we’re still eating many of his creations—inventions?—today.
