From the Biblical fruit that brought about the moral downfall of mankind to -terminator- seed strains engineered to ensure that farmers have to buy new seed stocks every year, from banana republics to the annual tomato-throwing festivals in Spain, the story of fruits and vegetables opens an idiosyncratic window on human development and interaction. Cabinet 23 includes Steve Featherstone on a doomsday global seed repository on a remote Arctic island; a conversation with legendary kitchen scientist Harold McGee on the cooking of fruits and vegetables; Frances Richard on the national...