In Salinas native John Steinbeck's famous novel "The Grapes of Wrath," there's a scene where a turtle encounters great obstacles trying to cross a highway. After much hardship for the turtle, a trucker swerves to hit the turtle, clipping its shell and sending it flying off the road. The turtle lands on its back but manages to right itself and move on. The scene encapsulated the theme of perseverance that wove through the entire novel.

With celebrated author Steven Pratt on hand to tout the "superfood" qualities of green and gold kiwifruit, the Zespri booth became an energy-boosting destination at the recent American Dietetics Association Food & Nutrition conference and exposition in Honolulu.

Known as Oprah's "Food Dude," the author of SuperFoods Healthstyle signed copies of his book and shared tips on the benefits of eating kiwifruit with over 5,000 members of the association during its annual food and nutrition conference in mid-September.

The health department of the government of Mexico, in an official memorandum dated Oct. 9, announced an immediate halt on the importation of all fresh lettuce from the United States including bulk lettuce and fresh salads containing lettuce, an action that baffled many in the U.S. produce industry.

The California Department of Health Services and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced Thursday evening, Oct. 12 that three positive samples of E. coli 0157:H7 with the same genetic strain as that which caused the recent foodborne disease outbreak in spinach have been identified in cattle feces on one ranch that supplied spinach to Natural Selections Foods on the day of production in question.

California Giant Berry Farms, a leading strawberry shipper, and Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization behind "Sesame Street," have teamed up to help educate children about the benefits of strawberries.

Recent independent research shows that strawberries are among kids' favorite fruits. Based on these findings, new educational programs will focus on fun and exciting ways to encourage kids to make eating fresh fruit, like California Giant strawberries, part of their daily routine.

Work hard, play hard. If 25-year-old Mindy VanVleck had a life motto, that would sum things up nicely.

This is the same person who approached Frank Davis, vice president of sales and marketing for Borton & Sons in Yakima, WA, to get an "informational interview" that turned into an internship. And it's the same person who set up a 280-foot slip-and-slide in her yard last year to give party guests a wet and wild time.