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Summer 2024

Food Science

Summer 2020

Sweet heat

Betsy Burlingame dries them, pickles them, stuffs them, makes marmalade with them—and more.

The avid WSU Clallam County Master Gardener loves peppers for their flavor-packed punch and has been growing her own in her Sequim greenhouse for years.

Here, she shares some of her go-to pepper recipes.

 

Jalapeño Poppers

4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)

2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/3 cup minced green onions

3 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon lime juice

12 to 15 fresh jalapeño peppers of equal size

1 egg

1 cup panko … » More …

Spring healthy food. on wooden background
Spring 2020

Go wild for these greens

Whether you forage them yourself or find them at the farmer’s market, wild spring greens pack a nutritious—and flavorful—punch.

Here are a few recipes to go wild for:

nettle

Nettles
Try puréed nettles in soup or pesto.

Croatian blitva, traditional and hearty peasant fare from the Dalmatian Coast, is traditionally made with Swiss chard and potatoes, garlic and olive oil. Why not try subbing one leafy green for another? Try this recipe with nettles. And, for extra flavor, … » More …

Gladys Cooper Jennings
Fall 2018

Being best

A 9-year-old slave girl fanned her young mistress to keep the flies off her while she learned her lessons. Because she picked up enough education to be able to read and write a little, she ended up teaching other slaves and ex-slaves.

Her daughter became a schoolteacher, married to a Presbyterian minister in segregated Columbus, Ohio. The couple passed on the family mantras to their children: “You must get an education to get ahead” and “you must be a credit to our race.”

Their children, the second generation born free, took the advice to heart, attending college and becoming teachers and professionals. One of them, … » More …

Winter 2017

A mother’s microbial gift

Old assumptions about human breast milk are giving way to new thinking about microbes in milk and their role in children’s health and our immune systems.

 

It happened again, most recently at a conference in Prague. After she gave her talk, a scientist came up to Shelley McGuire, a pioneer exploring the microbial communities found in human breast milk, and told her, You don’t know how to take a sample. Your samples must have been contaminated. Human milk is sterile.

McGuire, a professor of human nutrition at Washington State University, knows differently: She’s seen the microbes with her own eyes. But she understands … » More …

Spring 2017

Waste not

Someone forgot about the fruit salad. When the refrigerator door opens, the sickly sweet aroma delivers a potent reminder. All the rotting apples, pears, and bananas in the bowl will need to be thrown out, and hopefully composted. It may seem insignificant, but that fruit salad represents a piece of the 40 percent of food wasted in the United States, about 20 pounds per person each month.

In recent years, food waste in this country and many other places around the world has grown not only in volume, but also in the collective consciousness. The numbers are staggering. Americans throw away an estimated $165 billion … » More …

Reduce food waste at home
Spring 2017

Reduce food waste at home

There are a variety of ways to reduce food waste at home, which can save you money, help the environment, and possibly feed people who need it.

Stop waste at the source

Assess food purchasing and preparation in your business or home to reduce the volume of food waste that is generated.

Make a list with meals in mind.
Buy only what you expect to use.
Keep fruits and vegetables fresh.
Prep perishables sooner rather than later.
Eat what needs eating first.
Treat expiration and sell-by dates as guidelines.
Save … » More …

Colonizing the stars thumb
Summer 2016

Colonizing the stars

Traveling to the stars is one thing. Living there is another.

Washington State University is tackling challenges that could enable future astronauts to survive indefinitely on Mars and other extraterrestrial locations.

At the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture, for example, a team of students designed a domed habitat that could be built robotically from Martian or Lunar soil with a special 3D printer. Dubbed the WazzuDOME, it was selected by NASA as a finalist in a design competition last year and earned the team a trip to the world’s largest science fair, the annual Maker Faire, in New York City.

“We took … » More …