Fall 2023
50 years, 50 states
How Washington State University’s Master Gardeners program became a national, and global, model » More ...
Agriculture
Fall 2023
Master Gardeners in Washington state counties
From rain gardens to food security, Master Gardeners support their communities. » More ...
Fall 2023
Oats
New life for an old hearty and healthy food » More ...
Fall 2023
Celebrating Master Gardeners’ 50 years
Master Gardeners started at Washington State University 50 years ago.
Watch videos from Master Gardeners and WSU commemorating this anniversary of the volunteer gardening program with such an impact. (Videos produced by the WSU College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences)
Seeds of a Movement
Making a Difference in Today’s World
Looking Ahead to Vibrant Future
Fall 2023
Tranquil gardens lead to a Master Gardener
He sought solace in the garden.
In the early 1990s, when he was going through treatment for cancer, Tim Kohlhauff found the time he felt “the best and connected or healthiest and most relief” was when he was in the garden—specifically the Japanese Garden at Washington Park Arboretum at the University of Washington.
“I was not as worried when I was there and that had a sort of longtime effect,” he says. “I recovered, but I found I wanted to spend more and more time in the garden.”
Cancer brought him to gardening. Gardening brought him to Washington State University Extension » More …
Fall 2023
Oats then and now: Q&A with an expert
Louisa R. (Winkler) Brouwer (’17 PhD Crop Sci.) was one of three researchers at Washington State University who collaborated on “The History of Oats in Western Washington and the Evolution of Regionality in Agriculture.”
The 2016 study—written by Brouwer along with crop scientists Stephen S. Jones, director of the WSU Breadlab, and Kevin M. Murphy (’04 MS, ’07 PhD Crop Sci.)—appeared in the Journal of Rural Studies.
It was a precursor to her dissertation: “Building the Genetic, Agronomic and Economic Foundations for Expansion of Oat Cultivation in Western Washington.”
Recently, she discussed her work and oats with Washington State Magazine.
… » More …
Fall 2023
Oat recipes
From gruel to oatmeal cookies, here’s a roundup of historical and contemporary recipes spotlighting oats. What’s your favorite way to prepare this healthful grain?
Read more about oats in the Fall 2023 issue’s In Season.
Historical oats
First, light a fire. Here are some ways to prepare oats from the mid-eighteenth to early twentieth centuries. The first half-dozen recipes come from the 1747 Hannah Glasse cookbook: The Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy, which far exceeds anything of the kind ever yet published.
To Make Plum Gruel
Take two quarts of water, two large spoonfuls of oatmeal, sir it … » More …
Summer 2023
Wine and salmon pairings
Red, white, or pink, fatty and flavorful Chinook, or king, salmon requires a varietal to match its richness. » More ...
Summer 2023
Cougs + wine
Wine By Cougars offers vintages and experiences for Washington State University alumni and others. » More ...
Summer 2023
A tour of Spain with Cougar winemakers
When the former executive director of the Washington State University Alumni Association asked Melanie Krause (’00 Spanish, Biol.) and Joe Schnerr (’99 Chem.), founders of Cinder Wines in Garden City, Idaho, near Boise, to design a trip for WSU alumni through northern Spain, they didn’t hesitate.
Not only are they proud Cougs, they’ve already visited the Rioja region, which “grows a lot of tempranillo, one of our focus grapes at Cinder. It’s also close to Basque country, and Boise has a lot of Basque descendants, so it’s a good fit for us on several levels,” says Krause, who “picked out beautiful coastal parts of Basque … » More …