Winter 2026 41 OregOn Sugar POd II The late Jim Baggett, professor emeritus of horticulture at Oregon State University, developed the most widely grown snow pea variety in the world, the disease-resistant Oregon Sugar Pod II. He’s also responsible for the popular Oregon Giant Sugar, Oregon Sugar Pod and Cascadia. IndIgO rOSe Released by Myers in 2011, Indigo Rose was the first antioxidant-rich purple tomato developed by conventional means. Since then, it’s spread worldwide. “I had a nephew who went to a meeting in Sweden, and there was Indigo Rose being sold in the bin of tomatoes,” Myers said. “And I just got a note from a niece who lives in Australia and was buying transplants!” OregOn SPrIng This tomato was developed by Baggett in 1984 to produce early tomatoes in Oregon’s cool, rainy spring, but it’s proved popular across the country. Another OSU tomato, Legend, is a late-blight resistant favorite. HOneybOat delIcata SquaSH Honeyboat Delicata is known for its super sweet, flavorful flesh and quick growth. Since Baggett released it in 1990, it’s been embraced by home gardeners and commercial growers alike. nOtta HOtta and MIld tHIng All the flavor with less of the heat. That was Myers’ goal when he bred two new varieties of habanero peppers. Habaneros usually land between 100,000 to 350,000 on the Scoville scale of spiciness, but a crop of these clocks in at only 500 to 1,000. Meyers credits Nikki Guerrero of Portland’s Hot Mama Salsa for the varieties’ sassy names. (Keep an eye out for an upcoming salsa using them.) Although the whole nation benefits from Oregon’s bounty, if you’re a gardener — especially one in the Pacific Northwest — chances are, you’ve also planted a vegetable variety that had its start at Oregon State. Jim Myers, OSU’s Baggett-Frazier Vegetable Breeder Professor, shared a sampling of favorites and up-andcomers: CORVALLIS can proudly claim a quirky place in food history: It’s the birthplace of the modern maraschino cherry. Back in the 1920s, Oregon’s cherry growers had a problem. Their orchards were bursting with big, sweet Royal Ann (aka Queen Anne) cherries, but the fruits collapsed into mush when preserved. Enter Ernest H. Wiegand, a professor of food science at Oregon Agricultural College. (Yes, you guessed it: Wiegand Hall is named after him.) When growers asked him for help, he spent years tinkering in the lab. His breakthrough came in 1925: Add calcium salts to the brine, and the cherries stay plump and firm. The method caught on, and with a little bleaching and bright red food coloring, the modern maraschino was born. Oregon quickly became the maraschino capital of America, with local processors turning fragile fruit into a durable, sugary icon. So, the next time you spot a maraschino perched on a sundae or garnishing a Shirley Temple, remember that this bright dot of sweetness traces back to OSU. Pg. 41 3NO. OSU PUT THE CHERRY ON TOP. Osu 1 2 3 3 2 1 Straight Outta
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