Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell announced Tuesday that Madisonville North Hopkins High School came out on top in the first Best School Garden Salsa Challenge at the Kentucky State Fair — which continues this week.
In the words of Shell, “What’s not to love about salsa?!” More important than the delicious, fresh recipes the students made, he said, are the lessons learned along the way.
The contest provides students with the skills to grow their own food, work together as a team, and produce something delicious from it. And this was the kickoff event for this fall’s “All in for Ag Education Week” — which is scheduled for September 15-19 and serves as a collaboration between the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the Lieutenant Governor’s Office and the Kentucky Department of Education.
KDA’s Ag Education and Outreach Division invited schools from across the state to grow their own salsa ingredients in their school gardens, develop an original signature recipe, and present it for judging at the State Fair.
Most of the ingredients came from produce the students grew in their school garden this summer with some supplemental products from local producers or produce that don’t grow well in Kentucky. Limes were allowed to be purchased for the salsa.
After judges from the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service reviewed recipes based on food safety, prep guidelines, and the basic knowledge students demonstrated about making the salsa, Commissioner Shell, Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman and Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher made the final selections.
The Madisonville North Hopkins team consists of FFA members Lilli Norman, Kelcie Greer, Hadley Webb, Keeley Peyton, Riley Peyton and Alex Garrott, and they crafted an original recipe – Kernel and Comb Creation – to win.
It includes jalapenos, Roma tomatoes, sweet corn, bell peppers, honey and cumin. The students produced many of the ingredients used in the recipe, including growing their own sweet corn and collecting honey from their school hives.
As the winners, Madisonville North Hopkins will receive a VIP visit during Ag Education Week.
Eight teams competed in this year’s contest, including: Bondurant Middle, Nancy Elementary, Highland Middle, Jones Middle, Menifee County Middle, Pride Elementary, and Butler County High.
Highland Middle School brought its entire school – about 700 students – to cheer on its team at the fair competition, while Pride Elementary School students wrote a song about salsa to include for their demonstration.
The Recipe
Serving Size: 4 cups
Ingredients:
● 4 ears fresh sweet corn (or 3 cups frozen, thawed)
● 1 Tbsp olive oil
● 1 red bell pepper, diced
● 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
● 1–2 jalapeños, seeded & finely diced
● 2 medium Roma tomatoes, diced (optional)
● 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
● 2 Tbsp honey
● 2 Tbsp lime juice
● 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
● 1/2 tsp cumin
● 1 1/2 tsp salt
● 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions:
1. Cut kernels off cob. Roast corn on high heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until charred.
2. Combine corn, bell pepper, onion, jalapeños, tomatoes, and cilantro in a bowl.
3. Stir in honey, lime juice, spices, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
4. Serve warm. (optional) Chill for 30 minutes before serving.
