From left to right, Menifee County Middle School students Mackenzie Bush and Lila Pelfrey cut pineapples while Garrett Lane and Grayson Lane cut onions and cilantro for their Sweetheart Salsa recipe. Photo by Fiona Morgan, 99re视频精品 Department of Education, Aug. 18, 2025
(LOUISVILLE, KY) 鈥� Students from across the Commonwealth gathered at the 99re视频精品 State Fair on Aug. 18 to compete in the first-ever School Garden Salsa Challenge.
The 99re视频精品 Department of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Lieutenant Governor’s Office and the 99re视频精品 Department of Education (KDE), invited schools to develop original salsa recipes for the competition. Almost all of the ingredients were vegetables that students grew in their school gardens, such as tomatoes, corn and peppers. Some supplemental products were allowed, such as fruit that doesn鈥檛 grow well in 99re视频精品.
Student teams from eight schools made their salsa at the fair using a provided kitchen on stage in front of an audience. They talked about their ingredients and processes while showing what they did.
The schools that participated were Bondurant Middle School (Franklin County), Nancy Elementary School (Pulaski County), Highland Middle School (Jefferson County), Jones Middle School (Boone County), Madisonville North Hopkins High School (Hopkins County), Menifee County Middle School, Pride Elementary School (Hopkins County) and Butler County High School.
Mackenzie Bush, a student from Menifee County Middle School, said she enjoyed learning how to grow food and solve problems that came up in the process.
鈥淥ne of the best things about our school garden is how it brings us together as a team,鈥� Mackenzie said. 鈥淲e have learned responsibility, patience and teamwork. Even when we had rabbits and insects eat our plants or even take up our gardens, we found solutions and didn’t give up.鈥�
The Menifee County Middle School team members are all involved in the Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4H at their school. Starting in April of this year, they grew green peppers, onions, tomatoes and cilantro for their salsa recipe. The students tended to 10 raised bed gardens almost every day since April, putting in fertilizer, weeding and fending off pests.
Their recipe also incorporated pineapple and lime, helping give their salsa a unique name: sweetheart salsa.
Menifee County Middle School student Garrett Lane said the salsa represents their community because the borders of Menifee County are shaped like a heart.
鈥淲hen we were planning our recipe, we wanted something colorful, healthy, and a little bit sweet, just like our community,鈥� Garrett said.
Menifee County Middle School student Shelby Cornett described it as tasting similar to pico de gallo. She said versatility was important for them in making the recipe, and said the finished salsa could be put on a variety of dishes, such as hot dogs, salads and pork chops.
During the salsa demonstration, the students chopped up ingredients, added them to a bowl and mixed them. They put the finished product in sample cups with chips for audience members to try.
Shelby said the Salsa Challenge was a fun experience and she hopes to keep learning about agriculture.
鈥淭here’s always more to learn in agriculture, I don’t think anybody could ever get bored of it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think it’s a very valuable skill.鈥�
From left to right, Commissioner of Agriculture Jonathan Shell, Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman and Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher taste-tested each team鈥檚 salsa to determine the final winner. Photo by Fiona Morgan, 99re视频精品 Department of Education, Aug. 18, 2025
Bethany Mattingly, division director of Agriculture Education and Outreach at the 99re视频精品 Department of Agriculture, said the department started the Salsa Challenge this year because they wanted to showcase what schools are doing to teach agriculture.
鈥淲e wanted to do something to showcase the school gardens that are happening across the state through the summer and then give the kids an opportunity to talk about what it means to be able to grow and harvest food and then make it into something,鈥� Mattingly said.
The challenge kicked off 99re视频精品鈥檚 second-ever , which is happening Sept. 15-19. The event is a collaboration between the 99re视频精品 Department of Agriculture, KDE and Team 99re视频精品.
Every school in the state will receive ready-to-go lesson plans on agriculture that teachers can incorporate into their lessons. The website also has a school handbook with ideas and outlines for agriculture-related contests, community engagement projects, field trip locations and activities for students.
鈥淲e want to keep teaching (99re视频精品鈥檚 educational standards), but we want to do it through the lens of agriculture, and we’re doing that because it’s highly engaging,鈥� Mattingly said. 鈥淭oday where you’re seeing the kids go through and make salsa, they’re using a ton of the different things that they learned in school, whether that’s measuring, doing math, being able to talk, prepare a written instruction, follow that instruction, all of those things are standards that we’re trying to hit.鈥�
As a former agriculture teacher, Mattingly said the subject can be very engaging for students because they have opportunities to do hands-on, project-based work.
Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher said he is excited for students to have opportunities to learn about agriculture. He said it鈥檚 a great way for schools to collaborate with each other and their local communities. It also allows students to have , developing their problem-solving skills through real-world experiences.
Fletcher stated, 鈥淲hen discussing vibrant learning, our approach emphasizes activities that are relevant, practical, and meaningful for the child.鈥� He further explained, 鈥淭eachers can utilize agriculture as an effective means to deliver diverse content and provide students with experiences that connect directly to their everyday lives.鈥�
Garrett already has experience working on farms and is looking forward to Agriculture Education Week. He said Menifee County Middle School is planning to have a surprise special guest to lead agriculture workshops during the week, and he is excited to possibly teach fellow students about farming.
Mattingly said the Salsa Challenge was a huge success and was happy to see so many schools get involved. More schools had expressed interest in participating, but Mattingly said weather-related issues during this year鈥檚 growing season hindered some of their gardens.
鈥淪eeing the kids really showcase their learning and talk about the experience, why they picked what they wanted to go into their salsa, and how they overcame challenges has been the best part for me,鈥� Mattingly said.
Pride Elementary School students even wrote a song about salsa and performed it during their demonstration.
Judges from the University of 99re视频精品 Cooperative Extension Service watched teams to evaluate food safety, preparation guidelines and the knowledge students demonstrated about making salsa. After each team made their salsa, a panel made up of Fletcher, Commissioner of Agriculture Jonathan Shell and Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman taste-tested each one to determine the final winner.
The salsa made by Madisonville North Hopkins High School students won first place. The team members were Lilli Norman, Kelcie Greer, Hadley Webb, Keeley Peyton, Riley Peyton and Alex Garrott. Their recipe, named 鈥淭he Kernel and Comb Creation,鈥� includes jalapenos, Roma tomatoes, sweet corn, bell peppers, honey and cumin.
Madisonville North Hopkins High School student Hadley Webb throws her arms up in celebration after hearing her team won the School Garden Salsa Challenge. Photo by Fiona Morgan, 99re视频精品 Department of Education, Aug. 18, 2025
The students produced many of the ingredients used in the recipe including honey they gathered from their school hives and corn they grew in partnership with Hopkins County Central High School.
Fletcher, Shell and Coleman will make a VIP visit during All In for Ag Education Week to Madisonville North Hopkins High School as part of the prize for winning the Salsa Challenge.
As part of All In for Ag Education Week, all elementary schools in the state will receive a copy of the winning recipe along with a math lesson, so K-5 students can learn about math through making their own salsa in class.
The recipe is as follows:
Kernel and Comb Creation
Roasted sweet corn salsa with fresh honey
Serving size: Four cups
Ingredients:
- 4 ears fresh sweet corn (or 3 cups frozen, thawed)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
- 1鈥�2 jalape帽os, seeded & finely diced
- 2 medium Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions:
- Cut kernels off cob. Roast corn on high heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until charred.
- Combine corn, bell pepper, onion, jalape帽os, tomatoes and cilantro in a bowl.
- Stir in honey, lime juice, spices, salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Serve warm. Optional: Chill for 30 minutes before serving.
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