Exactly 6 months to the day after being at Jefferson Elementary to start seeds with every K-5 student April 2nd, LEC's Seed to Sauce program was back on the Jefferson campus on October 2nd to make salsa with every K-5 student from the peppers and tomatoes they started!

"We make a very basic recipe," said LEC Youth Education & Program Manager Maisie Johnson, "it was fun to hear what the kids would add if they made it again at home. We heard everything from corn, to the spiciest pepper in the world, to chicken nuggets."

It's a fun day packed full of learning - in a single day we run 10 classes with a total of 210 students participating! Each student has their own cutting board and (child-safe) knife to chop some veggies and gets their own dish of sals to taste with chips. It is rewarding to see things come full circle as students taste and enjoy the produce they helped grow.

"Kids spent about 40 minutes chopping peppers, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro," said Johnson. "We used spring onions, as opposed to a bulb onion, because of the milder flavor. I did not want to make the kids cry while chopping! 

"As they worked, we talked about the life cycle of the plant, why fresh veggies are so important, and proper safety techniques when using knives to chop food. (I am proud to report that no digits were lost in the making of this salsa)."