Salsa Gardens

Salsa Garden

By: 

Sarah Pounders

Download the Gro1000 "Grow a Salsa Garden" Workbook

Growing a salsa garden is an easy and delicious way to spotlight cultural history and teach about nutritious foods.

Salsa, Spanish for sauce, is a term used to describe a wide range of delectable condiments with the common ingredients of tomatoes, peppers, and spices. It can be cooked to a soup-like consistency and served warm or chopped into a chunky texture and served raw. It can be drizzled over food, incorporated into recipes, or enjoyed as a dip for chips or vegetables.

According to The Food Timeline, salsa originated with the ancient Incas, Mayans and Aztecs in South and Central America. In recent years it has gained in popularity for its flavorful punch and health benefits of low calories, high fiber and plentiful vitamins.

Growing a salsa garden lends itself to a number of curriculum connections. Here are a few ideas:

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

• Track the spread of salsa or one of the ingredients in salsa, like tomatoes, around the world. Use a world map to find each plant’s country of origin. The Food Time Line and Vegetable Travelers can help you get started.
• Introduce students to the concept ofkitchen gardens and their importance throughout history. Ask them to plan their own kitchen garden including all their favorite fruits and vegetables. Plant containers of herbs for students to take home and grow outdoors or in sunny windowsills.
• Research the nutrition information of the common ingredients of salsa (nutrition labels for tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, and parsley are included in the Gro1000 workbook).
• Make your own salsa from ingredients harvested from your garden and then compare your list of ingredients to that of prepared salsa available in jars from grocery stores. Hold a taste test to pick a class favorite.
• Investigate traditional foods through family interviews. Ask each student to bring in a favorite salsa, sauce or dip recipe, and create a class cookbook.
• Ask students to estimate the number of seeds in a tomato, then slice it open and count the number of seeds actually present. Compute the difference between the estimate and actual number of seeds using subtraction. Repeat the process and see if the predictions are closer to the actual seed count the second time around.

For more salsa garden information and resources, check out the Gro1000 Campaign’s workbook, “Grow a Salsa Garden.” The workbook includes recipes, growing tips, a data collection sheet, and a crossword puzzle.

Taken from KidsGardening.org  visit their website for other great ideas!

Members of the Ionia Kids Club plan to plant a Salsa Garden and a Salad Garden as part of the "Giving Garden" located at the First Presbyterian Church in Ionia.  

Planting Day is scheduled for Thursday, May 30th from 3-5pm

Ionia Kids Club also plans to plant a Soup Garden at the First Christian Church in Ionia on May 9th from 3-5pm. 

Please feel free to join the Community Food Network at these and other Planting Day events!