Teaching food preparation, including knife skills and reading a recipe, teach young adults' skills for everyday life. By teaching and encouraging young adults' useful skills, we are also building confidence and teaching them how to be independent and successful adults in the future. The Daviess County 4-H and FCS extension agents partnered with the Practical Living teacher at one of the middle schools in Daviess County to teach "Salsa Lab" to her practical living students which consisted of sixth, seventh and eighth grade students.

In "Salsa Lab" over 120 students learn knife skills, measuring, following directions, then how to try something new by looking at it, smelling it and then tasting it. They tried an all-fresh salsa, half fresh/half canned ingredients salsa, and jar of salsa (store bought). 

Results from all the students survey responses showed: 

The Fresh salsa recipe smelled the best, and 51% of the students preferred this salsa as compared to the other two.

Canned/Fresh Salsa recipe: was the one they liked the best visually, 62% preferred this salsa over the other two.

Jar of Salsa (store bought): was the one they liked the best for taste, 65% of the students preferred this one as compared to the other two.

The top three things learned from Salsa Lab were: how to make salsa, how to properly hold a knife and how to cut/dice.

61% of the students said they would not change anything about the recipes or lab when asked for suggestions.