The Salsa Story
In 1999, Dr. and Mrs. James White generously donated two 3,000 square foot green houses to the Outdoor Wilderness Learning Center (OWL). Staff and children began a horticulture program which included growing and selling tomatoes. Some of the tomatoes would not sell because they were blemished or odd-shaped. To solve the problem of wasted tomatoes, our staff decided to make salsa.
Make your taste buds sit up and pay attention!
After some research and practice, the salsa recipe was created. The first batch of OWL salsa was made by Tammy Stevens and some of our female residents as a way of raising money for their summer trip. The salsa was a HUGE success and sold rapidly! Soon the operation became too large to handle on campus. Not long afterward, Mr. Charlie Hutchins of Pollock, Louisiana, a jelly and salsa maker, offered his factory along with some much needed help and advice!
With increased sales we were able to buy all of our own equipment. We are now able to make all the salsa here at the OWL Center in the Henning Conference Center kitchen. Our sincere appreciation goes out to Mr. Hutchins and his family for allowing us to use their equipment and space.
The Screamin’ OWL Salsa has been hugely popular all over the state of Louisiana and beyond. When volunteers come and help make salsa, every jar is marked with that volunteers name or group’s name making every jar produced one of a kind! We want to send out a big thank you to all of the people who have helped us along the way. We definitely could not have done it without everyone’s help!
Berries, Jams and Jellies
Growing in the OWL orchard are a variety of berries including, blueberries, mayhaws, and muscadines. During peak season, volunteers from local churches come to the OWL Center and help pick and sort the berries. The end result of this process is some of the BEST jelly you will ever taste!
