The Best Fresh Salsa at the Minnesota State Fair features Bushel Boy vine-on tomatoes as the star ingredient. We love Bushel Boy tomatoes because they are always so vibrant in color and obviously picked at the perfect time for ripeness. They consistently taste juicy, look plump, and have the ideal texture inside, during any month of the year. That’s because they are grown in high-tech greenhouses, which means it’s tomato season every day of the year. Plus, they are local to us (in Minnesota and Iowa) and buying local always feels good.

This is a must make recipe for any tomato lover or salsa fan. Start with Bushel Boy tomatoes for this award-winning recipe, which is a twist on classic pico de gallo, aka salsa picante.

Wayne Detzler created this fresh salsa for the new Bushel Boy Fresh Salsa Recipe Rally at this year’s Minnesota State Fair (2024). He won the blue ribbon (1st Place), big-time bragging rights, and $200 in local grocery store gift cards. We invite you to make this best fresh salsa at the Minnesota State Fair

One of Wayne’s secrets to winning was using homemade hot honey in the recipe. He also uses Mexican oregano (dried/ground), for its citrus elements. Red bell pepper, both white and red onions, and cilantro all add to the salsa’s bright colors and taste.

When you re-make this winning recipe — and you should, because it’s so full of flavor, color and nutritious ingredients — here is some advice, direct from Wayne.

Winning Tips

• Use Bushel Boy vine-on tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes first, then let them drain (in strainer or on paper towels) while you prep the remaining ingredients. This makes the salsa so fresh-tasting and you avoid excess liquid that can take away flavor and make it harder to scoop.
• Dice the tomatoes, bell pepper, and onions in small and consistently sizes. This makes the salsa easily scoop-able. In fact, the judge loved how Wayne’s salsa practically clung to the chip.
• Use only the cilantro leaves, not the stems, and take extra care to do a clean chiffonade cut.
• Mike’s Hot Honey (store bought brand) is a good substitute for homemade.

You can find Bushel Boy tomatoes at most Minnesota grocery stores including Kowalski’s Markets, Lunds & Byerlys, Cub Foods, and Festival Foods, as well as Hy-Vee stores in Iowa.

The new Bushel Boy Fresh Salsa Recipe Rally called for tomato-forward, fresh-tasting and crowd-pleasing salsas. Drop off and judging took place before the fair opens, with winners learning results opening day. Here’s the winner list, in total.

• 1st Place: Wayne Detzler for “Fresh Salsa”
• 2nd Place: Megan Sanders for “Mom’s Classic Salsa”
• 3rd Place: Amy Ellenberger for “Smoky Fresh Salsa”
• Best Canned Picante or Salsa-Hot: Kristin Schulte
• Best Canned Picante or Salsa-Mild: Mark Addicks

If you are looking for the runner up-winning recipe featured on opening day at the Minnesota State Fair, find it here on Instagram or submit a request to be emailed the recipe, here.

Enjoy!

Cyndi