Vicki Lofty, Marion County Extension Agent and County Director

Attention 4th grade 4-H Club Members… put on your apron, get out your skillet and let your creativity go wild! You are invited to enter a recipe in the National Cornbread Cook-Off Youth Competition.

The cornbread or cornbread dish must contain at least one cup of Martha White Cornmeal. It must also be cooked in Lodge Cast Iron. The rest is up to your imagination.

Recipes should be submitted to Marion County 4-H at 302 Betsy Pack Drive, Jasper, TN 37347 by March 1st. For a complete list of guidelines contact your 4-H Agent or visit the National Cornbread Festival website.

Ten lucky finalists will be invited to prepare their recipe at the national competition with will be held on April 28th, 2019 at the National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg. The finished corn- bread dishes will be judged by a distinguished panel of judges on creativity, flavor, texture, appetizing appearance, ease of preparation and appropriate use of products.

Prizes are as follows: 1st Place-$500; 2nd Place-$250; 3rd Place- $100 and the remaining seven finalists will each receive $50. All 10 finalists also receive special gifts from Lodge Cast Iron and the National Cornbread Festival. The 4-H Agent or 4-H Program Assistant and the teacher of the winning contestant will each receive $50. Youth traveling more than 100 miles to the competition will receive $100 travel money.

Past winning recipes include Apple-Sausage and Cheese Cornbread, Country Boy Cornbread, Stuffed Mexi-Melt Cornbread Muffins and Razzle Dazzle Cornbread to name a few. Creativity is a must for developing a winning recipe.

This activity is an educational way for novice cooks to experience the joys of cooking, master culinary skills and develop a lifelong love of good food and healthy eating. Taking home some cash is a great incentive as well!