Teen gardeners hit it out of the park with a healthy concession stand that has baseball fans lining up for more at Target Field in Minneapolis.

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Teen gardeners hit it out of the park with a healthy
concession stand that has baseball fans lining up for more.
W
hen hunger strikes at the Minnesota
Twins’ Target Field, nobody has to
settle for the standard hot-dogs-
and-nachos fare. A group of Twin
Cities teens is bringing the farm-to-table trend to
the ballpark, providing healthy, tasty options while
learning lessons about growing, cooking, market-
ing and sales. Nonprofit Roots for the Home Team,
the brainchild of Minneapolis registered dietitian
Susan Moores, pairs teens involved in local youth community garden
programs with chefs to create fresh, innovative salads with names like the
Ooh La La Salade, a French-style mix of roasted veggies, bulgur and goat
cheese tossed in an herby vinaigrette; and the Home Run Super Crunch,
a Cajun-inspired combo of black-eyed peas, corn, tomatoes and toasted
pecans, with a creamy, peppery dressing. The teens then sell the dishes
via the ballpark’s Garden Goodies carts.
Not only do the fans benefit from the nutritious fare—the whole process
gets the teens themselves more invested in making better choices at
mealtime. “Tell kids a food is ‘healthy,’ and often there’s little interest in
giving it a go,” says Moores. “But when you grow a vegetable from seed,
then watch how it can be turned into something delicious that fans want
to buy, you might begin to change your thinking.”
True to Their Roots
The salads often include ingredients the kids connect with on a personal
level. Working with Southeast Asian-American chef and Union Kitchen
owner Yia Vang, teens created the East Side Pad Thai salad.
Sean Sherman, known as The Sioux Chef, teamed up with a group from
the Dream of Wild Health youth garden program, one of the longest con-
tinually operating Native American organizations in the Twin Cities. Their
salad uses traditional Lakota mainstays like pasdayapi (hominy) and ma-
noomin (wild rice). Their secret ingredient? Native ground cherries, which
the kids grow themselves on the organization’s 10-acre farm in Hugo, Minn.
In a nod to the often-frigid spring and fall temperatures at the outdoor
stadium, teens from the Urban Ventures community garden partnered with
area Chef Geo Avila on the popular DreamingFind out more Curious about Roots for the
Home Team? Visit rootsforthehometeam.org continued on page 10
By Julie Kendrick
BITES
Big League
Susan Moores

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of Veggies Soup, which includes
the potatoes, carrots, corn,
squash and cilantro they grow.
“This soup reminds me of
stories about my grandmother’s
vegetable garden in Mexico,” says
18-year-old Leslie Nicolas, one of
the recipe’s developers.
Dream Big
Roots for the Home Team—and
Moores herself—have fans of their
own in the Twins organization.
“Sue inspires these kids to cre-
ate delicious salads, work hard
and lead the charge for healthier
lifestyles,” says Twins President
and CEO Dave St. Peter. “Her
vision for providing true growth
opportunities for these kids
makes a world of difference in
our community. Meanwhile, the
Roots kids take ownership in the
program and have collectively
stepped up to make it prosper.”
Not only did the teens grow
600 pounds of organic vegeta-
bles for Roots and sell nearly 750
salads at weekend games last year,
but Roots for the Home Team
now extends beyond the ballpark.
The salads are sold in a local gro-
cery store and served in Minneap-
olis Public Schools cafeterias.
“We’re using the power of
salads to seed youth success,”
Moores says. •
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food Creamy,
Dreamy
Dessert
NO-BAKE ICE CREAM CUPCAKES
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take frozen treats to a new level. Use your favorite cookies and ice cream flavors for
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12 chocolate sandwich cookies
(like Oreo), crushed
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
6 cups ice cream, softened
Cool Whip, sprinkles,
maraschino cherries
1. Line a muffin pan with foil cupcake liners.
2. In a small bowl, combine crushed cookies with butter. Press 1 Tbsp cookie mixture into each liner to
form crust. Using the back of a spoon, press ice cream into crusts. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze
overnight or at least 4 hours.
3. Spread thawed Cool Whip on top of ice cream and top with sprinkles and cherries. Serve immedi-
ately. Serves 12
Make summer sweeter with
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