SoBoBlog:

by Colleen Wolfe
soboblog@baltimoreguide.com

South Baltimore is really turning green. And I don’t just mean the new leaves budding on the trees. Last week in the Guide we read about the new urban farm being planned in Riverside Park and the overwhelming response the city got from residents eager to sign up for plots. And in recent weeks I’ve heard that the Federal Hill South Neighborhood Association is trying to get interest in two programs to bring a fresh dairy and meat delivery service to the area and another service for locally-grown organic veggies.

With a four-year-old at home, the prospect of cutting down on my trips to the grocery store and getting access to high quality food was enough to pique my interest. Like a lot of people in South Baltimore I have been less than enthused with my neighborhood grocery store. That has left me with having to divide my grocery shopping between three different grocery stores and a couple of farmers markets and the Cross Street market to get what I need. Until South Baltimore gets a decent large grocery store I’m always looking for better and more convenient choices, as are many of you.

FHSNA wants to get neighbors interested in a delivery service from South Mountain Creamery located in Middletown Maryland. The farm and dairy offers home delivery service of milk, eggs, cheese, butter, yogurt, meat, juices, coffee tea and more. But they will only come up to Baltimore if they can get at least 50 people interested in the service. So word is being spread and emails have been flying to get the required number of people. Last I heard the count was up to 21.

Although the products South Mountain Creamery sells are not certified organic, their website says the herds they use for their milk and other dairy and meat products are not treated with growth hormones or unneeded antibiotics and their fields are not treated with pesticides. The service seems pretty straightforward and easy to use. You can sign up, shop and pay all online. Delivery is once a week. And one great feature seems to be that you don’t have to be home for the drop off. You can just leave a cooler packed with ice outside your house. They have a good Frequently Asked Questions section on their website that answered all of my questions. If you want more information or to sign up go to www.southmountaincreamery.com. And one more tidbit of info, the coffee they deliver is from Baltimore’s own Zeke’s Coffee.

The second program is actually not new, but interest in it grows every year. FHSNA started participating in One Straw Farm’s Community Supported Agriculture program in 2005 with 10 people. Last year they had 43 people take part. This program is also simple. You just fill out the membership form (available at www.onestrawfarm.com) and mail it to One Straw Farm. Then each week from June 4 to November 17, One Straw Farm selects eight different vegetables each week, enough for a family of four, and delivers it to the South Baltimore Recreation Center at Light and Cross streets every Thursday. You pick up your items that day between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. The vegetables you get will vary depending on the season. You could get beets, lettuce, potatoes, strawberries, a watermelon, whatever is ripe for picking. You can pay for the whole season ($525) all at once or weekly ($23) if you want to join anytime during the season.

After extensive renovations that took a few years, Quigley’s Half Irish Pub at 633 Portland Street in Ridgely’s Delight is now open. Some neighbors already got a sneak peek at a pre-opening St. Patty’s Day party and the reviews have been favorable. Quigley’s, which opened just in time for the Orioles opening day crowd on Monday, offers a full menu, specializing in seafood favorites.

This past weekend’s cold weather wasn’t enough to keep the kids away from the annual Easter Egg Hunt in Federal Hill Park, sponsored by the Federal Hill South Neighborhood Association. About 50 or 60 families made their way to the park bundled in winter coats, hats and mittens to snatch up the hundreds of plastic eggs scattered throughout the playground, each one holding a little treasure. Even the Easter Bunny made it to give out goodies to the kids. While all of the kids were scrambling to pick up eggs, I know all the parents were overjoyed with the hot coffee donated by Spoons Coffeehouse in Federal Hill. Definitely an impressive turnout from the neighborhood.

Although most of us don’t even think about getting outside and cleaning up our neighborhoods until warm weather sets, Federal Hill Main Street, Inc. has been working all fall and winter to get ready for this spring’s big Keep Federal Hill Clean and Green campaign. While everyone else was huddled under the covers trying to keep warm, some changes have taken place to seriously combat the trash problem in the Federal Hill business district. In case you haven’t noticed, trash collection times have been moved to 10 a.m. to keep trash from sitting out too long. Some trash cans have been moved off of residential corners and relocated to more badly needed corners in the heart of the commercial district. And you can expect fines to increase for repeat litterbugs as well.

Have you noticed the new trees that were planted on East Cross Street along the south side of the Market and in the 1200 block of Light Street?

Possibly the biggest addition to the program has been the partnership with Digital Harbor High School. Last fall, Digital Harbor students, teachers and administrators reached out to the business district to find a way to connect with their neighbors. Since then honor roll students have been holding regular clean ups at the bus stop at Cross and Light Streets. And the media class at the school is working on a public service announcement as part of the Clean and Green project as well.

Federal Hill Main Street and the Federal Hill Garden Club are planning a May Day event on May 12, as part of the campaign to encourage businesses and residents to brighten up their neighborhood with flowers and plants. And soon you’ll start spotting the Weed Patrol as they scour the neighborhood pulling weeds from sidewalks and tree pits. Check back here to find out details on all the Clean and Green activities as they are rolled out.

I’d like to wrap up this week’s column with a plea to a few neighborhoods that are pretty quiet these days. Where are you Otterbein, Sharp-Leadenhall and Ridgely’s Delight? I’d like to know what’s going on in your neighborhoods and what’s on your minds. Email soboblog.com and let me know.