Hungry in Westfield...

If you're anything like me, you've noticed several of the local eateries have temporarily closed their doors at the same time. 2 of the 3 are staples at our house (and one a much loved rare treat) so we have certainly paid attention. Some updates: Giovanni's is open for business once again after 3 weeks closed. Chokchai's owner told me last Thursday he plans to open within a week. As of Wednesday they were still closed. Koco's will reopen March 4th according to a sign on their door. 

I guess closings like this are a small price to pay for such great family owned restaurants, but next time they should coordinate!

When you REALLY need to know the weather

With a "weather occurrence" about to drop on our heads, I thought I'd share a fun — and informative! — blog: Foote's Forecast: Busy Weather for Basic People. I first learned of Mr. Foote when I was a teacher in Baltimore County. You see, Mr. Foote is a science teacher himself, so he clearly understands the importance of knowing an accurate forecast. He's rarely wrong ....

New retail district emerging to the south

While not technically Westfield, just to our south an exciting little community of shops are springing up. Just next to the Safeway you can now find everything from fine dining to knitting supplies. 

The newly opened Spinster Yarns (knitting supplies), Rock Candy (a candy store with attitude), and Bediboo (children's boutique) join  such neighborhood staples as The Chameleon Cafe and The Red Canoe. And the best part of shopping at the new "Lauraville strip"? The almost constant smell of Zeke's coffee being roasted right behind these shops. 

Hey you — Yeah I'm talkin' to you

I need your help. I'm still looking for contributors to this blog — you can post regularly, occasionally, whenever your muse visits. All you need to do is send me an email at pookyshoehorn@gmail.com, and I'll get you set up to post whenever the mood strikes. As you can see from my posts, you don't have to write much, and you don't have to be particularly profound, either. Photos are good, and very easy to post.

And if you're still feeling shy, please email me your ideas for posting or photos that you'd like me to post. I'm happy to keep this blog going, but I need your ideas!

Meanwhile, I've added some new links to the right under "Blogs with a Taste of Baltimore," and I encourage you to check them out and let me know what you think. I highly recommend a visit to the Open Society Institutes's Baltimore blog at OSI-Baltimore. There are a lot of good people doing good things in Baltimore, and this is inspiring reading.

Chelsea Clinton and some man at Belvedere Square

The caption for this photo from the Baltimore Sun says:

Chelsea Clinton tours Baltimore's Belvedere Square market as she tries to build support for her mother's presidential campaign.

But what we want to know is, why does that man in the varsity jacket who's leering at Chelsea look so darn familiar?

“Meet the Farmer” Community-Supported Agriculture Meeting at the Episcopal Church of the Messiah on Monday, February 11th

In Northeast Baltimore, thanks to unique partnerships between a local farmer, a church, and a coffee roaster, thoughts of summertime and Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) go hand in hand…along with fresh organic strawberries, lettuce, kale, corn, and, or course, big juicy heirloom tomatoes. And even though it’s the middle of winter, planning is already under way for One Straw Farm’s two CSA Pick Up Sites in Northeast Baltimore at the Episcopal Church of the Messiah at 5801 Harford Road in Hamilton, and Zeke’s Coffee at 3003 Montebello Terrace in Lauraville. This year’s 25-week season starts on Monday, June 2^nd at Messiah and Tuesday, June 3^rd at Zeke’s, and runs through Monday, November 17^th.

So what is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)? A quick description is that it creates a direct partnership between farmers and local consumers, eliminating supermarket middlemen and restoring the connection between a community and the source of its food. It also protects our “foodshed” by ensuring farmers an income throughout the growing season, keeping your food fresh and local.

How CSA works: people buy “shares” of a farmer’s harvest ahead of time and pick them up every week. A share is 8 units of produce and is designed to feed a family of four the vegetables they would need in a week. Many families split a share and still have enough produce to serve their weekly needs, so the price of a share, divided over 25 weeks, is very reasonable, especially in light of sharply rising supermarket food costs. Since the price of a share hasn’t gone up this year and the season is an extra week long, the savings are especially good. There’s plenty of information on Church of the Messiah’s website, http://www.messiahbaltimore.org/CSA_Pick_Up, and on One Straw Farm’s website, http://www.onestrawfarm.com/.

Want to know more? There will be “Meet the Farmer” Meeting at the Church of the Messiah on Monday, February 11^th at 7:00 p.m., when Joan Norman of One Straw Farm will give a presentation about her farm and how the CSA program works. She’ll be available to answer any questions you may have, and refreshments will be served. Come see how eating local helps you stay healthy, saves money, and strengthens your community, all the same time!

Great Soul Wellness Studio to Open on Harford Road

Great news for Hamilton, and hopefully the start of a renaissance for Harford Road -- all the way to Westfield! What had been a blight on the neighborhood is now brimming with positive energy. In the space of the old Cameo, several local entrepreneurs are opening the Great Soul Wellness Studio.

From their Mission statement:

The services offered promote healthy living through natural healing, stress reduction, and exercise. The environment will be welcoming and provide a safe and comfortable get-away that will encourage community-building for individuals and families.

Activities will include classes in yoga, tai chi/qi gong, meditation, and dance. Wellness options will include acupuncture, massage, herbal medicine, and shamanic healing.

Great Soul will be having an open house this Saturday, February 9 from 3 - 6 pm. They are located at 4711 Harford Rd, 2nd Floor, Baltimore, MD 21214 (410-254-2786).

Let's support this venture, and hope that's it's just the beginning of many more good things to come!

Super Duper Tuesday right here in Westfield!

Get out and vote!

The next WNIA meeting (Tuesday, February 5) will be the "Election of Officers." Time to quit yer complainin' and start your votin'.

The Holiday House
6427 Harford Road
7:30 pm

Be there or ... well, just be there!