One of Greensgrow Farms Winter CSA shares (Photo courtesy of Greensgrow).

For those of you who prefer locally grown veggies and want to support local farmers during winter months, there’s a new winter CSA (City-Supported Agriculture) program in the area. Greensgrow Farms, located in Kensington, is “really happy” to be offering it for the first time in West Philly this season.

Greensgrow West’s new home at 5123 Baltimore Ave.

Greensgrow West has recently moved to a larger, more permanent location – at 5123 Baltimore Ave. – and Winter CSA share pick-ups will be available there from early December through mid-April.

To become a Winter CSA member, interested individuals can sign up online by November 26. Winter CSA shares include more than veggies; various share options are available – you’ll receive a choice of dairy or vegetable protein; milk, eggs, butter, yogurt, tofu or seitan. Seasonal fruit, fun specialty prepared items and a few pantry staples will also be included. Meat, vegetarian and vegan share options are also available. Check out a photo gallery of the Winter CSA here.

More information about the program is available here. Greensgrow CSA hotline is (215) 380-4355. You can also email: csa@greensgrow.org

To explore other CSA programs in the area, check our earlier post here.

Halloween is almost here, so if you’re looking for something fun to do check out our assorted list of events below. We also included Day of the Dead events in the neighborhood. Also, a reminder that the Spruce Hill Halloween Tot Parade will take place on Monday, Oct. 31, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Philly Thriller dancers usually perform after the parade – near 44th and Osage and in Clark Park – so if you want to catch their performance follow them on Facebook for more information and updates.  Continue Reading

The lot at 4224 Baltimore Ave.

After years of planning and community meeting after community meeting, people are starting to wonder if the grand residential building proposed for the corner of 43rd and Baltimore will ever get built.

Residents look over plans during a community meeting on 4224 Baltimore Ave. in September 2014 (Photo by West Philly Local).

“I’ve given up going to the Farmers’ Market on Saturdays because I’m tired of people asking me what the problem is,” Barry Grossbach, the chair of Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee said at a recent meeting.

In case you had forgotten, construction on a 132-unit residential building at 4224 Baltimore Ave. complete with a full-service restaurant overlooking Clark Park was supposed to begin this summer. Delays on construction projects in the city are not that uncommon, so observers of the process waited. Soil samples were taken, more engineering studies were ordered, construction plans were submitted and re-submitted. But nothing has happened at the large, empty lot at 43rd and Baltimore.  Continue Reading

West Philly educator Carole Williams-Green, who founded the Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center, will be honored by the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education with the 2016 Meigs Award. The award is given annually to a regional leader who embodies the spirit and leadership of Henry Meigs, one of the Schuylkill Center’s founders.

A former public school teacher and administrator, Williams-Green led a successful multi-decade effort to rehabilitate the historic Fairmount Park Police stables in Fairmount Park’s Cobbs Creek, creating an environmental education center. Founded in 1991, the Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center opened its doors in 2001.

Williams-Green has made a substantial contribution to environmental education in the Philadelphia region, reaching communities often excluded from traditional environmental education. She explains that “it bothered [her] that children from West Philadelphia had to travel so far to get these kinds of experiences [in nature], ones that really excited children.”  Continue Reading

The annual “Love Your Park” Fall Service Day is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 12, and Philadelphia Parks and Rec is now recruiting volunteers who can help clean, green and celebrate Philly’s parks. Overall, 2,000 volunteers are needed to help plant trees, collect leaves for compost, clean up trash and litter, and more.

There are many beautiful parks in West Philly, and volunteers can sign up to participate in the fall service day in their neighborhood park. Kids, families and large groups are welcome.

Go to loveyourpark.org or call (215) 683-3689 for participating parks and to register.

Every year, the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) and residents organize a Halloween Parade and Party when our little neighbors can showcase their cute/scary/funny costumes. This year is no exception. The parade will be held on Monday, Oct. 31, beginning at 4:30 p.m. (gathering starts after 4 p.m. at 45th and Baltimore).

The parade will proceed to the 4200 block of Osage Ave. (Little Osage) where the annual Halloween Party will be held until 7 p.m. Neighbors and local businesses will be treating the tots to cider and baked goods.

The parade has taken place over the past eighteen years and has grown each year.

For more information, visit the SHCA website. Also, check this Facebook event page for latest information.