Sacred Places
Hidden Harvest Farm
A farm to carry stewardship knowledge across a generation gap.
WHERE
Baltimore, MD
SETTING
Community Farm
PARTNER INSTITUTION
Greenmount West Community Center Foundation
Visit
Where it is
209 McAllister Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
What happens here
The Annex garden focuses on natural dye plants, with a goal of growing, processing, and preserving the history of natural dyes and their use in everyday objects. The partnership with the Greenmount West Community Center shares farm resources with neighbors and engages youth in programming.
HOW IT CAME TO BE
The elders know, and no one is learning.
01
The Need
Greenmount West's recent history has been shaped above all by gentrification and displacement, which has produced physical and verbal altercations. Many legacy residents still hold their homes; many others lost theirs as middle-class developers changed property values and priced them out. The community lacks positive spaces to gather, and there are not enough local jobs for kids. Many elders hold significant knowledge of land stewardship, but gentrification and the lack of outdoor space have meant that knowledge has not been transferred.
02
The Vision
Hidden Harvest Farm is an opportunity to splice that gap and continue the Firesouls' existing work to activate community more meaningfully. The farm's goal is to nurture a beautiful and bountiful space where flowers, fruit, vegetables, herbs, insects, birds, and humans live harmoniously, and to share knowledge, skills, access to healthy food, and community.
03
The Transformation
Come back soon. [Placeholder per 19 Aug call.]
