Farms offer winter recreation

Friday, February 1, 2013

Courtesy photo

A snow-covered orchard in Hollis awaits winter recreation enthusiasts.

Enlarge,

Courtesy photo

A snow-covered orchard in Hollis awaits winter recreation enthusiasts.

Enlarge,

Courtesy photo

A snow-covered orchard in Hollis awaits winter recreation enthusiasts.

Enlarge-

After enjoying all that snow, consider trying the following recipes:

Maple Syrup Snow Candy

Snow, clean
Maple syrup

Gather snow from outside.

Place maple syrup in a saucepan and heat it on medium-high for 10 minutes. Stir the syrup constantly to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup cool for approximately 2 minutes before using.

Pour the syrup onto the snow. The snow will solidify the maple syrup into a hard candy. The snow candy can be eaten with a spoon.

Snow Cream

1⁄2 to 3⁄4 cup cream

4 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg (optional)

1 bowl of light, clean snow (6-8 cups)

Combine ingredients in a large bowl and combine gently to form a soft ice cream. Eat immediately.

Local farms give something to their communities during every season, with freshly picked strawberries to sprinkle over ice cream in the spring, summer’s sweet corn for the Fourth of July, and pumpkins to celebrate fall. In winter, local farms offer outdoor recreation, with public access to much of the open farmland when the growing season is at rest.

Imagine a group of snowmobilers attracted to the recreational opportunities of freshly fallen snow, making tracks in the landscape of unimpeded white. Then, later in the day, a party on snowshoes passes by, adding their unique set of tracks to the white terrain. Finally, just as the sun begins to set, cross country skiers leave a third set of markings in the once-untouched snow as they glide by with the soft, almost silent swish of slides. All are enjoying the trails and paths that cross over the open land made available for recreation by local farms during the winter season.

According to Trevor Hardy, of Brookdale Fruit Farm and vice president of the Hollis Nor’Easters, Brookdale has allowed recreational use of his farmland for as long as he can remember. His father, Chip Hardy, created the Hollis Nor’Easters snowmobiling club in 1970, and the land has been used for recreation ever since.

“It is a win-win situation,” Trevor Hardy said. “The farmers plant their land during the spring, summer and fall seasons, and the community gets the fresh produce. Then, in the winter, the
community gets to use the land for recreation.”

Readers may not be aware of another “win-win” situation: How public access to farmland for recreational use helps local farms lower their operating costs.

In New Hampshire, any farm that has its land classified under Current Use for property tax purposes, may apply for a recreational adjustment. With this adjustment, the landowner qualifies for a reduction in their property taxes in exchange for public access to his or her land for hunting, fishing, snowshoeing, hiking, skiing and nature observation. The tax reduction lowers the farmers’ operating costs, helping them to stay in business, and the public gets a local source for food and access to land for recreation.

In some areas of farmland, such as strawberry and hay fields, there is a possibility of damage from winter access. To protect these areas from any damage that might occur to the soil or plants underneath the snow, the Hollis Nor’Easters maintains trails and clearly marks them so the public knows where to go.

“The most important thing that we can do to protect the actual soil of the land is to clearly mark all of the trails and ask that no one goes off of them,” Hardy said.

However, these sensitive areas do not dominate the acreage of local farms, so there is plenty of open land available for the public’s use, including not only Brookdale, but other farm areas such as the Woodmont Orchard (owned by the town of Hollis) and Beaver Brook.

Maps of local trails can be found at www.beaverbrook.org/welcome/visit-us/trail-maps-and-guides and www.noreasters.org.

So instead of spending money on a trip up north, with gas, tolls, hotel and admission fees, consider spending your winter recreation time on local farmland.

Whether it is cross country skiing for practice, competition, or quality time with your family, snowshoeing in the afternoon so that you can watch the orange and pink pigmentations as the setting sun fills the sky, or a fun, fast-paced, thrill-filled snowmobile ride with your friends, local farmland during the winter can offer all of that. And in addition to being much more affordable, it benefits local business and provides opportunities for us to connect to our local communities while we enjoy winter’s many outdoor activities.

This article was written by Julie Christie and Dan Harmon of the Hollis Agricultural Commission. The recipe was provided by Liz Barbour of the Creative Feast. To learn more about the Commission, which promotes local agriculture, go to www.hollisag.org.To learn more about the Creative Feast, and to see more recipes, go to www.thecreativefeast.com.