What exactly do you picture when you read the words “open space”? Do you see a group of horses grazing in rolling green pastures bordered by stacked stonewalls? Or fields of sweet strawberries and summer vegetables planted in perfect rows waiting for harvest? Maybe you envision acres of pine forests rising and falling among glacier-cut valleys and hills. Of course, all of these define “open space” in New Hampshire.

Maintaining these open spaces provides land, forests, lakes and seashore for visitors and residents, and, most important, provides a local source of food and income to local towns and businesses. New Hampshire has long been known as an agricultural state, yet according to former Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Taylor, New Hampshire produces less than 4 percent of the food we consume. But this is changing for the better. While we are told that the country as a whole has steadily been losing family farms, it may surprise you to learn that the number of small-to-midsized farms has actually increased in the greater Nashua area.

According to the latest USDA census focusing on trends from 2002-07, the number of Hillsboro County farms increased by 28 percent, with agricultural acreage growing by 25 percent, while the market value of products produced and sold on area farms increased by 16 percent.

New and established farms embrace practices meant to create a balance between financial success and ecological integrity built on strong community relationships. Imagine the financial impact we can make on a farm if we simply shifted one percent of our purchasing power to buying local. A study by The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardener’s Association did just that and showed that by making that small, one percent change in your shopping, farmers could see a five percent gain in their income. The study went on to show that purchasing directly from a farmer will put 90 percent of that income back into the farm.

As members of their community, local farmers have a vested interest in a responsible stewardship of open space. But farms will always be in jeopardy as long as farmers grapple with the high cost of farming, which includes supplies, maintenance, labor, property taxes and lack of open land.

Keeping land undeveloped and available for agricultural use is a challenge for any community. One method that communities utilize to help local agriculture is a property tax concept known as current use. Normally, tracts of land are assessed at fair market value and for owners of large properties this can create a high tax burden and an incentive to sell off land to developers. As an alternative, landowners can consider putting their land into current use, a property tax alternative that assesses their property at a lower value, based upon the income that can be produced as a woodlot or farm rather than the higher fair market value as a future housing development. This provides the landowner with some property tax relief as a way to keep their open space undeveloped and in agricultural use.

Moreover, recent studies of the property tax structures of five New Hampshire towns, conducted by the UNH Cooperative Extension and the Nashua Regional Planning Commission, determined that agricultural land that is assessed under current use is actually tax efficient. In other words, agricultural lands pay more in property taxes than they require in town services, thereby increasing the tax base and reducing taxes on residential properties.

More than half the state’s private land has maintained its rural character thanks to those landowners who have placed land in current use. To cite a local example, about 18 percent of the land area in Hollis is under current use. But only about one-third of that current use land is actually owned by farm businesses, while the remainder remains in private hands and is leased to agricultural businesses (often only for the cost of the reduced taxes). The beauty of this situation is that the private landowners can afford to keep their land while building relationships with farmers, and together supporting the open space and rural character goals of the community. All this while also providing a local source of food, income and jobs that circle back into the community’s economy.

CORN ANDOUILLE CHOWDER

Serves 8

12 ounces Andouille sausage, cut into ½-inch slices

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter1 cup onion, diced

1 cup celery, diced

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme, 2 teaspoons fresh

2 small red potatoes cut into 1-inch dice

½ pound corn kernels, fresh or frozen

6 cups low-sodium chicken stock

2 cups milk

1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half

3 tablespoons flat leafed parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a heavy bottomed soup pot with canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the Andouille and cook until browned on both sides. Remove the sausage to a paper towel to drain off the extra fat. Keep 2 tablespoons of the remaining fat in the pot.

Add the butter to the pot and place onions, celery, garlic, and bay leaves into the pot and saute until the onions and celery are soft, about five to eight minutes.

Add the thyme, potatoes, chicken stock, and milk, bring to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

To thicken the soup, remove two cups of broth with vegetables and puree. Add this back to the soup.

Bring the soup back to a simmer and add the sausage, corn, tomatoes and parsley. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Season to taste.

This article was written by Liz Barbour, of the Creative Feast, based in part on information provided by the Hollis Agricultural Commission. For more information about the commission, which promotes local agriculture, visit www.hollisag.org. For more information about the Creative Feast and to see more recipes, visit www.thecreativefeast.com.