Visit a New Hampshire Farm!

Since its founding in 1901, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests has remained dedicated to maintaining and preserving land in the state. Many people are familiar with the reservations -- land owned by the Forest Society -- where people can hike and experience some of New Hampshire's most famous landscapes. Less widely known is the land protected by conservation easements we manage. A conservation easement is an agreement between a landowner and the Forest Society, a promise that we will protect the conservation values of their property forever.

These easements protect forest lands, water resources, scenic vistas, and wildlife habitats, as well as many working farms around the state.

Use the map of a selection of farms on Forest Society easements in southern New Hampshire to help support a working farm near you!

Rosaly Bass’s vegetable farm in Peterborough started with a small garden that she planted in 1973 for her husband’s family. Over the last 46 years, it has expanded into New Hampshire’s oldest and largest Certified Organic farm, where more than 375 different species of produce, flowers, and herbs are grown.

The 27 acres of Rosaly’s Garden and Farmstand are all under the protection of conservation easements granted to the Forest Society by her late husband, Perkins Bass, starting in 1976.

“He loved his land and he wanted it to be preserved,” says Rosaly. So much so that he convinced his neighbors to grant easements to the Forest Society, too.

As farmers on a conservation easement, Rosaly and her partner, Matt Gifford, have been able to grow their infrastructure to meet the needs of their business. Together, they have raised six hoop houses where hundreds of tomato plants grow.

In 1990, a farmstand was added to the property. Open every day from mid-May to Columbus Day, it has become a popular stop for locals looking for fresh produce, flowers, herbs, and berries. Her tomatoes are her most popular product, with an estimated 200 pounds passing through the farmstand every day during peak season.

As an organic farmer, Rosaly is a steward of the land her husband conserved. She protects not only the soil, but the surrounding wetlands, wildlife, and forests from potentially harmful chemicals. Though she has been presented with new challenges as the climate changes, she remains confident of her commitment to organic produce. Every year, her team of six field workers rotates crops around the farm to reduce the need for pesticides and works to find creative and natural solutions to diseases like tomato blight.

“We’re still learning and we’ve been doing this since 1973!” she laughs.

Visit Rosaly’s Farmstand all summer long for fresh produce and flowers to support local farmers committed to the conservation and stewardship of land in New Hampshire.

StoryMap created by Clara Symmes for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests in July 2019. Cover photo by Jerry Monkman.