Mountain Heartbeet, Effingham, NH

There’s a certain kind of determination at the heart of Mountain Heartbeet, the kind that can turn borrowed ground into abundant fields and a love of good food into a life’s work.

Farmer Joanne didn’t inherit a family farm. Growing up in suburban Manchester, New Hampshire, she found her way to agriculture by following her curiosity, learning the craft wherever she could, and eventually seeking out landowners willing to give a young farm business room to grow. Along the way came an apprenticeship in Maine, several years helping manage a New Hampshire vegetable farm, work in agricultural education, and plenty of time spent with hands in the soil.

In 2015, that winding path brought Mountain Heartbeet to The Farm By The River in Effingham. What began through friendship and a shared enthusiasm for feeding the community became nearly a decade of collaboration. Mountain Heartbeet grew into an organic vegetable CSA and market farm, while the partnership helped connect local families with a wider harvest that included pick-your-own raspberries and pasture-raised meats.

Then, in the fall of 2024, another chapter began. Mountain Heartbeet started putting down new roots at the Behr Family Farm in Tamworth. A high tunnel made the journey, fields were mowed and turned, and garlic and cover crops went into the earth: a farmer’s way of saying, we’re here, and we’re growing.

Today, Mountain Heartbeet brings together organic vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers with Joanne’s deep affection for the White Mountains and the communities that call this corner of New Hampshire home. Her approach is grounded in stewardship, collaboration, and the simple pleasure of sharing something delicious. She’s the sort of farmer who might spend an evening preserving the season in jars of salsa—and the next day happily convince a farmers’ market shopper that kohlrabi deserves a place at the dinner table.

For Joanne, farming has always been aboutcaring for land, carrying forward a long agricultural tradition, and creating connections around food. Mountain Heartbeet’s story has been shaped by many farms, families, friends, and generous patches of New Hampshire soil... and its next season is already taking root.