The rooster starts his shift at dawn, which is either charming or infuriating depending on your relationship with early mornings. At Beach Plum Farm, tucked away on 62 acres of West Cape May farmland, this feathered alarm clock is just part of the deal - along with actual pigs in mud, vegetables that taste like they remember being dirt, and the kind of quiet that makes city dwellers twitchy.
This isn't your typical Jersey Shore experience. While other coastal towns pile on the boardwalk kitsch, Beach Plum Farm commits to something more ambitious: running a legitimate working farm that happens to let you sleep over. It's the agricultural equivalent of method acting, and surprisingly, it works.
Photos by Beach Plum Farm
Curtis Bashaw and Will Riccio bought this overgrown patch of land in 2007 and turned it into something that grows over 100 types of fruits and vegetables, plus raises chickens, pigs, and enough herbs to make a farmer's market jealous.
The farm's approach to agriculture leans heavily into regenerative practices, which sounds like marketing speak until you hear director of agriculture Christina Albert explain how they rescued a stubborn field.
After failed attempts at growing beets and lettuce, they let it rest for a season, then turned the chickens loose to do their thing. The third year, it produced 11,000 pounds of tomatoes. Sometimes the land knows what it needs better than we do.
This commitment to working with nature rather than against it extends to the dining experience. The farm kitchen serves breakfast and lunch daily, with menus that change based on what's actually growing at the moment. The seasonal approach means you might find cowboy chili and cornbread one day, or a goat cheese frittata the next, depending on what the fields are offering up.
For families, the farm offers walking tours that let kids (and adults) meet the animals and learn about sustainable farming. There's something deeply satisfying about watching a pig enjoy a piece of fruit, even if you know that pig's ultimate destiny involves artisanal bread and locally grown lettuce.
The property now includes six cottages and barns where guests can experience farm life without the actual responsibility of keeping anything alive.
The accommodations range from the Whaler Cottage - built in the late 1700s when Cape May was still called Cape Island - to newer structures like the Hidden Barn and Hill Barn, constructed by Amish craftsmen using traditional wooden pegs instead of nails.
It's the kind of craftsmanship that makes you feel guilty about your IKEA furniture.
Each dwelling sleeps six to eight people, which makes them perfect for family reunions where someone inevitably complains about the WiFi (fair warning: this isn't that kind of place). Golf carts are available for getting around the property, though walking through the fields and gardens is half the point.
The farm sits less than two miles from Cape May's Victorian downtown, but it feels worlds away from the tourist bustle. The only soundtrack is wind in the trees, occasional animal noises, and the blessed absence of piped-in music.
The evening harvest dinners are where Beach Plum Farm really flexes.
These multi-course affairs happen under the stars or inside heated hoop houses, featuring ingredients that were probably in the ground that morning.
Farm-to-table meal
The dinners are restricted to guests 21 and over, which seems like a wise policy given how seriously adults take their farm-to-table experiences.
140 Stevens St, West Cape May, NJ 08204, United States
