Stories/ A September State of Mind

A September State of Mind

A Note From Ed Hackett, General Manager of Beach Plum Farm

September might be my favorite month on the farm. August is loud, hot, busy, and relentless. The tomatoes are coming in faster than we can pick them, dinner tables are full, the Market doors never seem to stop opening, and everyone is just trying to keep up.

Then September arrives. The mornings get a little cooler. The light changes. You start noticing that the sun is setting earlier, and for the first time in months, grabbing a sweatshirt before heading out in the morning doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. But don’t mistake September for the end of the season.

On a farm, September is when things really begin.

A Group Of People Standing Next To A Garden Of Tomatoes

Harvest Season

The fields are still producing, but what comes out of them starts to change We begin saying goodbye to some of the summer crops and start welcoming the flavors that tell us fall is around the corner. The kitchen follows right along. That is one of the things I love most about cooking and eating on a farm. We don’t decide what September tastes like. The farm does.

Micheal and the crew bring in what is ready, and Gus figures out the best way to put it on a plate.

That is farm-to-table.

Dinner Season Isn’t Over

September evenings might be some of the best nights of the year to have dinner on the farm. Our Tables in the Garden continue on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, with individual tables tucked into the garden and a slower, more intimate way to experience dinner at Beach Plum Farm. Friday and Saturday nights bring our Golden Hour Harvest Farm-to-Table Dinners, when we come together around the communal tables and celebrate what the farm is giving us that week.

By September, the nights are cooler, the light over the fields is beautiful, and you may even want that sweater I mentioned earlier. The menus will continue to change with the harvest, but the idea stays the same: grow as much as we can here, cook it simply, and let the farm tell the story.

September might also be one of the best times to stay at the farm because you really get two experiences in one.

The Best of Both Worlds

For our cottage guests, beach season isn’t over. Guests can still head into Cape May and enjoy beach service at Congress Hall, with beach tags, chairs, towels, and umbrellas waiting for them.

But September is when the beach finally starts to slow down.

The big summer crowds begin to disappear, but the ocean is still warm and the days can still feel like summer. Spend the afternoon with your feet in the sand and then make your way back to the quiet of the farm.

This is also the time of year when Cape May really shows off. The sunsets seem to get better every night. There is something about that September light, the fields turn golden, the evenings cool down, and suddenly sitting around the firepit with a glass of wine sounds a lot better than turning on the air conditioning.

You can spend the day on the beach and end it watching the sun disappear over the farm.

That’s September in Cape May. Half summer, half fall, and maybe the best little stretch of the year.

The Farm Market will remain open seven days a week from 8 AM–3 PM.

The Chalkboard Kitchen will be serving Wednesday through Sunday from 8 AM–2 PM, and the Bakery will be open seven days a week from 8 AM–2 PM.

Our Wednesday and Thursday Tables in the Garden continue throughout September, followed by our Friday and Saturday Harvest Farm-to-Table Dinners.

Watercolor classes and Falconry also continue as we move into fall.

And, of course, the farm itself keeps doing what it has always done—growing, changing, and reminding us that no season lasts forever.

Stay a Little Longer

Summer gets most of the attention around here, but September has always felt a little more like the farm belongs to itself again. The beaches are quieter. The shadows get longer. Dinner under the lights feels a little warmer. And the first hints of fall start showing up in the fields.

There is still plenty of work to do and plenty to harvest, so we’re not slowing down just yet.

We’re just changing the calendar.