Stories/ April at the Farm

April at the Farm

An April Letter from Ed Hackett, General Manager of Beach Plum Farm

April starts with the Pink Moon. It’s not about the moon turning pink. It’s a marker. A moment where things shift on the farm. You move from waiting to growing. From planning to seeing something actually come out of the ground.

For a long time, this was how you tracked the season. Not by a calendar, but by what was happening around you. The Pink Moon meant it was time to start moving. You feel that out here and in the greenhouses.

March was about seeding, getting ready and digging out from all the snow.

Now it’s April and we begin slow. Asparagus pushing through the soil (woodchips). Baby Kale, Bok Choy. Chives, Swiss Chard. Lettuces, Radish. Peas come just ahead not far behind of my Bolero Carrots.

April gets its name from the Latin word aperire, which means “to open.”

It’s not abundance yet. It’s the start of it. Just enough to work with. Just enough to build around. And then the color comes back finally and we finally say goodbye to the winter gray.

Tulips start to bloom all across the farm and on Stevens Street. Small at first, then all at once. Bright against everything else just beginning to turn green. It changes the way the farm feels almost overnight.

"It’s pretty fitting. The ground opens. Buds push. Flowers follow. Everything begins to come back to life at once, just as it should."

The Market is now open Thursday through Sunday. Shelves filling back in with eggs, early harvest, and everything that comes with the start of the season.

The Chalkboard Kitchen is open for daytime service Thursday through Sunday, with menus built around what we’re pulling from the ground right now. Nothing forced. Just what’s ready. Easter at the farm will feel just like it should be easy, open, and rooted in the moment. We’ll be adding farm-inspired dishes to the chalkboard, with a few Easter brunch specials woven in. Guests can arrive at their leisure, no reservations, no rush.

Dinner follows that same beat.

We start the month with our Pink Moon Dinner, grounded in that shift from winter into spring. After that, Spring First Light dinners continue on Friday and Saturday nights, built around the early harvest and what our farmers are giving us week to week.

Falconry on Fridays with Paul and Peggy brings you out into the field in a different way. It slows things down. Makes you look up. Gives you a different perspective on the land.

A Large Dining Room With Tables And Chairs

So pay attention, stay right here

There’s something changing in the air

A quiet shift you almost miss

If you don’t slow down into it.

Spring First Light dinners continue on Friday and Saturday nights, built around the early harvest and what our farmers are giving us week to week.

The Market is now open Thursday through Sunday. Shelves filling back in with eggs, early harvest, and everything that comes with the start of the season.