Why a Regenerative Farm in Cape May Might Be the Reset You Need

Sixty-two acres of working farmland in West Cape May, New Jersey — that is what Beach Plum Farm was before it was anything else. Farmers are out in the fields first thing in the morning and the kitchen builds its menu around what was harvested. By the time guests are having their first cup of coffee, the day is already well underway.

Beach Plum Farm is, before anything else, a working farm, and every part of the guest experience grows directly from that. The dinners, the market, the Michelin Key-recognized cottages: all of it came after agriculture. "People often think this place was built for tourism," says Ed Hackett, the property's General Manager.

"In reality, the farm came before everything else. Before the dinners. Before the cottages. Before the events."

The Michelin Key-recognized cottages

For guests staying in one of the six cozy and beautiful cottages, the experience is notably different from a typical hotel stay. "We want guests to feel less like they checked into a hotel and more like they were welcomed into something real," Hackett says. The staff's personal attention is hands-on, and the property's overall design encourages guests to follow the farm's lead rather than their own schedules.

Mornings are slow-paced and cottage guests can walk the gardens before the property opens to the public. They can also join the farmhands collecting eggs from the farm's Rhode Island Red hens. The beehives, tucked into the fields and central to the farm's regenerative philosophy, are worth a stop, too. "People are always shocked when they learn a single worker bee produces roughly 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in its entire lifetime," Hackett says. "Then you stand near the hives and watch thousands of them working nonstop across the fields and gardens, and you realize how much invisible labor exists in nature every day."

A White House With A White Porch And A Green Box With Red Flowers

From there, the market is a natural next stop. Open daily at eight, it carries produce harvested that morning, fresh breads and pastries from the bakery, flowers grown on property, eggs from the farm's own hens, meats, preserves, honey (a store favorite), and seasonal products tied directly to what is happening in the fields.

A Store With Many Bottles Of Alcohol

The Michelin Key recognition, Hackett notes, felt like a genuine acknowledgment of what the team creates every day. "The process is anonymous, so it was an incredible nod to the consistency and care of the entire cottage staff. It speaks to the fact that every guest is treated with the same level of hospitality, warmth, and attention regardless of who they are."

"I hope they leave feeling more connected," Hackett says, "to food, to the land, to time, maybe even to each other. Even if it's just for a weekend, I hope they remember what it feels like to slow down and pay attention again."

Q&A with Ed Hackett, General Manager, Beach Plum Farm

What's a morning on the farm actually like for a guest?
Mornings are my favorite part. Nothing feels rushed here in the morning. Guests can walk through the gardens before we open to the public, or join the farmhands as they collect eggs.

What's your favorite thing in the market right now?
Probably the strawberries. Every year, they arrive and completely take over the property emotionally.

What do you want someone to feel when they leave?
I hope they leave feeling more connected to food, to the land, to time, maybe even to each other. Even if it's just for a weekend, I hope they remember what it feels like to slow down and pay attention again.

What do you hope this place represents ten years from now?
I hope it serves as proof that hospitality and agriculture can still coexist in a meaningful way.