Fresh, Local Products
At Salem Cross Inn, we embrace the importance of eating seasonal, local and fresh food. Salem Cross Inn cherishes the concept of farm-to-table, and uses the freshest local ingredients available to us. We believe that by producing and using regional ingredients, it makes a better tasting and healthier meal, helps you recognize the importance of produce that provides nourishment to our bodies, and supports our local communities.
Visit our restored 1700’s era farmhouse in West Brookfield, Massachusetts, for a colonial dining experience!
“Flora”
One of the gems of the Salem Cross Inn grounds is our glorious garden, which is harvested regularly for fresh herbs, fruits, and vegetables for our Summer and Fall menus. It all starts in early spring when we prepare and plant our gardens. Occasionally, as a special treat, we bring in a team of oxen to plow our fields as a way to commemorate the days of olde, possibly followed by a Ploughman’s feast to help celebrate the beginning of the growing season.
In the summer, we host Farmer’s Dinners, where the culmination of our fruits and labor are celebrated in a seasonal feast. The inspiration for the Farmer’s Dinner menus are based on what our family has grown here in our gardens and pastures (just steps from the Inn), as well as food from featured area farms and gardens to help support our community. As an extension of our family venture, vegetables are grown by our gardener and Bo Salem, the herbs are grown by John Salem and the beef is raised by David Salem. This bounty is then exquisitely prepared by Chef Laurent and his staff.
“Fauna”
Here in Massachusetts, over 100,000 acres of land are dedicated to cattle farming alone. At Salem Cross Inn, our rolling hills and picturesque farmlands create some of the most beautiful views, and makes a perfect home for our Black Angus and Polled Hereford cattle. We are proud to say that of all the registered Polled Herefords in the state of Massachusetts, we own half! Our Polled Herefords’ pedigrees originate from Herefordshire, England.
David Salem raises our Salem Cross Farm Raised Beef, and sells pasture-raised black angus ground beef–which you can purchase here at Salem Cross Inn. If you visit us for a meal on Thursdays or Fridays you will most likely see our locally raised beef featured on our menu. Our burgers are always made with Salem Cross Farm beef as well.
In addition, Salem Cross Farm Raised Beef is also sold at Wegman’s in their natural beef section (under their own brand name) as “Regionally Sourced Beef.” Salem Cross Farm is one of their suppliers, and that’s a photo of David on the sign, pouring grain for his cows!
For more history on American beef, check out our blog, “American Beef: How the Polled Hereford Came to America.”
Of course, Salem Cross Farm!
