If you’ve stayed at the Glasbern Inn you know about the romantic atmosphere of the restaurant, the luxurious whirlpool tubs, the beautiful gardens. In the background you may have noticed a flock of sheep, or some steers grazing up on the hill. What you may not know is that those animals in the background are, in some ways, at the very heart of what’s happening at the Glasbern Inn. Yes it’s a thriving inn, a beautiful wedding spot, a weekend destination. But it’s also Al’s grass farm. Al is the owner of the inn and the 100-acre property that surrounds it, and he knows that taking care of the soil—which sustains the grasses, which feed the livestock, which end up on the table—is a fundamental piece of the process. Pasture to Plate is not just a catchy phrase. I’m trying to be tactful about this but we must face facts. Those photogenic Scottish Highland cattle on the hill are not just for show.

Visit the Glasbern for a romantic getaway or a stupendous meal of homegrown meats and vegetables. Visit this blog to learn the behind-the-scenes stories of the people, animals, and plants that make, or in some cases become, the delicious Glasbern experience. Every living thing on the property has a purpose. Take this 6-month old pig, for example. She is a hard-working pig. Right now she’s enjoying a well-deserved break from rooting out weeds and cultivating the soil. Maybe (probably) she’s fertilizing the soil too. Last Friday she and her pig friend followed me around like a puppy, nudging the unmentionable and nibbling the inexplicable. Now to you and me, muck boots are not a delicacy, but to a pig, evidently, there is nothing tastier. Kendell, the inn’s farmer, enlightened me about the pigs’ farm chores as we did the pigtrot, which is similar to the foxtrot in that feet must remain in constant motion in order to avoid toe damage. Other VIPs you might encounter on the property are Lottie, Kendell’s Jack Russell, who spends her dog days chasing groundhogs (a full-time occupation at the Glasbern) and Gracie Lou, the greenhouse kitty in charge of mice. All of this is in the pursuit of honest food. Real food. Tender greens and carrots. Sun-ripened tomatoes and sweet delicata squash. Spicy fennel bulbs. Grass-fed beef.
And yes … sausage.