Some folks can’t get enough of asparagus when it is in season, others could care less about the spring vegetable.
No matter what your preference, this weekend the bright green vegetable with its long, pointy spears will be king on Saturday, June 1, at the Hadley Town Common, where the NEPM Asparagus Festival returns for another growing season from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“I’ve only met one person who doesn’t like asparagus, and he’s a friend of mine,” said Wally Czajkowski of Plainville Farm in Hadley, who is currently picking 23 acres of asparagus on his farm, some of which he will be selling at the festival’s Farmers and Makers Market filled with local food, crafts from block printed garments to jewelry and from bags to dolls, and non-profit and agricultural vendors.
“The climate here is good and the soil just right contributing to the flavor and quality of asparagus grown here,” he added about why some call western Massachusetts, in particular, Hadley, “the asparagus capital of the world.”
Celebrating the region’s legacy of agriculture and community, the 10th anniversary Asparagus Festival is the biggest event held each year by NEPM.
“This is our largest fundraiser to support programming and operations at NEPM. Saturday’s event is also a really nice chance to be outdoors in the community and supporting local businesses,” said Vanessa Cerillo, senior director of Marketing, Communications and Events for NEPM.
She noted last year’s event raised $30,000.
Local food trucks and restaurants offering a varied menu include Spuds with Love, Wake the Dead Donuts, Holyoke Hummus Company, Esselon Café, Vibesman’s Jerk Shack, Dean’s Beans, Ginger Love Café, P’frogi, Crooked Stick Pops, Bruisers BBQ, Vegan Pizza Land, Thai Chili Food Truck and Masa Mexicano.
As in the past, Cerillo noted they are asking food truck vendors to be inventive and add asparagus-related dishes to their menus such as the asparagus crème brulee from CremeBru LA.
And to wash it all down, the Beers & Spears tent will sell local beers, cider and wines from Headwater Cider Company, New City Brewery, White Lion Brewing, Building 8 Brewing, Element Brewing & Distilling, Abandoned Building Brewery, Leadfoot Brewing, Black Birch Vineyard, Loophole Brewing, Amherst Brewing, Ginger Libation, and Katalyst Kombucha.
Live music will celebrate the low in calories, high in protein green spears on the Fabulous 413 Stage with western Massachusetts singer-songwriters Lexi Weege & JJ Slater, the cultural sonic fusion of TapRoots, New Orleans Jazz and soul artist Glen David Andres, and the blues of The Diego Mongue Band.
To keep the kids happy, there will be meet and great opportunities along with having their photographs taken with PBS Kids characters Curious George and Malik from “Work It Out Wombats.” There will also be live music from the Grumpytime Club and the chance to watch a live Tumble Podcast. Children can also find out how quick they can pick asparagus as part of the Asparagus Valley Pick game, and there will be arts and crafts from Wild Garden of Childhood Nursery.
Adults will not be left out of the fun and games with a special Asparagus Bunching Contest.
“After we pick asparagus at our farm, we bunch them into packages and wrap them with a rubber band. They are made for sale in one-pound bunches, and after a lot of practice, you can gather and wrap one pound exactly. We average about 2,000 bunches a day…..you’ve got to be quick if you want to get home at night,” Czajkowski said.
The Hadley farmer oversees the Asparagus Bunching Contest where people are invited to test their bunching skills based on weight and who can go the fastest.
“It’s strictly for bragging rights, there are no prizes,” Czajkowski said.
He noted no discussion about asparagus in Hadley is complete without a reference to the late Wally Hibbard, a longtime mainstay of the local asparagus scene.
“Wally never gave up growing asparagus even when soil disease was a problem before disease tolerant asparagus was bred. He insisted there was a future in planting the crop, and he was right. It is because of him that there is so much asparagus here in the valley. He was so successful that even the Queen of England purchased his asparagus, and that is true,” he said.
If you are a bicyclist, the Hadley Town Common is on the Norwottuck Rail Trail and attendees are encouraged to ride bikes to the festival and take advantage of MassBike’s free bicycle valet service.
While the festival is free to attend, there is a suggested donation of $5 per person or $20 per family to support public media in western Massachusetts. If you preregister online, you will get to skip the line and walk right through the gates, and your name will be placed in a drawing to win a VIP prize package of tickets to the Green River Festival.
For more information, visit nepm.org.
