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Directions from the north: \u00a0take exit 26 (SB) off of I-91; turn left at the light onto Damon Rd.; at the end of Damon Rd. take a left onto Route […]

Once known as “the asparagus capital of the world,” western Massachusetts is still home to hundreds of working farms and many more locally-owned restaurants and breweries. Now in its ninth year, the NEPM Asparagus Festival returns to the Hadley Town Common on Saturday, June 3 to celebrate the region’s legacy of agriculture and community.

Once known as \u201cthe asparagus capital of the world,\u201d western Massachusetts is still home to hundreds of working farms and many more locally-owned restaurants and breweries. Now in its ninth […]A true foodie experience! Enjoy a charming multi-course outdoor dining experience with gourmet asparagus-based dishes “spearheaded” by some of the Valley’s most talented and innovative chefs.‘Spargelzeit’ is one of the most important dates on the German culinary calendar. From mid-April to 24 June every year, Germans go mad for white asparagus, and consume the ‘white gold’ at least once a day.More white asparagus is eaten in Germany than anywhere else in the world, except Switzerland. In 2018, over 129,000 tonnes of white asparagus were harvested in Germany alone.

Whilst the green variety is available all year round, Germans prefer the seasonal white variety that grows only during ‘Spargelzeit’ (asparagus season) which lasts from mid-April to mid or late June.

Rich in nutrients and very low in calories, asparagus has become a culinary highlight for many Germans. Once having caught the ‘asparagus fever’, one can appreciate the huge events around the ‘white gold’ even more — there are asparagus seminars and cooking courses, asparagus peeling contests, festivals, road side asparagus booths, tours, and of course a choice of ‘Asparagus Routes’.

It’s that time of year again — the asparagus season has started in Germany! To say Germans love this seasonal vegetable would be an understatement… they absolutely adore it. Every year, the average German consumes roughly 1.5kg of the vegetable that is often referred to as the ‘king of the vegetables’.TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

Kid-friendly performers include award-winning bilingual artist MISTER G and the Global Citizen Ensemble with Marcos Carreras, director of music at the Springfield Conservatory of the Arts Magnet School.

And, we’ll have all the asparagus you can eat and more from local food trucks and restaurants, including Holyoke Hummus Company, The Wing Man, Esselon Café, Vibesman’s **** Shack, Dean’s Beans, Crooked Stick Pops, Maple Valley Creamery, Jaju Pierogi, Sun Kim Bop, Cocina Lupita, Vegan Pizza Land, Thai Chili Food Truck and Ginger Love Cafe.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.

Our Beers & Spears tent will feature local beers, ciders and wines from New City Brewery, White Lion Brewing, Building 8 Brewing, Element Brewing & Distilling, Abandoned Building Brewery, Artisan Beverage Cooperative, Black Birch Vineyard, Loophole Brewing, Forestopia, and Four Fantoms Brewing Company.Known as “the asparagus capital of the world,” western Massachusetts is still home to hundreds of working farms and many more locally-owned restaurants and breweries. Now in its ninth year, the NEPM Asparagus Festival returns to the Hadley Town Common on Saturday, June 3 to celebrate the region’s legacy of agriculture and community.

It starts with tidbits from the UMass University Club & Restaurant and hand-crafted beer from Building 8. Then, guests will sit down to a succession of courses prepared by local chefs — Andrew Brow from Jackalope in Springfield and Highbrow Woodfired Kitchen in Northampton, Michelangelo Westcott from Wine Witch in Northampton and Gypsy Apple in Shelburne Falls, and UMass Dining Executive Chef Alex Ong. Each course will be paired with wines and libations from Provisions. Tickets are $75 each and may be purchased at nepm.org/asparagus.April 28, 2022, SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Once known as “the asparagus capital of the world,” western Massachusetts is still home to hundreds of working farms and many more locally-owned restaurants and breweries. This June, New England Public Media celebrates the spirit (or, perhaps, “spearit”) of the local movement with the return of the NEPM Asparagus Festival, intended to “celebrate all things local and agricultural.” It will be held Saturday, June 4 on the Hadley Town Common from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The NEPM Asparagus Festival is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted to directly benefit public media throughout western New England. More information is available at nepm.org/asparagus.

At noon, award-winning bilingual artist, author, activist, educator, and Amherst College grad MISTER G and the Global Citizen Ensemble with Marcos Carreras, director of music at the Springfield Conservatory of the Arts Magnet School, perform.

Note: Thanks to everyone who has already preregistered, we’ve reached our free 1,000 scoop limit with our partners at Flayvors of Cook Farm. We hope you’ll visit them on site to buy a cone or two and support this generous local business!Preregister now to skip the line and be entered to win two three-day passes to the Green River Festival June 23-25, a $50 gift certificate to Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity, or four tickets to Bettye Layette at Bombyx on July 15! The Rooted in the Valley Stage, curated by Signature Sounds, will feature a selection of great musical acts, including gritty and raw folk-rock outfit The Wolff Sisters, New England Music Award-nominated bluegrass act Poor Monroe, and local old school funk and neo-soul band Soul Magnets. The NEPM Asparagus Festival is sponsored by Greenfield Savings Bank, River Valley Co-Op, Pekarski’s Sausage, the Hampshire County Regional Tourism Council, Northeast Solar, PV Squared, TommyCar Auto Group, USA Waste & Recycling, Valley Solar and Flayvors of Cook Farm.Or, become a new member of NEPM with the Asparagus Festival Pass. You’ll get access to PBS Passport, an NEPM tote bag and pair of socks, an NEPM Kids Day T-shirt, stickers, and a bottle of water to keep you hydrated — all for only $60.Kid-friendly performers include Grammy award-winning bilingual artist MISTER G and the Global Citizen Ensemble with Marcos Carreras, director of music at the Springfield Conservatory of the Arts Magnet School.If you drive, parking is available on the north and south sides of the common. Please go to the north side of the common first. We will direct you to the south side if the north is full. Do not park on the street, and heed no parking signs. I swear I was born and raised in West Michigan but it seems like each day I discover something new about my home state that no one had ever thought to tell me before! That includes Michigan being home to the “Asparagus Capital of the World.” Oceana County, located near Hart and Shelby, Michigan, is known as the “asparagus capital of the world,” though Michigan Asparagus farmers are located throughout the whole of Michigan.What can you expect at the festival? Well, plenty of asparagus-inspired dishes to start. There are also arts and craft vendors, a parade, and of course the crowing of the “Asparagus Queen”.

Oceana County is even home to the National Asparagus Festival which is held each spring in Hart, MI. The town prides itself on being the “longest-running asparagus festival in the country” and 2023 will mark its 50th year!

Of all the asparagus grown in Michigan the board says 40% is sold fresh in local grocery stores, farmer’s markets and roadside stands, as well as served in area restaurants.

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Philip Korman, Executive Director of Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) explains what makes the asparagus from the region so special. “The asparagus is so good in western Massachusetts because we have some of the best soils and best farmers in the nation. The roots of the asparagus are able to go deeply into the rich sandy loam left by the sediment of a glacial lake that once covered the valley.”

This celebrated spear is honored and enjoyed throughout the season at festivals, farmers markets, farm stands, and on restaurant menus where chefs do everything from grilling or pickling it to making crisp salads or mouthwatering soups.According to Korman, agriculture and agritourism are on the rise in the region after a decline in recent decades. “If you look at the Agricultural Census, done every five years, in 2007 and 2012, you see the following: the number of farms selling direct jumped from 160 to 221, and the number of CSA farms more than tripled from 20 to 67. The number of farms making money from agritourism and recreational services in Hampshire County more than tripled from eight to 26, bringing in $220,000 compared to $68,000 in 2007.”

Post Description : Another fantastic reminder from our friends at @wmassoutdoors! There’s plenty of beautiful spots along the rail trail to take a cycling break, including @forthillbrewery in #EasthamptonMA Photos by @gravesphoto ???? #othersideMA

The annual WGBY Asparagus Festival (June 4, 2016) is among the season’s most highly anticipated events that, among other things, features a Beers & Spears tent, cooking competitions, outdoor games, and more. It’s a celebration of community and agriculture, two strong and defining characteristics of the region.

Post Description : There’s something for everyone at @thornesmarketplace in #NorthamptonMA- even the littlest ones! ???????? Featured store: @littleblue_northampton on Level 1 ???? #othersideMAHampshire County is well-worth a visit year-round to enjoy its farm-to-table way of life, but asparagus season will always be a favorite time of year. If you’re unable to visit Hampshire County during asparagus season, some of our local chefs have shared their favorite recipes to make at home.

Post Description : Monday excursion: a trip to the @mhcbotanicgarden in #SouthHadleyMA! Stop by the Village Commons just up the hill afterwards for something to eat, drink, or just to peruse the shops! #othersideMANorthampton, MA – April 15, 2016– Best in the world? It’s a claim that the farmers and chefs of Hampshire County in Western Massachusetts are ready to stand by when it comes to asparagus. Hampshire County, home to New England’s most productive farmland, has been called the “Asparagus Capital of the World” for its prolific abundance of the crop. The region has a long history of farming, and the short asparagus season is highly anticipated by locals and visiting asparagus-lovers alike.Post Description : It pays to take the scenic route when you’re in #HampshireCountyMA- and luckily, they’re almost all scenic routes here ???? A sample of what you might find along the way- a flower stand like this one at @passalongsfarm. Thanks @misterkutcher for sharing this pic with us via #othersideMA! ???? #FlorenceMA Post Description : PSA: when in #HampshireCountyMA, be sure to stay cool and caffeinated! You’ve got a variety of options, including this one by @familiarscoffee in #NorthamptonMA ????☕️ What’s your go-to spot for an iced beverage? ???? #othersideMA Post Description : How’s this sound? ???? If you’re looking to enjoy some craft cider in a sweet setting, then check out the Cider Bar at @carrsciderhouse in #HadleyMA- and while you’re there, grab some fresh veggies from the @preservationorchard farm stand! #othersideMACombine all filling ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Cut puff pastry into 9 squares. Divide ricotta mixture evenly between the pastry squares leaving a 1-inch border. Top ricotta mixture with asparagus pieces. Brush exposed pastry with egg wash and bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Returning last season after a two-year lapse, this year’s festival will be hosting PBS Kids characters Curious George and Molly of Denali who will be available for photos. Among the local favorites on hand will be trilingual artist and performer Mister G and the Global Citizen Ensemble.Those traveling by bicycle are encouraged to ride to the event on the Norwottuck Rail Trail and take advantage of the free MassBike bicycle valet service.

“This year we’re expecting a similar crowd size, we have great bands lined up with so much good local food,” she said. “All of our food trucks are encouraged to use asparagus in at least one of their dishes so there’s a lot of variety there including the ever-popular fried asparagus,” she boasted.For those with eclectic tastes the well-known asparagus ice cream, offered by Flayvors of Cook Farms, the originators of the unique frozen treat, will be available. More than 50 farmers and vendors will be on hand to show off their best of the day.

The Beers and Spears tent will pour ciders, wines and brews from nearly a dozen makers around the region to go alongside the multiple food choices from popular Western Massachusetts cookeries.

New to the festival this year, a live noon broadcast of the NEPM radio show, “The Fabulous 413” with hosts Monte Belmonte and Kaliis Smith using the celebratory event as a background.The free admission for all festival runs from 10 a.m. through 7 p.m. and preregistration is available to avoid the line at the gate. Donations of $5 per person or $20 per family are suggested to support public media in Western Massachusetts.

”We’re all about creating community and creating opportunities for people to come together and enjoy each other and learn from each other,” said Vanessa Cerillo, directing of marketing and communications for NEPM.”Western Mass. is such a great agricultural location and it’s amazing to see how the farming communtiy is so tight knit, so this is an oppourtunity to get people in the farming community together to celebrate themselves in a way I don’t think they often get to do,” added Monte Belmonte, co-host of ‘The Fabulous 413′ on NEPM. On Saturday, the ninth annual New England Public Media (NEPM) Asparagus Festival was held at the Hadley town common to celebrate the region’s legacy of agriculture and community. HADLEY, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – Once known as “The Asparagus Capital of the World,” western Massachusetts is still home to hundreds of working farms and many more locally-owned restaurants and breweries.

His demonstration reminded me that the popular stereotype of German efficiency is not really accurate. What Germans love even more than efficiency is procedure. White aspara­gus embodies this trait at every step from farm to table. Markets sort white asparagus into different “choices,” like cuts of meat, with the thickest stalks commanding the highest price. And the straightforward boiled preparation of Spargel belies the fact that every stalk of white asparagus must be peeled. The difficulty of this task has allowed Germans to scratch another national itch: the construction of extremely specialized machinery. The German company Hepro manufactures nine different models of asparagus-peeling machines. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. The asparagus princess, a shy teenager named Nicole Cybin, had an exalted place among her peers: In Germany, Spargel, or white asparagus, reigns supreme among vegetables. Every year the German people eat 140,000 tons of asparagus, nearly all of it the white variety. German farmers devote more land to Spargel than they do to cabbage for sauerkraut. From April until June, you find white asparagus on the menu of nearly every restaurant, prepared almost always the same way: boiled and topped with hollandaise or brown butter, served with a side of boiled peeled potatoes and a plate of sliced ham, smoked salmon, or schnitzel. What is it about this colorless vegetable that drives Germans crazy?

It is hard to imagine such a labor-intensive food really catching on in a country as convenience-obsessed as America, where most people would probably rather stick to frankfurters. The thing about Spargel, though, is that it is worth the effort. It tastes like an asparagus grown on a cloud rather than in the soil. It’s less like eating green asparagus and more like fresh lobster: The flesh is wan and tender, the flavor is sweet and subtle, and everything swims in butter. It is a shame white asparagus is not as iconic as other German foods, like wurst and beer. In a better world, the Nienburger Spargel Princess would be as famous as the St. Pauli Girl.

Nienburg is a good place to find out. The town is along the Spargelstrasse, or Asparagus Road, in Lower Saxony, a 460-mile path that grows more asparagus than any other part of Germany and attracts thousands of pilgrims every spring. Nienburg’s attractions include not only the Spargel museum but also a Spargel fountain in the center of town. This year’s Nienburger Spargelfest fell on one of the first warm days of an overdue spring, and sunshine soaked the museum garden so intensely that the shrubs and flowers seemed to bleed around the edges. Attendees sat at picnic tables among old statuary from the House of Hanover. They proclaimed Nienburg Spargel to be the best in Germany and attributed white aspara­gus’ popularity to its nutrient content, its local cultivation, and the arrival of the harvest with warm weather every spring. Some lauded the beauty of the white stalks, while a German friend noted their undeniable resemblance to a phallus. “That’s why Germans love it so much,” she said. Many people emphasized the vegetable’s delicate and nutty flavor.And what did the new princess have to say about the national obsession? Cybin wore a pink dress and carried a basket of asparagus, each stalk pale and slender like a bone. She was easy to pick out in her tiara among all the heads of gray hair. I asked her why Germans love white asparagus, but before she could answer my question, a large man from the Consortium of Nienburg Spargel interrupted with a loud and long-winded explanation in German. Cybin translated his monologue into a few tentative words of English: “Asparagus cleans the body and allows the sun to come in.”

The Mediterranean Way 10 Week Diet & Lifestyle program teaches you everything you need to know to easily and deliciously get the benefits of the proven healthy Mediterranean diet. Meal Plans, Recipes, Shopping Lists, Weekly Challenges and Lessons, Private Facebook Support Group, Cooking Videos and more!We affectionately refer to asparagus as Hadley Grass. The term “grass” does embrace the reality that cultivated asparagus is a tamed wild vegetable. At the end of a long and cold winter, nothing is more exciting than to see the asparagus spears beginning to pop up out of the soil.

Saveur wrote a fantastic article about the history of Hadley asparagus. Needless to say, we were excited that everyone could share in this great article about Hadley’s asparagus industry and how the asparagus came back after an asparagus blight. And, of course, there are some great asparagus recipes alongside the article as well.Mediterranean Living is headquartered near the Connecticut River in Western Massachusetts. The river-bordering towns are famed for rich soil and beautiful farmlands. Born from this richness is a strong local farming community. You can pick up an abundance of fresh, local produce at farm stands, CSA’s and farmer’s markets. One of the most celebrated foods grown in our area is asparagus grown in Hadley, MA. In fact, Hadley has been known as “The Asparagus Capitol of the World.” This asparagus is literally fit for a queen, having been served for many years at Queen Elizabeth’s II’s Annual Spring Feast.In the demo tent, WRSI’s Monte Belmonte hosted the asparagus bunching contest, where competitors fought it out to see who could most perfectly bunch asparagus. The demo tent was a hub of educational opportunities throughout the day, as experts from UMass stopped by in the morning to share their ideas on university dining, and U.S. Representative Jim McGovern and Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner John Lebeaux spoke about local agriculture in the afternoon.

We scored seats at the coveted Chef’s Spearit Lunch and got to indulge in some unique asparagus-inspired dishes from local chefs. The meal included creations ranging from smoked pork tacos with an asparagus slaw to a creative and surprising take on creme brulee — made with asparagus, of course! With each course came a brief word from the chef, explaining his or her approach, along with perfect wine pairing from Northampton’s Provisions.As the day began heating up, a stop in the WGBY Beers & Spears tent allowed us to cool off with a cold beer, a hard cider, and some tasty snacks. As we sipped on our local brews, we watched as children twirled and danced by the Rooted in the Valley stage, grooving to the music of Mister G, a Latin Grammy–winning musician. (With songs like “Pizza in the Morning,” I could hardly resist jumping up there myself.) Elsewhere on the festival grounds, families lined up to meet Curious George, get artistic in one of the many craft booths, and try their hand at agricultural-themed games. Each year as spring unfolds into summer, thousands of locals and visitors descend on the town common of historic Hadley, Massachusetts, to celebrate all things asparagus at the WGBY Asparagus Festival. Tucked into the Connecticut River Valley, Hadley is known as the “Asparagus Capital of the World” and boasts more active farmland than anywhere else in the region. Journeying to Hadley for the festival, we passed farms and town centers, taking note of stops to make on the way back north: an intriguing antiques shop, a historic home turned museum, a place to see preserved dinosaur tracks. In a region that exudes history, the Asparagus Festival aims to celebrate the community and traditions that continue to thrive in Hadley today.

The Avery Sharpe Quartet includes Avery Sharpe on double bass and electric bass; Zaccai Curtis, piano; Charles Langford, soprano and tenor saxophones; and Yoron Israel, drums.The artists, who hail from Springfield, Easthampton, Greenfield and points in between, include Annaleah Moon Studios, Beth Maciorowski, Deborah Yaffe Mixed Media Art, Jennifer Ablard Photography, and Blue Monday Studio.

Over a dinner provided by PVJS from La Veracruzana in Northampton, members can discuss the just-finished 11th season and get a look at what’s in store for next year.

William Sharp, who’s now 80, says he’s been inspired in part by Greek mythology and primitive art and has used some of his more recent works to explore “color contrasts to create movement” and to express what he hears from the natural and spiritual worlds.SPRINGFIELD — To mark the holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in 1865, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO) will stage its inaugural Juneteenth concert at 3 p.m. on June 19 at Springfield Symphony Hall. And Alice Saxe, who began painting bottles with abstract patterns over 20 years ago, now mixes faces and abstract elements on bottles or other vessels; she calls them “Glass Souls” because they evoke “the individual and unique expression within all of us.” At 7:30 p.m., there will be a concert led by bassist William Parker and his band Mayan Space Nation (Ava Mendoza on electric guitar, Gerald Cleaver on drums), with special guests Mixashawn on mandolin and gabby fluke-mogul on violin. The band, as one critic has noted, “draws as much from heavy rock and psychedelia as it does from the jazz and blues tradition.” The show is free if you purchase a PVJS Season 12 share, otherwise the fee is $15.“Possum Galaxy,” a painting by Michelle Vigeant, one of three artists featured this month at an exhibit at Hosmer Galley at Forbes Library in Northampton. Image courtesy Forbes Library Conducting the concert will be Kevin Scott, who led the SSO at its “Audacity of Hope” concert during the 2022-23 season, an event that honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Euterpe’s Dream,” a painting by William Sharp, one of three artists featured this month at an exhibit at Hosmer Galley at Forbes Library in Northampton. Image courtesy Forbes LibraryThe Blue Room in Old Town Hall in Easthampton will host a pop-up art market June 8 from 5 to 8 p.m. as part of the city’s monthly Art Walk. Image courtesy CitySpaceScott, an African-American conductor, composer and native New Yorker, has led various orchestras, choruses and bands throughout the greater New York area and in Atlanta, Philadelphia and Bulgaria.

Michelle Vigeant, by contrast, uses a variety of media to paint expressive scenes of animals, and of late has been trying to capture not just color and light but also a sense of sound in her paintings.The free concert will feature many voices from the community, including the Springfield Symphony Chorus, the Avery Sharpe Quartet, and Springfield’s Extended Family Choir.

EASTHAMPTON — Twenty artists from up and down the Valley will have work for sale at CitySpace on June 8 during the city’s next Art Walk, from 5 to 8 p.m.NORTHAMPTON — Hosmer Gallery at Forbes Library is hosting the work of three painters this month, each with a distinctive style and different levels of experience, but all of whom have an eye for color.

Over 100 local food, crafts, cultural, nonprofit and agricultural vendors will be represented at the festival’s Farmers & Makers Market. Local breweries will pour beer, wine and cider in the Beers & Spears tent, and more than a dozen local food trucks will serve up everything from fried asparagus to ice cream. Kicking off the newest season of the acoustic music series will be The Jacob Jolliff Band, a string ensemble led by Jolliff, an ace mandolin player who was previously a key player in another acoustic group, Joy Kills Sorrow. Jolliff has also toured with Béla Fleck and a number of other acclaimed musicians. HADLEY — New England Public Media’s Asparagus Festival, now in its ninth season, returns to the Hadley town common June 3 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., offering a variety of family-friendly events such as music and games, as well as local food and drink.

GOSHEN — To celebrate the end of the 2022-2023 season, Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares, the member-supported music series, will host a party June 15 at the Institute for the Musical Arts, beginning at 5:30 p.m.The pop-up market, which will be held in the Blue Room at Old Town Hall, will feature clothing, cards, prints, paintings, pottery, photography, books and more.

Bassist and composer Avery Sharpe will be part of a free Juneteenth concert June 19 by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, at Springfield Symphony Hall. Image courtesy Springfield Symphony Orchestra

Those guests will include John Lebeaux, state commissioner for the Department of Agriculture; Scott Soares, the regional director of USDA for Massachusetts; State Rep. Dan Carey; and U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern.One of the new attractions this year will be the horse-drawn stagecoach that will bring people from the Town Common to the Hadley Farm Museum, where tours will be offered. Parking will be on the Town Common and at Hopkins Academy, though with the proximity to the Norwottuck Rail Trail the hope is some will walk or bike to the event, Waechter said. Fiona McNutt, 4, of Amherst takes a turn sitting in the driver’s seat of a McCormick Farmall tractor that pulled the Boisvert Farm asparagus float to the WGBY Asparagus Festival on the Hadley Town Common, June 2, 2018. GAZETTE FILE PHOTOWhile live music, craft beer and specialty foods will be part of the day, special guests will talk about agricultural resilience, food scarcity and the challenges facing farmers due to a changing climate.

Other food vendors include Holyoke Hummus Company, the Baby Berk food truck, Snappy Dog, Vibesman’s Jerk Shack, Dean’s Beans, Crooked Stick Pop, Sun Kim Bop and Cocina Lupita. HADLEY — A significant amount of locally grown and produced food, including dishes prepared with asparagus, will be available at a festival celebrating the crop that has given fame to the region’s agricultural fields. During the first part of the event, until 3 p.m., there will be family-friendly offerings that include games and activities, such as the Valley Scramble, the Asparagus Valley Pick Game and the Wally Hibbard Memorial Bundling Contest. The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association’s Jurassic Roadshow will teach kids about the geologic history of the region.New England Public Media’s Asparagus Festival returns June 4, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., for the first time since 2019. It will be the eighth time the event, which in part promotes the region as the asparagus capital of the world, has been held on the Hadley Town Common.

Tickets, though, have already been sold out for the Chefs’ Spearit Lunch with asparagus-based dishes from local chefs, including Andrew Brow from Jackalope in Springfield and Highbrow Woodfired Kitchen in Northampton, Michelangelo Westcott from Wine Witch in Northampton and Gypsy Apple in Shelburne Falls, and UMass Dining Executive Chef Alex Ong.For adults, the Beers and Spears tent will open at 11 a.m. and remain open the rest of the event, providing tasting opportunities from White Lion Brewing, Abandoned Building Brewery, New City Brewery, Amherst Brewing, Building 8 and other area breweries and cider makers.

At noon, Mister G and the Global Citizen Ensemble with Marcos Carreras, director of music at the Springfield Conservatory of the Arts Magnet School, will perform. There will also be the African Dance Co. doing Zumba following that.Local singer Kimaya Diggs will take the Rooted in the Valley stage later in the day, followed by Mamselle Ruiz, of Montreal, and Boston’s Session Americana. All were selected by Northampton’s Signature Sounds.“It’s an opportunity to tell different stories about agriculture,” says Marie Waechter, director of audience engagement and events for New England Public Media.

Waechter said the food will include cheese and asparagus pierogies from Jaju Pierogi, tempura from Esselon Café and asparagus ice cream from Maple Valley Creamery.

The NEPM Asparagus Festival returns to the Hadley Town Common on Saturday, June 3, 2023 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in celebration of the region’s legacy of agriculture and community. In 2022, we welcomed 8,000 attendees and expect the same attendance this year. Come be part of the festival as a vendor! The family-friendly outdoor event features over 100 local food, crafts, cultural, non-profit and agricultural vendors at the Farmers & Makers Market. The market is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition to the market, the festival brings local food and beer vendors, family music and entertainment, agricultural displays, a speaker and demo tent, kids games and visits from PBS Kids characters.A note to food vendors: We only allow sampling and sales of value-added products intended for attendees to take home, such as pickles, vinegars, cheese, etc. in the market. If you’d like to be considered to serve as part of our restaurant and food truck line up please contact Vanessa at [email protected]