HART, Mich. — If your mother always told you to eat your vegetables as a kid, then she probably would've loved living in Hart, Michigan.
The city is located in Oceana County — dubbed the asparagus capital of the world. This weekend, Hart is set to host the 50th National Asparagus Festival.
“I think we shine that asparagus flag pretty proudly," said Michele Amstutz, Board president for the festival. "We get really excited for the best green vegetables that we have.”
Oceana County is the largest producer of asparagus in the country and in Michigan. In fact, it produces 80% of Michigan's asparagus.
However, becoming such an asparagus powerhouse does not come easy.
"It's a very manual process," Amstutz said. "So that's something that differentiates the asparagus here in Michigan and in the United States. All is handpicked and snapped. So, as you're going through the rural areas, and you see the picker — it's usually five men hunched over on a picker — I mean, it's very intensive to do that.“
Thanks to all that labor, the spring vegetable is now planted into the area's identity. That's not by accident.
“Asparagus hasn't always had the popularity that it does today," Amstutz said. "It was not always a desired vegetable. So, as a way to try to generate interest in the vegetable, the farmers got together and said, 'Why don't we put this festival together? Let's celebrate it and get excitement around it.'”
The first-ever National Asparagus Festival took place in 1974. This weekend's celebration marks the 50th anniversary.
“Anything where it's volunteer based, some years are a struggle," Amstutz said. "I'll be honest, there were some years we weren't sure that the festival would continue on. So, it really is quite an accomplishment.”
Hart, Michigan, which is a town of fewer than 2,000 people, will more than double in population for a day.
“Downtown will be packed Saturday," she said.
There's a 5k run, fireworks show and a parade, headlined by the acclaimed Asparagus Queen, which is a title Amstutz herself held in 2008.
“As our queens are riding on the float through the parade, you get those comments like, 'Oh, asparagus, really?' But we're proud of it. I think, with it being something unique, it gives us the opportunity to talk about the vegetable and promote our farmers and buying local. So, I think being different is a good thing.”
The asparagus season usually lasts from mid-May until the end of June. Oceana County is prime territory for the crop.
“Asparagus grows best in a sandy soil," Amstutz said. "So, a lot of our area here is very sandy, which works well for the crops. Having Lake Michigan close by helps even the temperature, so it gives it that favorable, favorable condition.“
She said it's about a four-year process to go from planting to picking. That makes it hard to predict what could happen in the future.
For example, this year the weather has been working against farmers. We've had weeks with very hot and very dry conditions.
"A lot of farmers don't have irrigation on their asparagus fields," she said. "It's hard to grow something without water. So, that's causing some of the farmers to put their fields to bed already a little bit earlier. Of course, we want the season to go as long as it can. We want to eat the fresh asparagus and the farmers want that income.”
That struggle won't stop them from celebrating the green sparrow grass.
National Asparagus Festival events will happen all weekend long, but the big day is Saturday. It begins with a 5k in Silver Lake, followed by the Taste of Asparagus competition, Arts and Crafts Fair, and, of course, the parade.
Then, Amstutz said there will be a fireworks show at dusk over Hart Lake.