Asparagus - D. A. Smiarowski Farms (weekend)

Asparagus is a life’s work. And in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, often called the asparagus capital of the world, it also can be a legacy. Smiarowski is locally synonymous with the first and most revered of spring sprouts.

The scourge of Fusarium, a soil-borne fungus, obliterated the valley’s crop in the ’70s, throwing farmers’ focus onto corn, potatoes, and onions. But disease-resistant varieties of asparagus, including the currently prolific Jersey Supreme and the popular Millennium, have meant the crop’s welcome return here, including at Dan and Penny Smiarowski's D.A. Smiarowski Farms in Sunderland and Montague.