Asparagus is Michigan's agricultural product of the month! I personally was unaware that we even had an agricultural product of the month, but I couldn't be happier that it's asparagus.

In Michigan, asparagus is harvested for a six- to seven-week period from early May through mid to late June. If you are fortunate enough to have a farmer's market or, better yet, a fresh produce stand near you that supplies asparagus I recommend that you buy it as often as you can during this short season.

The state of Michigan is actually well known for producing top-quality asparagus. We are the only growing area in the world that hand-snaps all of our asparagus crops when harvesting.

More than a half a billion spears are hand-snapped in the state of Michigan each season. Elsewhere, the spears are machine snapped just below ground, rendering them longer but with an inedible inch or two at the spear's bottom.

This makes the product easier to transport but it also costs the consumer more because asparagus is sold by the pound. The result is a woodier, more stringy spear.

According to Tim Heidema, a fresh asparagus broker with Lake Michigan Growers Inc. in Grand Rapids, "Michigan's flavor is our best marketing tool, and the sooner we can get people educated about our flavor and quality, the better our markets will be." Michigan is the third largest producer of asparagus in the United States behind California and the state of Washington.

It takes three seasons before the asparagus plant can be harvested. In its first season of growth, a crown forms with 6 inches of root. In the second season, the crown grows into a fern. Asparagus can be harvested in its third year and reaches its prime after six-eight years when it can yield as much as one to two tons per acre.

The plants will generally produce steadily for 15 years or so, but some people have managed to keep asparagus crowns going for up to 50 years!

Contrary to popular belief, it's the thicker-diameter spears that are the most tender. The smaller ones, called "whips," are tougher because all of the fiber is in the skins and whips are mostly skin. If you find that you've purchased some tough asparagus, using a carrot peeler, peal the skin, especially near the bottom, to ensure a more tender spear. You will find that even the thinnest of our Michigan grown asparagus is tender and juicy because the distance from field to table is so close.

Any food harvested nearby is going to be much more flavorful as well as higher in nutrients. Local food takes less time from the field to the table and can be picked and processed closer to ripening for higher nutritional value.

Not only is the flavor better, but in the case of Michigan asparagus, kitchen prep time is shorter because the spears are presnapped. They'll need to be soaked in warm water just long enough for the tops to spread open a bit so you can rinse the sandy soil out of them. If you're lucky enough to have asparagus a day away from the ground, you need not trim the ends at all.

When you run across asparagus with ends in need of snapping, try my grandmother's method. She insisted that you always needed to take each spear individually, hold it lightly from both ends and bending gently, allow it to snap in its "natural spot." However you do it, just make sure the ends are fresh and not dried out.

I'm lucky enough to live near the Long Family Farm in Commerce Township. They have been harvesting asparagus and many other crops on their third-generation family farm for the past 14 years. Every year, my family and friends look forward to the start of the asparagus season. We call each other and the farm's hotline to see when it will be out. If we're lucky the first crops come up in time for Mother's Day. This cold spring, we had to wait a bit longer. Now, every last one of us is eating asparagus every which way. The most important thing is we are eating it fresh from the farm.

Last night I stopped by the farm at 4pm. The truck had just pulled up next to the stand and they were rinsing the spears. I bought a bundle and grilled it. Knowing the asparagus we were devouring had been in the ground just a few short hours earlier made the meal all the more special.

Grilled asparagus
My favorite recipe for asparagus is very simple. After cleaning and drying the spears, place them in a plastic bag. Pour 2 tablespoons of good-quality olive oil over them. Add fresh cracked black pepper and coarse ground salt and shake it all together. Drop it all on a hot grill in the back yard and cook for around 10 minutes. Take the thin ones off earlier and leave the thicker spears on longer.

Each family member has a different idea of the "perfect spear." If you have a family member like my sister, Carol, you'll leave them on until they're blackened lightly and crisp. I like to take them off when they're crisp and firm and green.

If you'd like to visit Long's Family Farm for the fresh asparagus, the stand is adjacent to their asparagus field, on the west side of Bogie Lake Road, a quarter mile north of Wise Road in Commerce Township. The farm hotline with recorded messages about availability of all crops and hours of operation is (248) 360-3774.

kd@chefkathleen.com