Sparrow Grass: Pride of Hadley, Massachusetts

The Sparrow, by Paul Dunbar

A little bird with plumage brown
Beside my window flutters down.
A moment chirps its little strain.
Then taps upon my window pane,
And chirps again, and hops along,
To call my notice to its song;
But I work on, nor heed its lay,
Till, in neglect, it flies away.

So birds of peace and hope and love
Come fluttering earthward from above,
To settle on life’s window-sills,
And ease our load of earthly ills;
But we, in traffic’s rush and din
Too deep engaged to let them in,
With deadened heart and sense plod on,
Nor know our loss till they are gone.

In the grand scheme of things, asparagus may not figure as a matter of high importance. I suspect there are quite a few people who have overlooked asparagus their entire lives. But any living thing that takes years to establish itself and then yields a harvest for more than a decade should not be passed over. The archaic term, "sparrow grass," seems fitting for something as humble and essential as asparagus. David Nussbaum's article in Saveur (Issue #50) gives asparagus its due. According to Nussbaum, the vegetable was known as "Hadley grass" after Hadley, Massachusetts. Once the capital of asparagus-growing, Hadley suffered when the equivalent of phylloxera wiped out the area's asparagus beds in the 1970's. I was not sure what I would find, but yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit the Hadley area to see what is left of the traditional spring crop. To my delight, Hadley's sparrow grass is still plentiful.



The town of Hadley will celebrate its 350th anniversary this year, a fact announced with a display of bunting at the town hall, which stands directly in front of the Hadley Farm Museum. Hadley appears to be gearing up for a big parade and party to be held June 14, 2009. But the anniversary seems to be more of an all growing season-long celebration, with family farms hosting 20 special events planned between March and September of this year.



Hadley is home to Food Bank Farm, a 700-member CSA that donates over 200,000 pounds of organic produce to food banks. There is also a local farm camp that teaches kids about sustainable agriculture. Either Slow Food and Share Our Strength have been really busy in this tiny town, or the heritage of farming is thriving here as it has always done. It became clear to me which was which really fast.



Along Russell Street, I came across the Wanczyk family farmstand. This gregarious young man advised me that the best way to prepare asparagus is to wrap it in tin foil and roast it in a 350 degree oven “until it is done the way you like it.”



Strawberry season is about to begin in Hadley, as in all of New England. The Wanczyk’s had some early berries from Somers, CT, as well as local rhubarb.





The Saveur article leads one to conclude that asparagus farming is practically a lost art in Hadley. Based on yesterday’s visit, this does not appear to be the case. Moreover, Hadley’s farmers appear to have diversified within the vegetable kingdom, raising sweet corn, cabbages, and squashes. Other farms continue to raise dairy cows. Cook Family Farm makes and sells ice cream, sandwiches, and salads at their Flayvors farmstand. I was eager to try the house specialty, asparagus ice cream, and I was not disappointed. Perhaps it is a good thing that the asparagus taste is not unmistakable. The flavor is a bit confounding, reminiscent of pistachio in a way I can't pinpoint. Finely chopped almonds provide a little crunch.



The calico cat finished off the last of the asparagus ice cream.



The Cooks might be onto something. I think I could be happy having ice cream for breakfast, as long as coffee was involved.



The town of Hadley is the site of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst demonstration farm, which is open to the public for a number of upcoming events. Although the main route leading to U Mass has begun to sprout the inevitable miracle mile of mediocrity, some push-back from enterprising locals is a cheering trend. I passed Sully’s Restaurant, the self-designated “Home of Polish Music,” (huh?) and visited Maple Farm Finer Foods. At first glance, Maple Farm seems a nouveau-farmstand. Inside, however, in addition to the house-brand preserves and relishes, there is a wide offering of Turkish groceries, including cheeses. I picked up some pita bread and some Yoruk brand marash biberi. The Polish roots of many of the area's farmers are also represented. This pickled kielbasa is made nearby in Chicopee, MA.



I decided to dig a bit deeper into the list of family farms that offer asparagus. This lovely scene is from the Boisvert Farm, where they use an honor system for payment. Alas, no fresh eggs remained, but this trio of asparagus spears looks happy, don't you think?





This morning, I decided that asparagus would be nice for breakfast. It was. I'm glad I made the trip to Hadley. Perhaps I'll go back for the 350th.



The Sparrow by Paul Dunbar
Paul Dunbar Collection
Wright State University
http://www.libraries.wright.edu/special/dunbar/

Hadley Grass by David Nussbaum
Saveur #50
http://www.saveur.com/article/Our-Favor ... ley-Grass-

350th Anniversary Celebration
Hadley, Massachusetts
June 14, 2009
1 p.m.
Russell St./Route 9

Hadley Farm Museum
208 Middle Street
Hadley, MA
May 15-October 15th
Fridays and Saturdays 11-4
Sundays 1-4

Wanczyk Family Farmstand
Russell Street at East Street
Hadley, MA

Food Bank Farm
121 Bay Road
Hadley, MA
(413)387-7140

Cook Family Farm
Flayvors of Cook Farm
129 S. Maple St.
Hadley, MA
(413)584-2224
http://www.cookfarm.com

University of Massachusetts Hadley Farm
111 N. Maple St.
Hadley, MA
(413)549-3258
http://www.umass.edu/vasci

Sully’s Restaurant
119 East St
Hadley MA
(413) 584-9219

Maple Farm Finer Foods
10 S. Maple St.
Hadley, MA
(413)585-1117
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3623/359 ... a7f7a5.jpg

Boisvert Family Farm
181 River Drive
Hadley, MA
(413)387-6254