By BRETT McKAY
Michigan Correspondent

EMPIRE, Mich. — Despite cool temperatures and a late spring frost that damaged local crops, thousands were in attendance at this year’s 7th annual Asparagus Festival in Empire.

Temperatures fell to the lower 30s earlier last week, causing frost damage that had threatened festival activities, However, enough asparagus was harvested before the frost to allow local venders to offer a wide variety of recipes with local asparagus.

Asparagus is a crop that regrows quickly, which also helped vendors.

“Asparagus is very, very resilient,” said Paul Skinner, co-founder of the Asparagus Festival.

“They mow down the frozen stalks and new ones replace them within 24 hours, as long as it’s warm enough. So the show goes on.”

Michigan is the third-largest producer of asparagus in the United States behind California and Washington, producing up to 25 million pounds per year.

This was a fact that was repeated often during the Asparagus Festival.

Skinner went on to say the festival is a way “to celebrate the arrival of spring, support local agriculture, restaurants, vintners and brewers.”

A wide variety of asparagus-based items were offered at the festival including beer, wine, pizza, soups and bread. Deep-fried asparagus was also popular among the attendees.

Events at the festival included an asparagus recipe cook-off; a non-motorized, asparagus-themed parade and a children’s asparagus hat-making table.

Not only is asparagus a versatile vegetable for cooking, it is one of the most nutritious vegetables grown. Health benefits include heart health, folic acid to prevent birth defects, it helps treat arthritis and asthma.

Asparagus also helps prevent the formation of cancerous tumors and cataracts.