INNISFAIL – Springtime means it's asparagus time.
The Asparagus Festival returned to Edgar Farms near Innisfail after a three-year absence.
The festival kicked off with plenty of sunshine and visitors at the end of May and ran three consecutive Sundays on May 27, June 3 and June 10.
“We’re really thrilled at the number of people that have come out,” said Elna Edgar, who is co-owner of the farm with husband Doug. “When you put on an event like this, you just don’t know (the outcome). You plan and you hope. People have come out and we’re really happy,” she added.
Asparagus is one of the first crops of the season in Alberta, said Edgar, adding it was nice to see many visitors return after the devastating hail storm that destroyed much of the asparagus crops in 2014 and put the festival on hold indefinitely.
“It’s been a long time coming back, but we didn’t give up,” said Edgar. “We have been producing (asparagus) all these years, but it’s been very slow and painful.”
With the warm spring, they have been pleasantly surprised with the amount of asparagus produced this year alone.
“We’re a little astounded as well. This new field has been producing really well with this heat,” said Edgar.
A number of returning vendors took part in the festival this year, which also included a farmers' market, wagon rides, games and activities for kids, face painting, food trucks, and of course, plenty of asparagus to enjoy.
“We have Innisfail chef Matt Burton, with Your Private Chef. He’s cooking up asparagus dishes. We’re doing narrated wagon rides to the field and we’ve also got a walking tour set up to the field. It’s over a kilometre long,” explained Edgar. “We’ve got all kinds of kids activities as well.”
One visitor happy to see the return of the festival was Okotoks' Beth Atkinson.
“It’s my second time here. Ten years ago it was much smaller and I’m glad to see it’s grown,” said Atkinson, noting the variety of vendors and a wagon ride she took to the asparagus field.
“I’m glad to see it came back after 2014,” she added.
Edgar Farms has a country store that is open seven days a week during the asparagus season.
“It’s not just (open) during the festival. People come out all the time and pick up the freshest asparagus,” said Edgar. “We’re also at the Innisfail farmers' markets at the Innisfail Growers booth.”
