There is a week every May when northern Michigan smells different. Not the cherry blossoms, which come slightly earlier and soften everything. This is something more specific: the wet-earth smell of fields that have been cold all winter and are finally warm enough to push something through. Asparagus. The first green thing after a long winter, as one local farmer’s 89-year-old mother once put it. She was right. Nothing tastes more like spring up here than a bunch of stalks pulled from the ground that morning and steamed before dinner.
Why Northern Michigan Grows Such Good Asparagus
The sandy, well-drained glacial soils along the Lake Michigan shoreline from Benzie County north through Leelanau County are among the best asparagus-growing soils in the country. The same lake effect that moderates temperatures for the cherry orchards creates a late, cool spring that slows the asparagus crowns just long enough to develop flavor before the warm May days push them up fast. The result is a short, intense season of exceptional quality, typically running from around May 10 through late June depending on the year’s weather, particularly the nighttime temperatures that govern how quickly the spears grow.
The farmers who grow it here have often been at it for generations, tending beds that their parents or grandparents started, and the knowledge of when to pick, how to handle, and where to sell is deep and local in a way that does not transfer easily to other places or other crops.
Norconk Farm: The Name You Will Hear First
Ask anyone in the region where to get local asparagus and the first answer is almost always Norconk Farm. Harry Norconk is a third-generation farmer who started growing asparagus in 1978 and has become, alongside his wife Barbara, one of the most recognized names in northern Michigan agriculture. His fields sit on the edge of the Lake Michigan dunes on the border of Benzie and Leelanau counties, between Empire and Honor, and the quality of what comes out of that ground is the reason chefs across the region have been waiting by their phones in May for decades.
Norconk sells fresh, which means the asparagus you buy from him was in the ground that morning. He covers the pickup bed with wet sheets to keep the stems cool on the 40-minute drive to Traverse City. That is the standard of freshness you are getting.
You can find Norconk asparagus at:
• The farm stand at 10004 Aral Road, Honor (three miles south of Empire on M-22, turn left on Aral Road). Open 8am to 8pm daily from approximately May 10 through June 20. U-pick is available at the farm.
• The Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market in Traverse City on Wednesdays and Saturdays throughout the season.
• Oleson’s Food Stores in Traverse City during peak season.
Harris Farm: The Wooden Stand on Indian Hill Road
Just down the road from Norconk, the Harris Farm stand on Indian Hill Road near Honor is one of those northern Michigan landmarks that people build their spring routines around. The iconic wooden roadside stand under a shady grove of trees is where many locals make their first asparagus stop of the season, and the Harris family has been part of the regional asparagus tradition for years. Along with asparagus in the spring, the farm produces hydroponic tomatoes, sweet corn, pumpkins, and other vegetables through the summer and fall season.
The Empire Asparagus Festival: Saturday, June 6, 2026
Every year in early June, the village of Empire, Michigan throws a festival that is exactly as cheerful and specific as it sounds. The Empire Asparagus Festival is a one-day celebration on Front Street with food, live music, community events, and more asparagus than most people encounter in an entire summer. In 2026 it falls on Saturday, June 6th.
The day runs from 10am to 6pm and includes:
• The Kick-Yer Assparagus 5K Fun Run/Walk at 10am, with all registered runners receiving a Kick-Yer Asparagus t-shirt. Registration is available in advance online.
• The Asparagus Recipe Contest at noon in the Township Hall on Front Street. Cooks of all skill levels are invited to enter their best asparagus creation.
• Ode to Asparagus at 2pm at the Glen Lake Community Library, where the library invites poets of all ages to submit and read asparagus-inspired work. One of the more delightfully specific traditions on the northern Michigan event calendar.
• Miss Asparagus on Stilts from 2 to 4pm.
• A Children’s Magic Show with Gordon Russ at 3pm.
• Asparagus Eats all day from noon to 6pm on Front Street, with food vendors, local breweries, and live music throughout the afternoon.
Admission is $10, with children under 16 free, with proceeds benefiting the Empire Area Chamber of Commerce. The festival is organized with a zero-waste commitment in partnership with Bay Area Recycling for Community, and food vendors are vetted to use locally sourced ingredients wherever possible.
Empire itself is worth the drive even without the asparagus. Nestled at the edge of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the village sits at one of the most beautiful intersections of farmland and shoreline in the state. A festival day here includes the option of a short walk to the overlook or the beach, which is not something most food festivals can offer.
What to Do With It: Two Simple Recipes
The best asparagus you will eat in your life is the asparagus you buy from a farm stand on the way home and cook that evening. No elaborate preparation required. Here are two ways to let the ingredient do its job.
Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Parmesan
This is the one that converts people who think they do not like asparagus. The high heat caramelizes the tips, the lemon cuts the earthiness, and the Parmesan adds just enough salt and fat to make the whole thing irresistible.
• 1 pound fresh asparagus, woody ends snapped off
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and fresh black pepper
• Zest and juice of half a lemon
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Spread the asparagus on a sheet pan in a single layer and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes until the spears are tender and the tips have started to brown and crisp at the edges. Pull from the oven, hit immediately with the lemon zest and juice, and scatter the Parmesan over the top. Serve right from the pan.
Asparagus, Morel, and Egg Scramble
Morels and asparagus arrive at the same time in northern Michigan, and pairing them is one of those seasonal combinations that feels inevitable once you have tried it. This is a simple breakfast or dinner dish that tastes like the best week of the year.
• 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup fresh morel mushrooms, cleaned and halved (or a small handful of dried, rehydrated)
• 4 large eggs, beaten with a splash of cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh chives or thyme, if you have them
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus pieces and cook for 3 minutes until they begin to soften but still have a little bite. Add the morels and cook another 2 minutes, letting them release their liquid. Season everything with salt and pepper. Pour in the egg mixture and cook gently, stirring slowly with a spatula, until the eggs are just set and still slightly creamy. Finish with fresh herbs if you have them. Eat immediately with good bread.
You Know You Are Here When the Farm Stands Open
The Foerster Group has helped families, retirees, and investors find their place in northern Michigan, and we have noticed that the people who settle most completely into this region are the ones who learn its seasonal rhythms. The asparagus stands opening on M-22 in mid-May is one of those rhythms. It is not a tourist attraction. It is just what happens here when the weather turns, the same way it has happened here for decades, and learning to expect it and look forward to it is one of the small ways that a place stops being somewhere you visit and starts being somewhere you live.
When you are ready to find your place in it, we are here.