OAKTOWN, Ind. — Indiana is home to only one commercial asparagus operation, which is nestled just off U.S. 41 near the Knox-Sullivan County line.

This time of year, weather permitting, a migrant labor force at Melon Acres hand-picks the crop and cleans, sorts, bundles and packs 1,700 pounds of asparagus per hour, seven days a week, during the six- to eight-week season. Robert Atkinson, who oversees the process, said the growing season for asparagus typically lasts from the first of April to the end of May.

“After asparagus, we go to cucumbers, then sweet corn, cantaloupes and watermelons,” he said. “We incorporate soybeans, seed corn and regular cash grain crops.”

Atkinson explained that there are 40-45 workers who pick the asparagus and 25 who work in the packing shed. The field workers, each wielding a slightly forked “asparagus knife” with sharpened edges, walk the length of the fields and back, filling portable baskets slung over their shoulders.

“They walk 120 acres every day,” Atkinson said. “Everything is picked by hand.”

The workers use the forked end of the knife to cut the asparagus out of the ground; if a stalk is too long to fit in their baskets, they use the knife edge to chop it off. When their baskets are full, they unload them into larger containers, called “lugs,” on a wagon bed pulled along behind them by a tractor.

Once the tractor driver has a wagon load of asparagus, he drives it to an overhead irrigation system and parks underneath. A cool shower over the wagon gets the field heat out of the crop and rinses off any sand, according to Atkinson. From there, the harvested asparagus is moved into a forced-air cooler, where it’s cooled to 38 degrees in 93 percent humidity, he said.

“Warm asparagus will lose weight faster than cool asparagus,” Atkinson said, adding that cooling is a critical part of the process so buyers don’t get lightweight, desiccated produce. “When we box a shipment, we put in a quarter pound extra just so it won’t be short at the receiver’s end.”

When the asparagus has cooled enough to pack, it’s unloaded by hand onto a conveyor belt that rolls it through a wash unit. “The asparagus is actually tumbled inside the wash unit – or turned – so that all sides are washed,” Atkinson said.

Grading the asparagus

Workers along the next section of the conveyor belt cull out crooked spears and align the remaining asparagus on the belt. Every spear gets a “butt cut” and is placed into an individual cup on the conveyor, which carries them under a vision system at a rate of 12 spears per second. Atkinson said he programs the system to grade the asparagus spears by length and diameter.

After grading, the machine drops asparagus spears into chutes until there’s 1 pound of nearly identical spears in a chute. A laborer grabs the 1-pound bunch of spears and drops it into a cup that holds it in a circular bundle. A partner places a rubber band around the top and bottom of each bundle to prepare it for boxing.

“We tell the machine what chutes to put what diameter in so everything in a bundle is the same diameter and length,” Atkinson explained.

He said the equipment used at Melon Acres was imported from New Zealand and is specific to the asparagus production industry.

The bundled asparagus is packed in 11-pound boxes for restaurants and 28-pound boxes for wholesalers. The boxed asparagus then goes back into the forced-air cooler to maintain the temperature, he added.

Melon Acres doesn’t transport the produce, according to Atkinson. He said trucking companies pick it up and deliver it to places like Cincinnati, Indianapolis and St. Louis. The produce also can be ordered in 3-, 6-, 12- and 27-pound packages via the Internet at www.getfreshasparagus.com

Atkinson said orders placed by 2 p.m. are picked, packed and shipped that day. Fed Ex will make ground deliveries in about eight surrounding states by 5 p.m. the next day at a reasonable prices, he said, adding that prices will be higher for weekend and longer-distance deliveries.

“We can take it directly to the customer at very reasonable prices with the Internet,” Atkinson said. “I can ship a 27-pound box to Chicago for $8.”

In addition, local individuals or restaurant owners can stop by the packing shed between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. to purchase asparagus. It can even be purchased by the bundle if they wish, according to Atkinson.

Indiana’s lone commercial asparagus producer tracks its crop with serial numbers on each box shipped out. According to Atkinson, it’s merely a safeguard, in case there are problems despite their food-safety precautions.

He said food safety is crucial in the produce industry, and Melon Acres trains its labor force on personal hygiene and requires packing shed workers to wear hairnets and aprons.

Melon Acres history

According to www.melonacres.com, the operation – founded in 1976 by Abner Horrall and sons – is dedicated to providing high quality, value-added produce to its customers.

The website also states that Melon Acres uses good agricultural practices (GAPs) to maximize quality and safety while minimizing environmental impact.

Asparagus was added to the Melon Acres operation in 2000, according to Atkinson, when the first crop of asparagus roots was planted.

“You have to wait to harvest it the second year,” he said, so the farm’s first crop wasn’t harvested until 2001. “You don’t go into full production even the second or third year.”

At the end of a growing season, the asparagus is allowed to “fern out.” Atkinson said that recharges the root system. Rye seed is spread in the fall, he said, as a cover crop to keep the sandy soil in place. In January or February, when everything is dried and dormant, the fields are mowed.

“Mike (Horrall) believes that the sandy soil is very suitable for asparagus production,” Atkinson said, although California and Washington are the top asparagus-production states, with Michigan in third place.

Melon Acres raises the New Jersey Giant, New Jersey Supreme and Purple Passion varieties. This is the first year for the operation to try a purple variety. Atkinson said the purple varieties are supposed to taste sweeter than the green ones. He believes a “very, very sensitive palate” would be necessary to taste the difference, though.

Atkinson claims a couple of tried-and-true methods for preparing asparagus. He suggests placing a half-inch of water in the bottom of a skillet, bringing it to a boil and placing the asparagus spears in the boiling water for three minutes. He said steaming also is an option.

“Personally, I think the best way to eat it is tender-crunchy,” he said. “A lot of people tend to over-cook it until it’s mushy and has no flavor.”

He recommends eating the cooked asparagus with butter and salt and pepper, butter and Parmesan cheese, or a lemon-butter sauce.