Purple and green asparagus shoots popping out of farm fields are a sure sign that spring has arrived on the North Fork.
At Wells Homestead Acres in Aquebogue, the harvest is in full swing on more than 50 acres that will be distributed to farm stands, restaurants and grocers from the East End to Manhattan.
Farmer Matt Wells is carrying on a generations-old tradition on land that has been in his family since the 1600s.
Last year, he and his siblings sold the development rights to 11.16 acres of farmland along Phillips Lane to ensure the land is preserved as farmland — something they said their late father, Lyle, would have wanted.
They continue to grow asparagus and round out the season with other crops like squash, zucchini and cut flowers.
Spend a minute with us harvesting the springtime crop:
