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Ramps....the woods are full of them!

16 years ago

It's that time of year again. I could gather buckets of wild ramps every day and still have enough for all of you! LOL

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"Wild Leeks" (another name for them) are so delicate and flavorful. We use them in omelets most often, but I have a recipe for Ramp & Buttermilk Biscuits with Cracked Coriander that I want to try this week.

Does anyone else use ramps? What do you make with them?

(Now if I could only find some morels like my neighbor always does...)

Linda

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Comments (22)

tmd15
16 years ago
I have a neighbor who is originally from W. Virginia. He introduced me to Ramps years ago and grows them in his yard. Last week, he gave me a bag full of them and I will probably saute them with potatoes. I have used them in in just about any chicken dish that I've made that calls for onions and garlic and I once made a ramp and horseradish cream cheese dip with bacon and bleu cheese. I really enjoy them; just wish the season were longer!
annie1992
16 years ago
I haven't been anywhere to find any this year, but I use them in place of leeks in potato soup.

Annie
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sheshebop
16 years ago
Until I started posting here, I had never of a ramp. I wouldn't know what one looked like to find them. Wish I was up your way, Linda, so I could try some.
doucanoe
Original Author
16 years ago
C'mon over, Sherry! We'll go "ramp diggin'"! LOL

You probably have them out by you. I'll try to take a photo of them growing so maybe you can identify some on your property.

Linda
claire_de_luna
16 years ago
I've never had ramps but they sound right up my alley. I'm always happy to eat anything in the leek or onion family! Do they grow in the shade? Since I don't know where to find them around here, does anyone know of a source so I could plant some?
jude31
16 years ago
Lord have mercy! In a county nearby me, in Cosby, TN, there's a Ramp Festival every year. I've never tasted them, but I've heard so many reports that they literally reek as does whoever eats them. Maybe they're stronger tasting in Tennessee. Most interesting!....Me..I've never tasted them nor had any desire to until now.LOL

jude
claire_de_luna
16 years ago
I wonder if they would be good with fiddlehead ferns? I have plenty of those right now, although I prefer my clumps were a little more established before they were eaten.
doucanoe
Original Author
16 years ago
Claire, they grow in the woods here, and our soil is quite heavy, lots of clay.

I would be happy to send you some seeds later on if you'd like to try planting some. You'll have to remind me to go gather some, tho.

Jude, they are very mild flavored. Maybe they are stronger in the south, I dunno.

Linda
althetrainer
16 years ago
Wow, I have never seen these before. I don't use leeks because they are expensive in the grocery store. If I could get them wild for free, I definitely would try them! :-)

Al
kframe19
16 years ago
Of course the woods are full of ramps. Where else would the little woodland creatures do their death defying aerial tricks?
doucanoe
Original Author
16 years ago
Here are some pix of what they look like growing in the woods.

Al, these are small, about the size of a scallion. But packed with flavor!

I put my foot in the picture so you could get a perspective on the size of the plant.

(Click on the photos to enlarge)

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Also, notice the grass growing next to the ramp plant...

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And from a distance...

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Linda
marys1000
16 years ago
Wow - I'm with Al. Never heard of them but good to know. Wish I owned some woods. Maybe some day!
So...how long does the season last?
Do they flower or bolt or do something that would let you know on later walks where to go next spring?
pkramer60
16 years ago
I have heard of them and other here head for the forest preserves to gather them, but I was never positive enough to dig them. I think on the way home I will stop and grab some to try. I did look last year, but was nervous.

Linda, are they usually near water or moist areas?
BeverlyAL
16 years ago
I would really like to try them, just to afraid of picking and eating the wrong thing. No one here eats them that I know of.
Rusty
16 years ago
From kframe:
"Of course the woods are full of ramps. Where else would the little woodland creatures do their death defying aerial tricks?"

LOL! Now we know.

Rusty
lpinkmountain
16 years ago
There are lots of types of wild onions. Not much that is poisonous looks like an onion bulb, so I wouldn't worry too much about eating them if they looked like an onion so unless you just eat whatever weed you pulled up willy nilly, they are an easy food to forage. Plus they smell like onion, it's pretty obvious what they are. I'm not an onion fan, but I have tons in my yard.
arley_gw
16 years ago
Larry Groce, of 'Junk Food Junkie' fame, is the host of 'Mountain Stage'; he also wrote a song several years ago, (The Ramp Song) in which he extols the virtue of those wild onions. Can't find it either on YouTube or anywhere else.

IMHO they're nasty, and are nuisance in a yard--but maybe I've never had them prepared well.
doucanoe
Original Author
16 years ago
Marys1000, they are one of the first green things to show up in the spring, and if I recall we can usually dig them for about a month and then the foliage dies back.

They do have a fairly non-descript flower that once it fades produces the prettiest little seeds! They look like beebees made of broze or gunmetal.

Most of ours do grow within 100-200 feet of a marshy area, but thee are a few scattered about in the drier soil. But all are in the shade of the woods.

Arley....tell us how you really feel! LOL

Linda
lakeguy35
16 years ago
I've never had them and not sure if they grow down here or not. I'd give them a try if I had a source. Enjoy Linda!

David
pkramer60
16 years ago
Crap! I just read on a local cooking forum that it is illegal to pick/dig them in the county forest preserves. But they tell me Whole Paycheck has them and Hmart is selling them as "wild garlic".
doucanoe
Original Author
16 years ago
Peppi, I'd be interested to know what they sell them for. I read a while back that restaurants will pay top dollar for ramps!

Wild Garlic?....they're way more like an onion than garlic!

Linda
BeverlyAL
16 years ago
We must not have those here. Our wild onions look nothing like that.

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