If you’re not having ramps for supper tonight, you’re probably not in West Virginia!
Here between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Alleghenies
late April and early May is the season for ramps. This simple twin leaved member of the onion
family creates a big stir this time of year.
Called wild garlic or wild leeks, Allium Tricoccum is an Appalachian
delicacy. Its garlicky odor is famously
pungent, but its bright spring flavors are prized. Cooked, the little bulbs taste sweet and
oniony, while the leaves are like scallions or chives.
Like a fisherman who doesn’t care to share his favorite
trout pool, or a morel hunter who keeps secret that special spot under the oaks,
anyone who discovers a colony of ramps holds that knowledge very close, divulging
the precise location to only a trusted few.
Ramps require a very particular habitat, the moist rich
soils of the Appalachian hardwood forests.
From Georgia all the way up through Maine, ramps can be found, usually
at altitudes of at least 3,000 feet, though in colder climates it can be
lower. Where the environment is just
right, ramps thrive and can spread into substantial colonies.
The trick with ramps is that the best environments tend
to be the least accessible. And the
growing season is a brief four or five weeks.
So foraging for ramps requires dedication and timing. Collecting ramps in the wild also calls for
moderation. Conservation groups urge
foragers to take only 5 to 10 percent of the ramps in a colony. The best rule of thumb may be to harvest only
the largest ramps in a clump, since for the colony to remain vigorous most of
the plants should be allowed to mature and go to seed.
For most of us, enjoying the culinary delights of ramps requires
foraging at a local farmer’s market or seeking out one of the many regional ramps
festivals. But don’t delay, the season
of the ramp is here!
More about ramps:
http://www.wildedible.com/wild-food-guide/ramps
http://wellpreserved.ca/preserving-spring-wild-leeks-or-ramps/
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/dining/20forage.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
West Virginia Ramp Feasts and festivals:
http://wvexplorer.com/recreation/agritourism/ramp-feasts-festivals/
http://www.kingofstink.com/
More about ramps:
http://www.wildedible.com/wild-food-guide/ramps
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/dining/20forage.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
West Virginia Ramp Feasts and festivals:
http://wvexplorer.com/recreation/agritourism/ramp-feasts-festivals/
http://www.kingofstink.com/
