Looking for Ramps (Wild Garlic)

[happy thoughts]

That's interesting,because I have replanted them with very little success. They take. But they do not spread or multiple at all. I like your tip about the seeds. I'm guessing my transplant site is inferior.

I found this brief article today on cultivating ramps based on research from North Carolina State. Ramps have always been a favored spring food in Appalachia. They are not the easiest to cultivate and take a few years to establish if you're successful. There's info on both starting from seed and establishing transplants. A moist rich sugar maple woods makes an ideal habitat but time of seeding or transplanting is also important.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/hil/hil-133.html

@ sugar warrior. Your soup sounds delish. I'm going to try and tweak it today and make a cream version. Thanks for the recipe

[RileySugarbush]

If anyone in MN wants to dig some to start in their woods, I'd be happy to donate some. Contact by PM if you are interested.

[madmapler]

Ramp Pesto recipe as promised.http://food52.com/recipes/4341-wild-ramp-pesto This is the one we use but there are several recipes online.

[Brokermike]

They are also wicked good carmelized with bacon on homeade pizza. I picked some on Wednesday and killed a nice turkey on Thursday to cook up with them

[madmapler]

First of all "way to go" Mike. Secondly is my story. Today I really was the "Madmapler". My sugar bush is a few miles down the road from me and I pass by it daily. I've been seeing an old van parked there over the past few days and I figured it was a Turkey hunter. A few locals pick ramps there on occasion as well. Today I went down to finish pulling some taps and the van was there and sure enough I saw a guy on the hillside digging up Ramps. Then I saw another guy and then another. Then I saw another guy coming down the trail with a large clothes basket on his shoulder packed full of ramps. I knew they were'nt locals because they "no speaka englais very goot". "Un ------- believable"! There was a whole crew of them in there and they were digging up everything in sight! I mean they were leaving nothing but tilled soil and trash in their wake. Man did I flip out! I told them I leased the land (I do sorta) and to get the ------ out! Then I went down to the farm to alert the guy who owns the land. We went out on his front yard and looked up the road toward them and they were literally running back and forth from the woods with full baskets and cramming them in the van. He's not the confrontational type so, with his "blessing" I went back up there and finished my little tirade. Its one thing to pick some for yourself but these guys were doing it commercially without offering anything to the landowner. They were stealing and trashing his property. I looked in the van before they took off and they had clothes baskets piled on top of each other. He did'nt want to call the police and thats his choice. I'm just afraid now that he's going to be dealing with a lot of this. These guys were from down toward Springfield, Mass. and who knows who else is going to be in there. Like I said in a previous post, if you find a spot, don't let it get around.

[happy thoughts]

Sean, that is such a shame. I wish your friend was more willing to file charges. It takes many years for a stand to establish itself. I hope there are enough left to regenerate themselves. I think the article I posted yesterday said not to harvest more than 15% of the stand/year. Unfortunatetly, ramps have become very fashionable and no longer considered just fit for hillbillies. I have seen them sold online for between $15-$35 / pound. Wild stands don't stand a chance with prices like that. They're going to go the way of quinoa which has become so expensive the native people that used it as a major food staple can no longer afford it. That's only if there are any left to survive.

Thanks for the pesto recipe. I'm going to make some this week. I have some frozen hickory nuts and am thinking of using them in place of the walnuts. Luckily my stand is deep in my property where they would not be easy to see from the road.

[madmapler]

Fortunately there is a good abundance on that hillside but that can change in a hurry. I've tried to make him aware of what he has there with the hope that he'll do something to protect the area. There are some that are visible from the road which could draw people in. I think after today he may be starting to get the idea. I'm afraid Ramps are going the way of the Fiddleheads and Morels. I had my own spots for years and now its a competition to get in there before someone else does. It tends to take the fun out of it. It's not supposed to be stressful.

[Yellzee]

Harvested a small chunk today and Had some ramp and vegetable soup. Not too strong but nice taste to it. Tomorrow is ramp and potato soup. They are a decent size now