Ramps 1 (2016)

This weekend I decided to pick some Ramps. At this point they are still young, excellent as cooked vegetable. They can be used as addition to veggie sups or mixed with other wild greens ( Chicory, Dandelion, Nettle) as a simple side dish. Cook for 5-6 min, add some olive oil and salt. That's it! My favorite chef uses ramps in many inventive and delicious ways.


As the first wild edible showing in the wide range of woods in Eastern Canada, it is very popular and sought after. Greed and reckless harvesting diminished this plant considerably. Some great information can be found here. Taking all that into account there are some rules that I always apply when digging Ramps, and I think everybody should consider at least some of them.




  • Never take more than 10% of the growth from any patch

  • Always dig in the middle of the patch; don't disturb edges - they are used to propagate and expand given patch

  • Try to cover digging spot and return them into original state as much as possible

  • Never touch small patches (less then 3 meters in diameter); they can disappear completely


 

[caption id="attachment_1041" align="alignnone" width="3264"]DSCN3278 Prime for consumption as cooked vegetable[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1042" align="alignnone" width="3264"]DSCN3279 Decent size patch[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1043" align="alignnone" width="3264"]DSCN3280 Another nice patch[/caption]

I was visited by Turkey Vulture while exploring the area.

[caption id="attachment_1074" align="alignnone" width="1471"]DSCN3281 Turkey Vulture[/caption]

After digging several handfuls, I washed them at the nearby creek


DSCN3282


There were some smaller patches right besides creek, but I did not touch them.


DSCN3284


Back home additional washing and cleaning was done.


DSCN3285


After 5 min cooking, left to cool down.


DSCN3286


Final result - several freezer bags of cooked Ramps.


DSCN3287


The next would be pickling Ramps. For that I wait till green part starts to die and bulbs are big ansd succulent, somwhere at the end of May.

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