Monday, May 14, 2012

What I Like About Ramps


Wahhhhhh!

Tell me all the things I wanna hear, 'cause that's true, that's what I like about ramps, yeah.

Ok, enough riffing with the Romantics. Ramps. What I truly like about them is their earthy flavor, bordering on the taste of woodland humus, their mild sting, and the delicate fruit undertones in the stem and leaves. That's what I like about ramps. Hey! Uh huhuh.

*everyones got them now, and at $3 a bundle, they're even cheaper than previous years. I often wonder from where these are being pulled and if there is much habitat damage in the process.


4 comments:

  1. Yes! They are suddenly cheap, except for the ones I bought in a store in my hood - the horrible, angry Union Market. I also wonder where they come from, and for how long.

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  2. Thought you might be interested in this:

    http://www.kansas.com/2012/04/23/2309990/ramps-aka-wild-onions-have-been.html

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Terri for that link, but I wonder if the answer has some misconceptions. I think ramps, the tricoccum, are a woodland plant. That's why they are harvested in Eastern mountains. The field onions she is thinking of could be allium vineale, known to invade pastures and lawns, and can flavor milk. Of course, there's also allium canadense, or wild onion.

      I think ramps are closest to what are known in the Europe as Ramsons, which I believe also need shade to grow. Seeds are available.

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If I do not respond to your comment right away, it is only because I am busy pulling out buckthorn, creeping charlie, and garlic mustard...