Ramps

[Skip]

I live in northern WV and my ramp patch is coming up big time , early for this neck of the woods .  ;D

[Don P]

I haven't even looked for them yet, everything is running early here, pears blooming this week.

I was hauling groceries from area farms to a distribution center several years ago. I had a light load one evening so too the Honda suv rather than the box truck, yup full of ramps ~75 lbs amongst the eggs and other stuff. AC on full blast for cooling. My nose was pretty much numb by the time I was heading back when I decided to stop at Lowes for some supplies. People started backing up :D.

[DDW_OR]

I am in the West, and have NO idea what you are talking about ??? ??? ???

to me Ramps are what you use to load ATV's onto trailers, or logs onto saw mills

[Skip]

Ramps are a wild cross between an onion and garlic only milder . Around here ya either love or hate em . High end restaurants pay big money for them. Lots of festivals here for ramps . Got a big patch on the hill behind the house , don't sell mine I love em with scrambled eggs ,  ;D Some claim they are strong when you sweat . :

[btulloh]

Sounds like we just call wild onions. Never ate any, but they are prolific here. Pretty small bulbs on the ones here. Hard to control in the yard also. 

[DDW_OR]

ok. send me some seedlings.

I love Onions and Garlic

recipe for garlic pull-a-parts
In the group i camp with in AZ, one of the ladies came up with this.

10 inch cast iron skillet
1/2 to 2/3 stick butter
2 to 3 tablespoons pre-diced garlic in a jar
Grands original biscuits, the other flavors do not work as good.

place garlic and butter in skillet on cook top
cook till garlic just turns brown
remove skillet from heat

cut biscuit rounds into quarters
pack quarters into skillet till full
place skillet in oven
cook till brown

place plate up-side-down onto skillet
turn over
remove skillet

we call it Crack-bread. it might make it one trip around the camp fire

[Raider Bill]

I sent a steer to the slaughter house. They were running behind so they turned him out in a field for a few days.
Ramps were just coming ripe so olbuttercup dined on them the whole time.
All the meat had a onion/garlic flavor. To me it was great to some disgusting.

[Skip]

Ramps and wild onions are two different things .

[pabst79]

We call them wild leeks, although the flavor IMO is stronger and more garlic-ish, snowed a couple inches today, but I bet in 2 weeks I can find some down by the river bottom. Anyone have any recipes for them outside of raw?

[Chuck White]

They're called leeks here too!

With the mild weather we've been having lately, they should be poking up through the leaves!

Won't be a very big bulb on the root yet, but they would still be tasty!

Early on, we enjoy them on a bread and butter sandwich with a sprinkle of salt!

Later when the bulb gets large, we will dig them for cooking or canning!

All in all, we like leeks!

[KEC]

Leeks are great to add to goulash or spaghetti sauce. I used to freeze some and use them this way.

[Chuck White]

Leeks are good in cooking, but to me they get too mild once they're cooked and don't add as much flavor as a good yellow onion!

I like them canned, my one of my brothers does a good job canning!

Just a few weeks ago I finished up the last pint he canned last year!

[Raider Bill]

Ramps are not leeks

Everything You?ve Always Wanted to Know About Ramps - Eater

[thecfarm]

So ramps are kinda like grits. Not much of them in the Frozen North.  ;D

[btulloh]

Ramps are not leeks

Everything You?ve Always Wanted to Know About Ramps - Eater

Thanks for that info. 
Indeed, wild onions are a way different thing than ramps. No ramps around here that I know of. 

[Chuck White]

The only reason that I can see for ramps not being the same as leeks is due to the fact that they're spelled differently!  ;)

Everything You?ve Always Wanted to Know About Ramps - Eater

The pictures of Ramps look exactly like Leeks!

[Don P]

That is correct, I asked da boss :D, some people know ramps as wild leeks. The joy of common names .

[Skip]

If they had a leek festival No one would come .    ???  :D  People here wouldn't know what you were talking about . 

[Chuck White]

I got on my little tractor and drove over back, just to see if they were starting to pop up yet!

Well, they were just coming up through the leaves and I just happened to have my trusty garden trowel with me, so I dug a handful, just enough for one sandwich samich!

I got back to the house, cleaned them, made my samich and ate it!  It was delish!

They're not quite "full-flavored" yet!

[Skip]

Had some with scrambled eggs and fried taters this morning  ;D . The only bad thing was wife got 2 ticks on her when digging them up  >:( . Gonna be good year for ramps , bad year for ticks .

[Ron Scott]

This is Ramp season in West Virginia. Attended the annual Ramp Festivals when we lived in Richwood, WVA. They were cooked in bacon grease, but got a liking for them in scrambled eggs and in soups.

Many were picked on the Monongahela National Forest, but most of the popular Ramp Festivals are being cancelled this spring.

[Skip]

I like em on pizza too ! ;D Gonna try to put some up this year . :P

[petefrom bearswamp]

Well shut my mouth, all these years I guess I have been eating ramps and didnt know it.
We make potato Ramp or leek if you prefer soup, yum.
Also great pickled.
Sauteed with a good rib eye, or venison loin
I over harvested from my woods from 2000 to 2009, they are just recovered enough now to dig some more.

[Chuck White]

Pete; the thing to remember is that when you find a clump of leeks, make sure to leave a couple and they will replenish the spot!

After I get done cleaning a batch, I take the roots over to the edge of my yard and scatter them around and "lightly" bury them, they won't all grow, but some will!

Works sort of like horseradish, when digging it, remove the top (the green part) and bury it and it will grow a new root!

[WV Sawmiller]

   I ran into a young family friend at the grocery store today and asked him about his parents who are our age. He said they were fine and his dad had him shopping for items so his mom could make him a Ramp casserole. I told him if more people ate ramps social distancing would have been automatic a long time ago. :D