Some people claim to cook with them, but I find them tasteless. Go to your ramp patch in the late summer, after the flowers have formed, and find the seed heads. Shake the little black seeds into a container, and bring them with you to plant the next year. You can also smush them into the ground in the late summer or fall when they would fall naturally. The easiest method. Go to a coop, farmers market, or your favorite ramp patch, dig some up, leaving as many of the roots attached as possible, and plant them in a shady spot in your yard.
The rumors are true. With ramps you dig or buy, you can take the cut roots and plant them directly in a shady spot and they can grow. Ramp roots. Ramps have more than just bulbs and leaves.
These additional parts are not mentioned by many other authors, and are also sustainable things to harvest, and a good reason to come check on your ramp patch to get other things later in the season like mushrooms.
Various allium scapes, with two species of ramp scapes in the middle. Wild onion bulbils are similar inside the garlic scapes. Scapes will begin to come up after the leaves have died back, a good way to know when to look for them is when other alliums in your area like garlic have started to form their scapes.
In Minnesota and Wisconsin where I live and hunt, this is in mid June. Ramp scapes will come up first. Unripe green ramp seeds are something not a lot of people talk about, but they can be gathered easily without a shovel, and have the same strong rampy flavor you know and love. Ramp flowers make a delicious addition to just about anything, and will keep in the fridge for a week or more.
First, fill a large sink with cold water—better yet, a bucket outside, since dirt can and will clog your sink. Take your ramps and set them out on towels or something to cool, as they have probably been in your car in bags or something and might be a bit warm if you have just picked them from the wild. Using a paring knife, cut off just the root end of each ramp, leaving as much of the oniony bulb on them as possible. Also inspect each of the leaves to make sure there are no yellowed or slimy parts, you want to trim those off.
Now wash the ramps thoroughly in the cold water, then dry. Next, trim the leaves off of each ramp where the green stem turns into oniony bulb and put the leaves into a paper bag or other container with a small moist towel or paper towel this will keep them fresh and store them in your fridge.
You'll also want to make sure the blade is at least three or four inches so you can easily reach the root without disturbing the soil. If you insist on digging the root, use a hori hori knife to minimize impact. Backpack or shoulder bag I usually put a few plastic grocery bags in a backpack and then load a bag or two with ramps before putting them in my pack, which helps keeps the dirt out of the pack.
The most sustainable way to harvest ramps is to cut only one leaf, leaving the bulb and second leaf to continue growing. This is least impactful on the soil, the plant, and the colony as a whole. The leaves, in my opinion are the best part, anyway, and taking only leaves is the best way to ensure the colony will remain viable.
Sustainably harvested ramp. If you insist on taking bulbs, please dig sustainably with a knife: Simply insert your knife into the dirt at an angle and slice off a third or so of the root, leaving it in the ground to re-grow.
Then pull the rest of the plant out by its stems. It will take a little practice to get a feel for where to put the knife. You can also gently pull back the dirt from around the bulb so you can see where you're cutting. If you do this, make sure to pull back just enough dirt to expose a little bit of the bulb and re-cover the roots after cutting.
I find that when I overzealously harvest, it makes more work for me in the long run, because some ramps will inevitably go bad before I can get to them. There's not much more disgusting than the smell of past-their-prime ramps. And a few ramps go a long way so there's no need to stockpile them. Even though we practice sustainable harvest, I'm afraid the ever-inceasing demand will eclipse the slow procreation.
So we've been looking into the possibility of cultivating our own ramps. I've always heard they'll survive almost anywhere in our Southern Appalachian region but will only propagate above feet here. We've successfully transplanted ramps that come back each year but our little patch hasn't spread it's below ft.
Davis, ramps can be transplanted and cultivated from seed at much lower elevations. Apparently, it takes some effort to germinate seeds when climes are warmer than ideal, but it can be done. And once a good patch is established, it supposedly requires little maintenance.
Ramps are only in season for a month or so, but, for us, getting them is only half the problem. I usually come back from a good ramping trip with enough for us to eat fresh before they go bad with a little extra to keep for eating later I rarely go digging more than once a season unless I come home with a particularly light harvest.
Both leaves and bulbs can be eaten and both are delicious. They're best used fresh, but both can be put away for eating later in the year. The easiest way to store ramp bulbs is by freezing: Simply cut off the greens, clean the dirt off the bulbs and cut off the roots if your ramps still have roots. Then spread the bulbs out on a sheet pan or waxed paper so they are not touching and freeze.
This prevents them from sticking together. Once they're frozen, put them in jars or plastic containers, seal tightly and put in the freezer for up to six months. You can also wrap them individually in wax paper and store frozen in sealed jars. They can also be pickled but we don't usually bother. The greens won't last long fresh and deteriorate when frozen. They can be dried, but they lose a lot of their flavor.
We've found the best way to preserve them is by making ramp compound butter see recipe below. A close second is ramp pesto. Either can be stored in the refrigerator in the short term or frozen for use later. For short term storage put ramps in the refrigerator as soon as possible. They should be stored uncleaned. If a refrigerator is not immediately available ramps can be kept with the bulbs submerged in a bucket of water and placed in a cool shaded area.
The leaves will start to wilt in the refrigerator after 4 days or so and in the bucket after a day or so depending on temperature. Ramp bulbs and leaves can be diced and used just as you would use onions, green onions, leeks, chives and garlic, but they are much more potent. They pair well with the following:. Some folks like to eat ramps raw. I like a little chopped up in a salad, but ramps as a cooked vegetable are a lot more fun.
My favorite way to eat them is mixed into venison burgers or in ramp and white cheddar soup. And it's hard to beat ramps and eggs for breakfast.
There's some fun anecdotal history on ramps in there. It's also a collection of old timey recipes and stand-bys like pickled ramps and ramp champ - mashed potatoes with ramps. Here's one of the recipes The species is hermaphrodite has both male and female organs and are pollinated by Bees, insects. Suitable for: light sandy and medium loamy soils and prefers well-drained soil.
Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic alkaline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil. It is also referred to as flat chives. Its tolerance of heat and cold makes it very easy to grow.
Likes full sun and will also thrive in half shade. Once the plant is established, it can be divided and raised for several years. Excellent choice for home garden and commercial growing. Can also be used to grow the delicate yellow blanched Chinese leek.
It is grown for its young flower buds, long stems and slender flat deep-green blades that grow up to 14". All of these parts are edible including mature flowers and have a delicate garlic onion flavor.
This variety is suitable for harvest from mid spring to early fall when grown in a greenhouse, and from late spring to late fall when grown in the field. Sufficient vegetative growth years plus low temperatures in winter and long summer days are needed for flowering. Generally, Chinese leek will not flower in the first growing season. Site Search:. Ramps Wild Leek Seeds Useful gardening information Ramps, Allium tricoccum, also known as wild leeks, are native to the eastern North American mountains.
They can be found growing in patches in rich, moist, deciduous forests and bottoms from as far north as Canada, west to Missouri and Minnesota, and south to North Carolina and Tennessee. In early spring, ramps send up smooth, broad, lily-of-the-valley-like leaves that disappear by summer before the white flowers appear.
The bulbs have the pleasant taste of sweet spring onions with a strong garlic-like aroma. Very hard seeds to come by! Ramsons Allium ursinum , also known as wild garlic, is a wild relative of chives native to Europe and Asia. A plant with many uses, including medicinal plant, beneficial insect plant, culinary herb, honey-bee food plant and ornamental plant for the flower and rock garden.
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