Ramp season is just wrapping up. Ramp, or wild leeks are also known as spring onion, ramson, wood leek, and wild garlic. Ramp are smaller than cultivated leeks and have a pronounced onion and garlic bite with a slightly bitter taste. They appear early to mid-spring and grow in the United States and throughout Europe, and even those they favor forest areas, I’ve also found them in grassy, overgrown marshy plains.
I’ve only recently started collecting them, but find them to be a wonderful springtime delicacy. They’re a little spicy and I use the bulbs and light green stems when I can find them in everything from tarts to slow cooked meals. They do need to be used sparingly due to their potency, so when I make an onion tart for example, I mix in no more than half ramp.
Each spring when I start my search, I get lost in the tall grass and wonder if I’d recognize a ramp again, but when its dark green, cylinder-like leek stalk emerges from the ground I am assured once again that I will not be making a dinner full of mistaken weeds. My favorite spot for finding them is not far and also has been known to produce wild asparagus, which I have no talent for finding. I always have hopes of bringing home a few of the tender wild stalks for a salad, but end up empty handed every time. Apparently, I need learn from Christophe’s aunt who can lead a herd of sheep and collect asparagus by the armful at the same time. Some people have all the luck.
Ramp reproduces like garlic; it grows small bulbs around the base of the larger bulb. Last year while collecting ramp, I seeded the smaller bulbs in a grassy area of the garden. Since March, I’ve been diligently checking to see if the bulbs have grown, but have found nothing. Last night, Christophe informed me that while cutting the grass he ran across a strong odor of onion and garlic right where I tossed the seeds. Apparently, the ramp did grow; I just didn’t find it. Looks like we’ll have to wait to next year to have wild leeks again.
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