Comments on: Ramps – finding, picking, cooking (and planting!)

By: Lynne Ligot

Lynne Ligot — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:05:14 +0000

I live in the New York City. Is there anyplace that sells them?

Hi Lynne, I’m pretty sure they’re sold – at least occasionally – at the Union Square Greenmarket, and they may well be at other greenmarkets as well. Other than that, I don’t know, but if they’re at a semi-high end grocery in Poughkeepsie it seems likely they’d be at the tonier groceries down there, too.

By: Kate

Kate — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 11:04:23 +0000

Is it possible to find ramps in the sierra nevada foothills in california? Or if I ordered some sets, would they grow here. We have very cold temps, including lite snow from dec-may.

Thanks.

Hi Kate,

The answers to your questions are “no” and “maybe yes”. From all I’ve been able to find out, ramps don’t grow wild any farther west than the eastern parts of the Dakotas. But that doesn’t mean you couldn’t cultivate them from purchased stock. If conditions are right – which it sounds as though they might be – I don’t see why ramps wouldn’t do fine. Certainly worth a try!

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:45:11 +0000

The name for this plant (allium tricoccum)in the language of the Miami and Illinois tribes was mispronounced by the French as “Chicagou,” and the city at the tip of Lake Michigan was named after it. Ramps were rife in Chicago originally, but are found now only in a few spots, which I will not name.

Thanks for the etymological tidbit, Steve, and for your discretion in the matter of modern ramp location (Big city, whole lotta food lovers).

By: Mara

Mara — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:31:55 +0000

I cannot even tell you how immensely helpful this post was: I just found my first two patches or ramps, entirely because of your description of where they might be and what other plants would be around them. First I saw the trout lilies, then the red trillium, and then…ramp patches! I was very careful about harvesting them and only took as much as I knew I would eat, but I’m so excited to have found them at the park where I hike with my dog. Thanks for such precise information.

Welcome, Mara.
I’m delighted to hear the advice was useful, both for finding and for careful harvesting. Dog walking aspect does prompt a warning I hadn’t thought to offer before – and which probably needs no further explication. It’s something I always think of when discussing the deliciousness of dandelions, but I’d never thought of it with ramps. Might be best to avoid those growing very near the paths in parks that are dog-friendly!

By: Karen

Karen — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 23:27:56 +0000

Thank you so much for posting this valuable information! The side-by-side comparisons of ramps and their poisonous look-alikes was very helpful, as I was most concerned about confusing ramps with lily-of-the-valley. That’s neat too that they often grow near trillium- that was certainly the case where I found them. And thanks for sharing the recipe ideas, and your efforts to expand the ramp patch. Now knowing how long it takes for them to propagate, I might like to try this too (and will certainly be careful about harvesting them sustainably in the wild). Thanks again for all the great info!

Hi Karen,

Thanks for the compliments and the specific references to the trillium and the poisonous look alikes. Bill will be happy to know that information is proving useful. Good luck with propagating — we’ve had only small success, but we have had some!

By: Dawn

Dawn — Mon, 02 May 2011 01:47:34 +0000

So loved the article and just went to the Ramps Festival in Robbinsville, NC – it was great – how about more recipes??

Welcome, Dawn,
So glad you enjoyed the article – and the festival! Did you pick up any good ramp tips or recipes there?
We’ll be having a new (old) ramp dish for dinner tonight, so the recipe will be appearing very soon.
Leslie

By: Judy Sinclair

Judy Sinclair — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:33:11 +0000

Thanks so much for this splendid article on ramps Bill. We don’t have them here in the Pacific Northwest but I found a Canadian website that sells both the bulbs and seeds. I passed the information on to my Grandson who is just planting the family’s Spring garden and look forward to trying this new addition to the onion family!

By: Raining Acorns

Raining Acorns — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:39:37 +0000

What a terrific article! I only recently learned to identify skunk cabbage, so now I must look to see what lives “next door”–though I doubt, given my novice status, I would hazard plucking out what I think is ramp just yet (anyway, not without sending a picture or sample to you neighbors to confirm)! Of course, I love the Louisiana connection, given our recent trip. And I look forward to part 2–I remember when I was introduced to lambsquarter as an edible green, not just a weed, when our neighbor on Long Island, who was a long-time organic gardener, pointed it out to us one day. At winter’s end, there are few things that can match the thrill of coming upon the first spring greens!

By: Nancy Baggett

Nancy Baggett — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:47:13 +0000

Loved the info and especially the pics, as I’ve never seen ramps growing here in central MD. I was surprised that they were reddish along the stems and were actually so meaty and bulbous. We do have skunk cabbages and trout lilies though. (The latter are ephemerals that have a pretty yellow bloom and are up now and then completely gone by May.)

Do you have any info on whether ramps would grow in central MD woodland?