Ramp Hunt

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Peanut

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I just got invited to go Ramp hunting in a couple weeks. I've never studied this plant. Had heard about it but was unsure what they even looked like.

So I searched my medicinal plant books, pulled up a few photos on the web... (looks a lot like false solomons seal)

I know this plant! In fact I know of a couple places they grow. Both places are a pain to get to and I'm usually there checking other plants. I knew they weren't a "medicinal" so never paid them any mind.

Don't know if I can go on the hunt yet... but will post photos if I do.

A few random web photos...

Ramps 01.jpg
Ramps 02.jpg
Ramps 03 allium-tricoccum.jpg
 
We had this come up last month. ramps are like the scallion god or something, the flavor is supreme in the leek/onion family. ramp and red pepper chicken soup kills many infections and has many uses in cooking and herbal medicine, there is a downside however, no amount of mouth wash will help you after a meal involving ramps, they will know you're coming ten minutes before they see you! but bugs hate the stuff.

Rampion grow best in shadowy places, we successfully cultivated some in a barrel cut longways at the bottom of the basement steps.
 
We had this come up last month. ramps are like the scallion god or something, the flavor is supreme in the leek/onion family. ramp and red pepper chicken soup kills many infections and has many uses in cooking and herbal medicine, there is a downside however, no amount of mouth wash will help you after a meal involving ramps, they will know you're coming ten minutes before they see you! but bugs hate the stuff.

Rampion grow best in shadowy places, we successfully cultivated some in a barrel cut longways at the bottom of the basement steps.
They one of the first food available in forested areas in the early spring.

Ben
 
I know a man who told me about wandering around in southeast Ohio where they grew wild. He and his buddies would find them and eat some. When they came upon other people, they could smell them on them.
 
@Peanut my ramps popped in the last week. got a ways to go yet. many pull them as soon as they see them but since they put all growth on for the next year in a 30 day period waiting a bit makes bulbs larger.for my area the largest i dug was on april 28th..still had nice green leaves but you could see flower spike on them.

heres some pics of my old growth patch and new patch i started that going to turn out super fantastic..i put a few clump transplants but i put seed out as well in area approx 8x30 with spill over on each end.it has 100's of new young seedling in it now. it hard for folks to understand rowing items it takes years to get grown. average ramp needs about 7 years to get mature. i have various beds but this one has been best.nice getting stuff closer in for as 'we' age to still be able to get to them and not tromp miles into the wilderness.

old growth

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new patch..a few transplant clumps and rest seed. my seed and ounce i bought seed.its hard to see young ramps. like little blades of grass. i think these must be on their second year of growth.

DSC05325.JPG


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plump ramps right before leaf loss

4-28-12001.jpg



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this is bed transplanted in april 2012.i will get you a picture of that bed once it gets more full leafed out to see it.these things grow very slow for sure as you know well with your medicinal growing.its the patch in first picture above.its started with 24ish transplants. since then from experience i think clumps are better way to go.

april 2012

5-6-12014.jpg
 
@elkhound I mentioned above I thought I knew a couple places leeks grows around here. I don't, stand corrected, learned this up on the mtn last week. What I see here looks almost identical this time of year. It's a swamp lily and slightly toxic. It grows in the same places as do leeks. After the lily gets a couple weeks old the leaves get splotchy and it's easy to see the difference. But when it first comes up there is no noticeable difference other than the scent.

Also, had to bail on the trip this week for ramp hunting, maybe next year. :(
 
Bring on the bacon and real cow butter!
If you lightly stir fry 1/4 cups of ramps and a half a head of finely diced cabbage in bacon grease,
that is one great side dish with mac n cheese and pork chops! don't forget you can mix them into corn bread too!
 
$55 for 1.4ounces

https://www.drcowansgarden.com/products/dr-cowans-garden-wild-ramp-powder

https://dragongarlic.com/product/ramp-powder/

https://localkitchenblog.com/2015/06/05/ramp-powder/
am going to try drying just a bit of these and going to make pesto and add in kale from garden since i have a decent amount of kale coming on this spring.

i dont eat pork but i can use beef and turkey bacon and use tallow and olive oil. i might use some ramps to make garlic spaghetti and stink the entire county up...lol
 
Lilly of the Valley
And the wild Lilly of the Valley is an invasive plant in some parts of the USA.
Wild Garlic has a different flower, seen below.
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The pictures posted made me go out and check a patch of similar looking plants I have in a corner of my yard. Can someone identify what I have? Lilly of the Valley, Ramps, other?


View attachment 108351
This is lily of the valley, one of my absolute favorites. I have tried to grow it a few times, and this year, I see a few leaves where I planted it. The lines in the leaves are parallel, showing that it is a monocotyledon. I'm not sure, but it appears that ramps are also monocotyledons because it appears they have parallel lines in the leaves as well.
 
Ramps and ginseng seem to grow in the same areas, anyone else notice this? If you find one, the other is nearby.
 
No, but ginseng grows under wild black walnut trees.
 
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