In the spring of 2011, I was hunting mushrooms northeast of Eaton when I came across a real surprise. I was snaking my way through the brush in a wooded fencerow and stumbled into the first patch of ramps I had ever seen in person. A few of you will be familiar with ramps and the rest of you will wonder if I misspelled something or if I am losing my mind.

Allium tricoccum, better known as ramps, are also known as wild leeks and are best described as something of a cross between an onion and garlic. They do possess a very strong flavor, especially prior to cooking. Traditionally, they were dug and consumed as something of a spring tonic, being one of the first green plants to emerge following winter. The entire plant is edible, from bulb to stem to leaves. Nowadays, they can be found at ramp feasts and festivals across the mountainous region of the eastern United States. Much like our fire departments have chicken dinners as fundraisers, local fire departments and civic organizations in Appalachia sponsor ramp dinners starting in late March and continuing into early May.

The above-ground portion of a ramp resembles the foliage of Lily-of-the-Valley. As woodland trees come out in leaf and shade the forest floor, ramp leaves turn yellow and finally disappear for the season. In midsummer, ramps produce globe-shaped flower clusters that will produce small black seeds. They spread by both seeds and bulbs and form clusters or even massive colonies covering hundreds or thousands of square feet.

The natural range of ramps covers an area that extends from Georgia northward into Canada and as far west as Missouri up through the Dakotas. They thrive in moist, wooded areas with high organic matter, and are found growing under a wide variety of native tree species. Some wildflower species common to this part of the world that prefer the same growing conditions as ramps include trillium, toothwort, bloodroot, trout lily, and mayapple. Ramps can be found in and around Preble County if you know where to look.

Ramps may be encountered while hunting for spring mushrooms, but they can’t be harvested by hand like mushrooms. The ideal tool for digging ramps would be something similar to a small mattock with a handle about the same size of a hammer.

Ramps can be eaten raw in salads, cooked along with scrambled eggs or fried potatoes, or cooked and eaten with beans and cornbread. I have eaten them raw, just once, and I can attest to the fact that they do function as a spring tonic. They left an onion-like flavor in my mouth and on my breath for hours after that. I enjoy them added in with meatloaf or cooked up with a whole mess of fried potatoes with nothing but salt and pepper for seasoning. I think I would eat them with about anything. Just as long as they are cooked.

Reach BJ Price at 937-456-5159 for more information.