Nourishments

Ramping Up For The Spring Season

By Nancy K. Crevier

I suppose you could say that West Virginia is “ramp-ant” with ramps festivals in the spring. The state is well-known for its ramp feeds in March and April that bring together friends and neighbors for feasting, fiddling, and all kinds of fun centered around the stinky spring vegetable. According to folklore, the “Ram’s son” appears during the period of the Zodiac sign Aries, or the Ram. Early settlers valued ramps as a welcome change from the long winter’s fare, and according to the National Ramps Association of Richwood, Va., considered them a springtime tonic.

But you don’t have to travel to our southerly neighbor in order to celebrate the season of the wild leek, otherwise known as ramps, rams, son of the ram, or flowering ramson. Ramps are just as plentiful in the moist forest soils of our own northeastern woods.

 Clumps of flat, somewhat broad leaves break through the earth in early spring, marking the spot where the purplish scallion-like bulbs are nestled underground. Rumor has it this woodlands delicacy is breathtaking; that is, like their leek, onion and garlic cousins, ramps are a pungent vegetable notorious for a long-lingering aroma on the breath.

Ramps fans, however, know that ordinary meals can be elevated to new heights by the addition of ramps. Soups, salads, meatloaf, burgers, and casseroles take on a new life when ramps are part of the recipe, but traditionally the vegetable is simply paired with fried ham or bacon and potatoes.

What settlers knew by instinct has been confirmed by science: ramps are good and good for you. According to the specialty produce distributor Melissa’s World Variety Produce, Inc, ramps are a great source of calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C, as well as providing plenty of dietary fiber.

 My friend Tracy Van Buskirk is on her way to becoming a ramps aficionado. She had good luck this past week harvesting ramps, the second year in a row that she has donned her garden gloves, taken her trowel, and headed into the woods.

“Here in Connecticut, ramps can be found in wooded areas near clear, cold streams,” said Tracy, and warned that ramps should not be confused with skunk cabbage, an inedible plant with variegated leaves that also emerges in the early days of spring. Tracy also noted that at this young stage, ramps stand not more than six to nine inches tall. “After carefully digging out the plant and root, wash your ramps off in a nearby stream, and then bring them home for a good dunking in a sink full of cold water,” she suggested. “Cut off the roots below the bulb and scrub off any remaining dirt.”

With the ramps she dug up near her Newtown home, Tracy created a simple dish with salt pork and tortillas.

“After washing, parboil the ramps briefly in boiling water, drain and chill under cold water; then pat dry. Heat an iron skillet and render a few chunks of salt pork until they are crisp and brown. Push them to the side and add the ramps. Let them cook and brown slightly on medium heat, turning once.

“Separately, heat a tortilla over a gas flame or on a dry skillet. Place the tortilla on a plate. Add the rams and a bit of salt pork, along with a grating of sharp cheese. Roll it up and enjoy!”