Betcha' never heard of the "RAMP" (Wild Leeks & Ramps)......festivals begin in April
Instead of trying to explain what it is, check this link and get the whole story....
a culinary dish from the "wild leek type plant", but very different as you'll find here.......
In law school we had a tradition of going out on Thursday nights for something called Men's Law Caucus ... it was just a drunkfest really. Anyway, one Thursday we had our own little ramp festival (up to that point, I'd never heard of them). We all pounded beers and ramps into the wee hours. The next morning at our 8:30 Torts class the whole room smelled so bad, the Prof let us out early.
In law school we had a tradition of going out on Thursday nights for something called Men's Law Caucus ... it was just a drunkfest really. Anyway, one Thursday we had our own little ramp festival (up to that point, I'd never heard of them). We all pounded beers and ramps into the wee hours. The next morning at our 8:30 Torts class the whole room smelled so bad, the Prof let us out early.
I remember, vividly, that when I was attending High School (Class 1950), that every spring some of the
students would eat these "Ramps" and come to school and were immediately sent home.......
you could smell them all over the building..on the order of "skunks"......they definitely have their own odor.
Yeah thats Bob's Hotdogs....They have EXCELLENT ramps and potatoes.....BYW--ELKINS is the home of the RAMP Festival....Though its not as good since they started having it in the "new" Railyard/Train Station. Was better in the City Park but the Ramp Burgers are still great...
Around March, I start dreaming about ramps and all the ways I have used them...ramp pizza, ramp risotto, ramps on top of my hot dogs with a tomato marmalade jam, ramp pesto, etc, etc. Some photos of the various ways I have cooked with them are below.
April - Salmon with Spring Leeks in a
Wild Mushroom Wine Sauce.
Let me warn you this recipe can be addicting.
Here's what you'll need!
Salmon Filets for four people (about 2 lbs, preferably skinned)
Juice of half an orange or a few tlbs of bottled OJ
1/3 cup fresh Leek greens sliced across in 3/4 inch strips
1/2 clove of finley choped garlic
1/2 to 3/4 lb of fresh wild mushrooms or and ounce of dry mushrooms. This recipe is unbelievable with Black Trumpets (Craterellus fallax or cornucopioides) though Chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius) or any True Morels work too.
I've never tried store bought buttons with this but I might try it some day!
1/2 cup of white wine
1/2 cup of vegetable or fish broth
1/4 cup of heavy cream (or half and half will do)
1/2 a stick of butter
Put the Salmon on a plate and cover with the orange juice.
Sprinkle with salt and set aside.
If using dry mushrooms reconstitute them by warming them in a pan with the wine for five minutes (or longer depending on the mushrooms). If you get to a boil turn it down to low and simmer. Set them aside and consider straining the wine if the mushrooms were gritty. There's Nothing worse than sand in your teeth to ruin a great meal. Chop the mushrooms to bite size. Melt the butter and add the garlic for a few seconds then the mushrooms. When the mushrooms are cooked stir in the leek greens until wilted and dark green. Then add the stock and wine and reduce by half. Butter and broil your fish while reducing the sauce. When reduced add the cream and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Spoon the mushrooms onto plates and place the fish on top. Garnish with finly cut leek greens and or orange zest. Serve with Asparagus and roasted potatoes. This is livin'!
-Roy Reehil
The Forager's Top Pick!The "Must Have" Edible Wild Plant Field Guide! Winner of the 2006 Midwest Book Award!
Forager's Harvest A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants
by Samuel Thayer (Publisher: Forager's Harvest) Product Details
9" x 6" Paperback: 368 pages
Color photos throughout, Indexed
ISBN: 0976626608 Retail Price: $22.95 - Our price: $22.95 - In stock Order Now from us for only $22.95
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About the Book:
Rather than cover hundreds of plants in abbreviated accounts like a typical field guide, Sam Thayer has chosen a smaller selection of species to discuss in exhaustive detail, including only those plants he has eaten fifty times or more.
This book contains high-quality color photographs of each plant, painstakingly selected to facilitate identification and to depict the plant parts at exactly the stage of growth in which they should be harvested. The text is accurate and thorough, giving readers of any experience level the confidence to harvest wild plants for food.
Botanically, the text is accurate - yet it remains accessible to the layperson by using technical terms only when necessary.
The Forager’s Harvest has many unique features that will appeal to naturalists, hikers, campers, survivalists, homesteaders, gardeners, chefs, Native Americans, and whole-food enthusiasts. The book contains a calendar of harvest times for wild produce, a step-by-step protocol for positive identification, an illustrated glossary tailored to the needs of foragers, a recommended reading list, plus special sections on conservation, safety, nutrition, harvest techniques, preparation methods, and storage. The Forager’s Harvest is not a regional guide, and will prove useful to readers across the US and Canada
The Guide Features:
218 color photos, demonstrating each edible part in the proper stage of harvest, plus showing important identifying features
Step-by-step tutorial to positive plant identification
Photos and text comparing potentially confusing plants
Thorough discussion on how to gather and use the plants
Detailed information on harvest, preparation, and storage techniques
A foraging calendar showing harvest times for wild foods
A glossary of botanical terms illustrated with line drawings