Ramps

The first delicacies...after maple syrup that is...to be harvested in the spring are the ramps.

They grow in small clusters down by the stream bed. The ramps on our farm tend to grow between all kinds of tree roots, making them difficult to harvest. It is for this reason that we have never really sold a lot of them. But this time of year phone calls start trickling in requesting these seasonal treats. This week we will be sending some ramps down to Northeast Kingdom in NYC. Check out their blog link if you want to know more about them.

We will be harvesting 10-14 pounds for them...it may be worth searching the banks for a sandy spot...they really are hard to dig out where these pictures are taken!!!

According to The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink," the word ramp comes from "rams," or "ramson," an Elizabethan dialect rendering of the wild garlic. The word is first mentioned in English print in 1530, but was used earlier by English immigrants of the southern Appalachian Mountains.

Ramps of course are just the beginning...lots of other goodies out there to eat, a friend was raving about the wild dandelions she harvested the other day. I, however am really looking forward to the baby bokchoy and arugula that we seeded last week. Chris came in today and reported that the peas were all up.....they will be so refreshing after all the potatoes and carrots we have been eating of late.