We started a colony in our yard a few years back and it has taken off. Love ramps!
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If you mean London, England, those are probably a different species of Allium (probably A. ursinum). Ramps are a North American species. (A. tricoccum).
As to “cleaning them all out”, it is far more sustainable to harvest leaves, one or two per plant, and leave the bulb. Obviously harvesting the whole plant will leave nothing for the next generation.
Didn’t realize that, thanks for clarifying Mia. I never actually got to see them up close. I could smell them and saw a couple people’s baskets containing them, and they looked quite similar.
Allium ursinum is called ramsons or wild garlic, although it’s only mildly garlicky (like garlic chives). I’ve grown those here in the US. I’m still hoping to get ramps established, but seed can take more than a year to germinate. I have other alliums in my collection of edible perennials: perennial leeks, perennial onions (“potato onions”), chives and garlic chives, and Egyptian onions which are so sculptural I use them in ornamental beds as well. All very tasty, and highly recommended if you are inclined to gardening.
Found some ramps at the market this morning. We decided to make a ramp butter for on fresh corn muffins.
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Love our ramps. We made so far, chicken and ramps, clams/bacon/ramps/spaghetti, ramp falafels, ramp goat cheese and mushroom tarts, and lots of ramp pesto. I still have ramp butter from last year that I froze. I dried a lot of the roots to make ramp salt - I saw this somewhere and wanted to try it.
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That’s right - almost positive they’re A. ursinum, as that’s exactly what they look like. They’re in season, and I’m in heaven!
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Best to pick just one blade from each plants; these don’t reproduce quickly, and at least in the US ramps have been overharvested in many areas.
I’ve planted ramp seed on my property, but they can take 3 years to germinate. I will have to be patient.
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Thanks Mia, I wasn’t aware. If I encounter them in the wild I’ll do so. Thus far I’ve relied on the purveyors who have them at my local farmer’s market. By available indications they are doing as you suggest.
This is what I learned from a local foraging expert/biologist; my recollection is that if the bulbs are picked it may take a decade or more for the population to recover (assuming that some ramps are left to go to seed). From germination (which can take 3 years) to flowering maturity (which can take another 5-7 years) to seed production takes about a decade. When I see piles of whole “wild ramps” for sale I have to wonder how much damage has been done. That’s why I am trying to start my own population. They’re pretty robustly flavoured, so not much is needed for home cooking purposes.
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Yes, we have a patch in our yard we started about 4 years ago from bulbs. It’s getting pretty big now. We just pick the leaves from that patch.
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Are we ready a bit early this year? I haven’t even looked yet…will get out Saturday to see how it looks.