Any of ya'll eat Ramps?

[poppop]

I have driven about 600 miles in the last week looking for ramps. Been to Sylva and the very western tip of Virginia in the past week looking for these delicious babies. Found a few in Sylva but found quite a few in western Virginia. I fried about 40 or so up in a mess of taters, and put about 30 more in a pone of cornbread. Good Eats. I suspect you mountain fellows eat your share of them each year.

[ncnat]

Nope never tried them, but I'm allways up to trying something new.

[logs]

I like them, I find mine over around Burnsville or Bakersville. They are also good in eggs. Good luck and don't eat too many at one time , they will make your skin stink.

[painterfish]

hey pop in the hp enterprise section d today a new york chef did a full page on them called (ramp it up)

[jackie1954]

love them ever since i was a child just last year found the way to freeze them and they tast just as good as fresh

[poppop]

hey pop in the hp enterprise section d today a new york chef did a full page on them called (ramp it up)

thanks Painter

[papadave]

Ain't they purty!

Late to this thread but I thought I would add my .02 ....... I live in Caswell county, planting zone 7b. Several years ago got about 5 gallon ziplocks full in one trip up in Haywood county. . I've found in the past that if you keep them in the fridge with the bulbs in water they'll stay fresh for several weeks, but that trip I had more than I could keep like that. Decided to see if they'd grow around here. I put some in a huge plastic tree/shrubbery pot, rocks in the bottom and some humus from Lowes on the top. Set this in deep deep shade and tried to keep them moist thru the summers. They lasted about 4 seasons, coming up every spring and finishing off with the little seed pods in early summer. Can't say that they really multiplied that well, but they gave me a few every spring to have with my scrambled eggs. One really hot/dry summer finished 'em off (and by then I'd quit watering them), but for a few years my ramp huntin' consisted of going out behind the house and pullin' a few.

[poppop]

thats interesting papadave....I am thinking of raking down about a 100x100 foot area beside the creek at my cabin...and planting some....I didn't know they would grown from the bulb...thought you had to plant seeds.

[papadave]

The place that I got them was really wet, so when we pulled/dug them they had plenty of root left. I planted them while the greens were still in good shape. After a few days the leaves died off and a few seed pods developed, pretty soon that was gone too .... the next spring up came the greens, and they had to be from bulb because there were way more than could have come from the few seed pods that we got the first year. The first spring I didn't really harvest them, just 4-5 for one "bait" and the second year looked liked about the same amount that I put down. I harvested pretty heavy that spring and the next had much fewer, and so on till I lost interest and stopped watering. It really looked like what was happening was that the bulbs were just coming back every year and not reproducing, sort of like flower bulbs.

I see that you have a place in Fries. It just might be cool enough there for them to multiply, especially near a creek. I'm pretty sure that the biggest reason they didn't do well here was the climate. I probably could have done better on the soil too but it was just a whim. If you really want to give it a fair shot I'd go back and get a PH reading from the soil where you found them, then try to work your spot as close to that as you can. And to state the obvious, they do best in moist but well drained areas.
Good luck if you decide to do it, nothing like ramps & soft scrambled eggs in butter.

[Big Crappie 2]

we have a place here in sanford called jackson brothers produce that sells ramp seeds. i remember eating some yrs ago mixed with poke salad i believe