Foraging: searching for wild food resources.
New Englanders are known for their resourcefulness. Rummaging through the Litchfield Hills foraging for edible gems has become a local pastime.
One of the first greens to reveal itself each spring is ramps – an onion/garlic-like plant whose chic locavore reputation has earned it a revered place on the menu of many local restaurants.
Ramps thrive in damp, cool areas with a preference for lying under the canopy of beech, birch, sugar maple, and/or poplar trees. These leafy Green plants reveal their deliciousness for only about one month each year, before wilting away to allow for its flower stalk to bloom and seed in early summer. As foraging becomes increasingly popular, thoughtful harvesting to protect the seeds is crucial to the continued survival of this ephemeral flavor.
As you wander the Southern Berkshires throughout the coming weeks, keep a keen eye out for these wild leeks – the quest will test your innate survival skills and the reward will ignite your culinary creativity.
Some of our favorite Ramp Recipe’s include:
Grilled Ramps Ramp Pesto Ramp Frittata Pickled Ramps
