Ramps:

My introduction to these tasty and edible wild plants happened many years ago when I was invited to join a group of “Old Timers” at a nearby hunting camp for their annual spring outing. I felt quite honored since I was in my 30s while the group was well into their 70s and 80s! They gathered every spring at a streamside pavilion to prepare a warm lunch and partake of some of the nearby wild leeks. A soup pot containing a “secret blend” of diced potatoes, chicken stock, and chopped ramps was placed over a wood fire, while a belly-warming bottle of something or other was passed around to toast being together for another season and enjoying the outdoors once more. Once the soup had come to a boil, it was served piping hot and topped off the annual occasion. It was my first exposure to ramps, but it would be far from the last time I would enjoy this tasty wild plant.

From March until mid-May, ramps (Allium tricoccum), also known as wild leeks, can be found throughout Pennsylvania, often along streamsides or creek bottoms in our hardwood forests. They tend to grow in patches, sometimes covering more than several acres, and are readily identified by their single or double leaves.

Their shelf life is rather short, keeping well for only 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator, yet they can be chopped and frozen and thus extend their usefulness for up to a year.

Caution — their odor is extremely strong, so when you keep them in the refrigerator, place them in a Ziploc bag, inside a Ziploc bag, inside another Ziploc bag! If you don’t, you run the risk of most things in the refrigerator taking on the aroma and taste of the wild leeks!

I recently saw ramps advertised online for $18.95 for 25 plants. One can easily pick that many in the wild in 10 minutes, so if you multiply it out, in an hour, you should easily pick more than $114.00 worth of wild ramps — not a bad savings for an hour of spending time in the outdoors harvesting some of Mother Nature’s bounty!

A very tasty and hearty soup is not the only way to enjoy using ramps. They can be roasted, grilled, sautéed, and used raw in dishes like salads and made into pesto. They can be added to rice dishes, pasta dishes, and omelets. You can use both the white bulb and the green leaves (the leaves are milder in flavor). For a really great taste of springtime, try scrambling together a few ramps, morel mushrooms, and eggs — it is a delicious combination! Even Martha Stewart has recipes available for wild leeks. Or, just use your own imagination and use them as a substitute where you would normally incorporate onions, garlic, or a combination thereof.

Stinging Nettles:

Another plant that is found this time of year, primarily in damp, fertile soil in a field setting, is the Stinging Nettle, or Urtica dioica. The nettle has sharp hairs on its leaves and, if brushed against the skin, can cause a slight rash and will produce a stinging sensation to the area it touches. Also known as common nettle, it grows 2 to 5 feet tall and has leaves that are coarsely toothed, pointed on the ends, and can be several inches long. It imparts the painful sting through tiny hairs on the underside of its leaves and on its stems. This is a plant that is good to identify so that you can avoid casual contact.

It does, however, have some medicinal uses. For centuries, common nettle has been a staple for ancient cultures and continues to be an important food source throughout the world. It is arguably one of the most nutritional wild edible plants available, but it needs to be cooked or dried to neutralize its sting.

Prepare nettle leaves as you would spinach leaves — sautéed, stir-fried, lightly steamed, or used in soups. Stinging nettle tea is perhaps the easiest way to yield the benefits of nettle.

Cover a handful of leaves with boiling water, let steep for 10 minutes or so, strain and drink. For a stronger brew, loosely fill a canning jar with nettle leaves, cover with boiling water, place a lid on the jar and allow the tea to steep overnight. Fresh mint will enhance the otherwise earthy flavor. Stinging nettle has medicinal uses as an anti-inflammatory and to alleviate allergy symptoms.

Gathering ramps and stinging nettles is just one more great “excuse” to get outside, enjoy the fresh air and partake of the bounty we all have available to us in the Great Outdoors!