Wild Ramp Rules - Harvest Sustainably Or Not At All

Saturday, April 28, 2018

Many years back, I discovered the joys of wild ramps. A few years later, I discovered how threatened they've become due to unsustainable harvesting :(

Ramps (allium tricoccum) are a slow-growing plant that's native to the northeast United States that takes many years to mature. As a result, digging them up by the roots threatens their survival as a species.

A clump of wild leeks growing near a streambed by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

RAMP RULES

Here are the basic rules you need to follow to help ensure the survival or wild ramps:

1. Don't tell people about any ramp patches you know of. As Gandalf said to Frodo, "Keep it secret. Keep it safe."

2. Don't dig them up by the roots! Mother Nature is watching and she will put you on the naughty list.

3. Harvest a single green leaf from fully mature plants in a big, healthy patch, taking only what you know you will actually use.

4. Say something if you see unsustainably harvested ramps for sale (as in anything other than just the greens) in stores or farm stands. Be polite in your educational efforts - you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. But I suspect a little gentle shaming via social media could be very effective if they are not inclined to listen to you in person...

5. Share this post with others to spread the word.

6. Plant your own patch of ramps and leave those growing on public lands alone.

We've planted some seeds and transplanted some young ramps to a suitable spot on our land over the years and I can attest to the fact that they grow and spread extremely slooooowly so we're just leaving them alone in hopes that someday they will grow into a flourishing patch like this one.

Pay dirt! A hillside of wild leeks by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

Here are some places you can order ramp seeds and sustainably-grown plants from. Keep in mind that they are only available at certain times of the year.

Ramp Farm in Richwood, West Virginia
304-846-4235 or rampfarm@frontier.com

Edge of the Woods Nursery in Orefield, PA
610-395-2570 or info@edgeofthewoodsnursery.com

Amanda's Native Plants in Dansville, NY
585-750-6288 or amandasgarden@frontier.net

Archewild in Quakertown, PA
855-752-6862 or contact@archewild.com

Happy growing and sustainable harvesting.

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2 comments:

Veri said...

Hi Eve,

The Green Farmacy Garden in Fulton, MD also has some sustainable ramps seeds to share, if you'd like to add us to your list!

https://thegreenfarmacygarden.com/
greenfarmacygarden@gmail.com

Thanks for your consideration,
Veri
Events Manager
The Green Farmacy Garden

Anita Diaz said...

Wow that is interesting. We’ve been growing ramps on our property for generations, and we have always dug up a few and eaten the bulb. We have no issue with sustainability because they spread everywhere, but obviously we do not share them with anyone else. So I’m curious how someone would just eat the leaf🤔

Saturday, April 28, 2018

Wild Ramp Rules - Harvest Sustainably Or Not At All

Many years back, I discovered the joys of wild ramps. A few years later, I discovered how threatened they've become due to unsustainable harvesting :(

Ramps (allium tricoccum) are a slow-growing plant that's native to the northeast United States that takes many years to mature. As a result, digging them up by the roots threatens their survival as a species.

A clump of wild leeks growing near a streambed by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

RAMP RULES

Here are the basic rules you need to follow to help ensure the survival or wild ramps:

1. Don't tell people about any ramp patches you know of. As Gandalf said to Frodo, "Keep it secret. Keep it safe."

2. Don't dig them up by the roots! Mother Nature is watching and she will put you on the naughty list.

3. Harvest a single green leaf from fully mature plants in a big, healthy patch, taking only what you know you will actually use.

4. Say something if you see unsustainably harvested ramps for sale (as in anything other than just the greens) in stores or farm stands. Be polite in your educational efforts - you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. But I suspect a little gentle shaming via social media could be very effective if they are not inclined to listen to you in person...

5. Share this post with others to spread the word.

6. Plant your own patch of ramps and leave those growing on public lands alone.

We've planted some seeds and transplanted some young ramps to a suitable spot on our land over the years and I can attest to the fact that they grow and spread extremely slooooowly so we're just leaving them alone in hopes that someday they will grow into a flourishing patch like this one.

Pay dirt! A hillside of wild leeks by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

Here are some places you can order ramp seeds and sustainably-grown plants from. Keep in mind that they are only available at certain times of the year.

Ramp Farm in Richwood, West Virginia
304-846-4235 or rampfarm@frontier.com

Edge of the Woods Nursery in Orefield, PA
610-395-2570 or info@edgeofthewoodsnursery.com

Amanda's Native Plants in Dansville, NY
585-750-6288 or amandasgarden@frontier.net

Archewild in Quakertown, PA
855-752-6862 or contact@archewild.com

Happy growing and sustainable harvesting.

You might also like:



2 comments:

Veri said...

Hi Eve,

The Green Farmacy Garden in Fulton, MD also has some sustainable ramps seeds to share, if you'd like to add us to your list!

https://thegreenfarmacygarden.com/
greenfarmacygarden@gmail.com

Thanks for your consideration,
Veri
Events Manager
The Green Farmacy Garden

Anita Diaz said...

Wow that is interesting. We’ve been growing ramps on our property for generations, and we have always dug up a few and eaten the bulb. We have no issue with sustainability because they spread everywhere, but obviously we do not share them with anyone else. So I’m curious how someone would just eat the leaf🤔