what the hell are RAMPS?

[@svenjensen600]

Don’t dig the bulbs up if you can avoid it. It takes years for them to become established. If you just remove the leaves they can come back

[@witchycrafter1037]

Or u can plant the bulbs in the ground.

[@MarekMolisch]

They are called "bear's garlic" in our country (central Europe) and they are growing everywhere in spring 😁

[@greham]

Absolute invasion in Berlin's area. Go for a walk in a parc, come back with a basket of them.

[@daviddale6056]

Yeah I was thinking that it was what we call wild garlic in Britain. I don't think these are only found in North America like he said lol.

[@greham]

@@daviddale6056 Perhaps a variety of that species but I know these leaves really well, as they are literally everywhere where I live. I see people at the parc going to pee where they grow, and then other people going naively at the same spot to pick them up... Good lord.

[@daviddale6056]

@@greham Yeah possibly. I see it everywhere when I am out walking and that is the one thing that crosses my mind every time I consider taking some home lol.

[@TaylorDurden90]

@@greham Maybe get them from Grunewald etc. not the inner city parks :D

[@TheSarahLindy]

We have a “Ramp Fest” in my hometown every year. It’s AMAZING. Booths set up everywhere with delicious home cooking ♥️ We are fortunate enough to live where they are prolific and we would go ramp digging every spring. I had no idea they were fancy restaurant fare. My favorite way to have them is in a potato pancake or fry bread.

[@bonemarrow21]

What town?!? I’d love to go to ramp fest! (Sorry not trying to find out where you’re from lol)

[@kevlarskeeper4927]

@@bonemarrow21 I think there's a ramp festival where my husband is from. I've never been but would like to.....look around the Bridgeport/clarksburg area of WV.

[@phil2u48]

There are numerous Ramp Festivals. There is an annual festival in the NC mountains (ramps grow wild in the Appalachians), hosted by Waynesville, NC, with some activities in surrounding communities.

[@LP290792]

Interesting! In the UK we don’t have Ramps but we do have Ransoms - a wild garlic which looks very similar but the leaves have a mild garlic taste.

[@rfkyt]

Wild leeks in central Ontario and the first fresh feed of smelts were two of the bounties of spring. Sadly the smelts are all but gone. Harvesting them at night was big event, the atmosphere was almost carnival like with many new immigrants from Toronto came up to and filled bushel baskets for their freezers, but the first fresh feed was best, dipped in an egg wash and rolled in flour + salt + pepper and then shallow fried in an electric frying pan outside.

[@donaldwalstead9977]

I had several patches of ramps near my cabin in the North Carolina mountains. They were the first green thing to pop up on the forest floor. You are 100% right about sustainability. A few whole ramps and some green tops would be all we would take. They are delicious.

[@justinparrish3704]

You should do this for more lesser known foods this is awesome

[@SuzanneBaruch]

There are a number of people here who are confusing Ramps with what's found in Europe. The two are in fact totally different plants (although related). The North American plant we call Ramps is Allium Tricoccum; the European plant everyone here is confusing this with is called Allium Ursinum. Steve is 100% correct -- Allium Tricoccum (Ramps) is *not* native to Europe or found wild there!

[@pollysshore2539]

I live in Southern Appalachia and ramps have been a favorite with locals for many years. A volunteer fire department used to do ramp fundraising dinners. Only one though! People did not over pick them. You took a little. Unfortunately when we started getting an influx of part time residents from Florida the ramps started rapidly disappearing. They thought they could pick them all and they would come back the next year. The volunteer fire department had to stop their ramp dinner, and public education had to be ramped up (pun intended). *Shame. A lot of people that picked ramps handed theirs to this fire department to ensure they had enough (they typically made 3 traditional options with ramps like eggs or potatoes, etc) and it was a loved community event, while supplies lasted. It’s wild that they are expensive. It’s something I’ve always been able to pick a few of on my property but it was depressing when they were raided. A lot of native wildflowers were dug up and relocated into gated communities. Flowers I loved seeing every time I took a walk, like pink lady slippers and Jack in the Pulpits, but I personally have not seen in years. This is how the term “Floridiot” came about. Thankfully a revival of larger populations of ramps and wildflowers have been encouraged in some areas but I don’t even know where. I just know (I have connections) they have been and I wouldn’t tell anyone if I did know.

[@sandrastreifel6452]

They’re endangered in Quebec, where they’re not as abundant as in the Appalachians. They’re not found in Western North America, so I ordered seeds to try to grow some in my West Coast garden.

[@allyaloisia]

I like to chop them with parsley and mix it with soft Butter and Sea salt. It's such a good spread!

[@stevenharris2725]

Ramps are well known in Southern Appalachia. They can be pungent and the smell lasts on your breath for a few days. So everyone really needs to have a taste LOL

[@KoraRubin]

So... now I had to Wiki Ramps. Ramps are Allium tricoccum and we in Europe have Allium ursinum, Bärlauch (Bär = bear = ursa, Lauch = leek). It kind of freaked me out that you had your ramps with roots and bulbs ... sustainability? But maybe your variety is really different and can take it?🤔 My mother made herself a little Bärlauch patch under her trees in the shadiest part of her garden with some forest floor and 3 plants with roots. It was pretty big after some years. Maybe some of you guys want to try for your own harvest? I kind of find it ironic that the first thing you do with your ramps is to process the hell out of them and all we (my family) do is just to wash and slice the Bärlauch and put it in Potato salad raw. We only make pesto out of it, if we have leftovers. I think that's because you can't buy it over here, so you have to do all the work yourself and you don't want to waste anything, not even volume. 😂

[@ProjectExMachina]

Sremuš (Serbia/Bosnia). It is mostly used as a salad. We don't pick them whole - only leaves.

[@justinbukoski1]

Don't put them in a bag in the fridge unless you want everything to taste like ramps. Put them in a flower vase with a small amount of water and they will last at least a week on the counter

[@helen7188]

What you’re calling a ‘Ramp’ looks suspiciously like what we call ‘Wild Garlic’ here in the UK. For information it’s not limited to North America, you find it growing all over Northern and Central Europe. However we tend to pick mainly the leaves, which leaves the roots intact to grow again!

[@DasZuckerhaus]

YES :) my country has a bunch of "bärlauch" (which is what we call it in German) traditional recipes for them. But they look excactly like another spring plant that is super poisonous XD

[@keyzersoze1400]

@@DasZuckerhaus Lilly of the valley (Maiglöckchen)

[@christophergenther3517]

Wild Garlic AKA Ramsons

[@borissebosik8643]

True, it's all over Central Europe - we call it Bear Garlic (transl.), similarly to our German friend. Delicious for homemade pesto!

[@SuzanneBaruch]

Sorry guys, but you've got it wrong. Ramps are a totally different plant than what's found in Europe. Ours is Allium Tricoccum and yours is Allium Ursinum.

[@BoxedMusic]

I think we have those in France as well, it's called "Ail des ours", which would translate as "Bear's garlic". It's a big thing in the East of France at this time of the year, you find them in pretty much anything, from dishes to cheese, mustards, or even herbal infusions. Thanks for the info!

[@eriktoth7]

Here in hungary we have a shit ton of these things (funfact we call them 'bear onions') and it's such an amazing thing. Its the first really fresh thing after the winter and they are so amazing. It has a big cult here and a lot of great recipes for it.

[@clpg3830]

same here in Switzerland, we call em ‘Bärlauch‘.

[@SuzanneBaruch]

@@clpg3830 not the same plant at all, but Barlauch are also delicious.

[@kristanvw1563]

Got them in my backyard!! I used them in cheese last week.

[@mackyjack3929]

Just a hundred yards from my house there’s literally millions of them live in uk

[@mackyjack3929]

Use the buds and flowers in salads or pickle them

[@raspyleafj3778]

I have never heard of ramps in my life

[@WiglyWorm]

Good. They're on the bring of extinction. Don't harvest them.

[@wharris7594]

literal idiots pick the root and all, ensuring what was picked will not regrow for the next season

[@christypeterson817]

I grew up in the western mountains of NC and ramps were always a huge part of spring. Warning though....if you eat them raw the smell will seep out of your pores and make you smell terrible for a couple of days. My grandma would make fried spam sandwiches and we’d eat ramps with it. But then she’d have me eat a banana to curb the smell that was inevitably going to happen. I have no idea if this actually worked lol. But if you cook them, you don’t have to worry about the smell.

[@prcornbread214]

As a cook i love your channel!!! I miss working in restaurants but am happy working on health care. Thank you for posting vids

[@warriormiltz9343]

I live in Alaska now and man do I miss this time of year when i could go Ramp crazy!!!! Now you made me crave them ;-)

[@Donnie9by5]

Glad I tuned in was a learning experience! Never heard of them here in Colorado!

[@flyshortypyt9532]

I live in WV...ramps and fried potatoes!♥️

[@ericabiz1981]

Ramp burger at Ridgeview BBQ in Institute 🤤🤤🤤🤤❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@flyshortypyt9532]

@@ericabiz1981 oh okay, thank you!

[@phil2u48]

We do that in NC, too.

[@flyshortypyt9532]

@@ericabiz1981 I had that burger…it was great!!

[@jessicaschofield1377]

I cant wait for the next episode!!! This guy is so underrated .

[@martinmrazek9691]

In Slovakia are these leafs very popular and we use them for cooking in many ways, we call them Bear garlic - "medvedí cesnak" in our language... Just make a pesto with them, olive oil and some nuts, make a toast bread and serv it with pesto and fried egg, delicious 👌👨‍🍳

[@sissymarie2912]

I make butter and cheese with ramps every spring. You can also put them in the food processor with an equal portion of sea salt and dehydrate it to use for the year. Love my ramps.

[@bored_pyro]

Dude, it's so awesome to see your channel growing! Such great content and you've made me so much more confident in the kitchen. Keep up the great work!

[@lynnpinner6275]

I totally agree! Love these videos, the content, the presentations! Have learned so much and become so much more confident, and I must say, creative in the kitchen! Always looking forward to the next one!

[@frangipanboo]

Well done education on Ramps for those who haven’t had the pleasure of trying. They are definitely a culinary sign of spring.

[@seandupuie3552]

They grow like crazy around northern Michigan in the spring, I always pick them in the spring while picking morel mushrooms. I like to make a quiche out of the mushrooms and leeks with maybe a little sausage and Swiss cheese. It is so good

[@BakerVS]

It's also very common in Europe (though it's not 100% the same plant as in North America). In English it's often called wild garlic, and a lot of other countries call it something like 'bear garlic'. Don't dig them up! You want them to grow back next year. I've never actually bought it in a shop; here it grows like weeds all over the place, so in spring I just grab some by the side of the road (a bit away from the exhaust fumes) to add to food.

[@derrickbyrne2621]

Looks like wild garlic to me. Grows all over the place in Ireland. Hedgerows woods the side of the road around the mountains .

[@JAWC1988]

Don’t think they are the same. These are Allium tricoccum, wild garlic is Allium ursinum

[@yellowrosek2146]

We grow ramps here in New Zealand as well. I planted mine yonks ago and they just keep popping up year after year. Taste maybe different as I don’t get any snow. Also love making scapes (garlic stems and flowers) into soup. Looking forward to your upcoming recipe. Cheers P

[@andersstorgaard6828]

Ramps grow wild here in Scandinavia. They at great mixed in butter with sourdough bread or any dish were you would ude garlic. Fantastic!

[@ti8es418]

where I come from it is also known as wild garlic... It is also common in the mediterranean countries...

They are very common in Switzerland. There is so much that you can smell them on the road while driving through a woods during the 2 weeks or so they are in season.

[@beltedsleet]

Just found these in my garden and was wondering what I could do with them. Thanks!

[@ParkerHallberg]

Love ramps!

[@Lansssolo]

I love your cooking style and your recipes. That said, if you have a good recipe for limoncello please do a video for it! Or link me to one that you like?

[@darcyferrigno]

I have had ramps once at a farm to table style restaurant years ago. I am no going to be on the lookout for them and try some recipes. Thanks for this informative episode.

[@Brontesister1]

Ah! Please ignore previous comment...can’t edit it for some reason. I see that ramps and ramsons are similar but not the same thing. What I foraged for is also called Wild Garlic...I think the two are related though.

[@OttoRemse]

To keep it really simple ramps are American (Allium tricoccum). Ramson is European and Asian (Allium ursinum)

[@COOKINGFROMTHELOFT]

that's super cool! Never heard of them and now I must have them. We have "wild onions" here down South but they don't have those green leafy tops. I'm clearly missing out. Can't wait to see the pasta!

[@imburning99]

You can find it all over Germany, we call it 'Bärlauch' (bears leek). Just be careful foraging, there's another plant 'Herbstzeitlose' which looks very similar but is quite toxic.

[@jimmycapp29]

Where do you get these jars of Calabrian Chillies?

[@christophertough]

Yeah we have a variety in the UK called Ransom, also known as wild garlic. Thanks for the awesome video.

[@TheHabadababa]

In germany we call it bears leek, not exactly the same but very similar. It doesn't really have the bulb part though. My favorite dish would be a cream soup with it but it's also often used to make something like pesto or mixed in with Spätzle dough to make them green and garlicky.

[@GiveMeLemons]

Funny, I've been eating ramps nonstop for 2 weeks now. In Germany they're pretty common in the forests, but it's actually illegal to dig up the roots here. They also run smaller than in the States. Koreans also love them with KBBQ, as kimchi or pickled with soy sauce & rice vin. I just made a batch of mandu (Korean dumplings) with them. Looking forward to the vongole. Cheers with a handful of ramps from across the ocean!

[@SweetMadness9]

My family usually puts them in mason jars and pickles them, I can’t wait to try this recipe for a change!

[@joe-e-geo]

As a seasonal fairly local delicacy (good people now), reminds me of fiddleheads. Question: any combo of the other alliums come close to the ramp flavor?

[@georgannebeck1293]

I love fiddleferns very hard to get them here only the best chefs know about them. They haven’t caught on yet in Arkansas

[@wedredding]

It's not absolutely necessary, but feel the need to add to the voice of my fellow Europeans: I was quite taken aback when you said that it's only found in NA, since I've recognised the plant immediately as wild garlic or "leurda" in my native tongue. After a bit of digging, ours is Allium ursinum, and I guess you're using Allium tricoccum. Great stuff, either way. And yeah - we only pick the leaves to leave the roots to grow again next year.

[@polarbearal]

Just picked a ton of these up in Northern Michigan. They are super tasty

[@taylorcb77]

Western New York : Go into the woods, dig up a ton, clean them, steam/boil them with ham! WOO! So good!! There tend to be (in normal times) big community Ham dinners with them.

[@paulwagner688]

Here's the big question. If you go to a farmer's market and buy them, how do you plant them so you can have ramps in your backyard?

[@carpediem5232]

The North American ramp (Allium tricoccum) is almost the same as ramson (Allium ursinum in German Bärlauch) in Europe.

[@Starbuckaneers]

Same in the UK (Allium ursinum) often sold as "Wild Garlic" although I've only ever seen the leaves for sale

[@TheSkadhauge1]

Or ramsløg in Denmark

[@carpediem5232]

@@Starbuckaneers Yes sold are mostly only the leaves since it is more sustainable. But you can use the whole plant including the flower buds.

[@BlackRainbows1123]

Very interesting! Never heard of these guys! (European here.) But I know the feeling! Around where I live, asparagus just arrived. People are going crazy!

[@jjoyous]

Have bought ramp pesto @ the Farmers market. It's delicious as a dip, a vinaigrette, tossed with pasta 🍝 and spread in sandwiches... YUM!🤤😋👍

[@hoburn1]

...In the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina, USA, there are yearly Ramp festivals, they are wonderful and cooked all different ways....

[@DrBrunoRecipes]

Lovely 👌🏻 Greetings from Scotland 😊 Have a wonderful day 🌻

[@sxd-215]

I thought I read a more sustainable way of foraging ramps is to cut it close to the bulb so it can regrow. Pulling it out completely leaves nothing for it to grow again, can anyone confirm that?

[@alexblair6004]

this is dead on ! you can still enjoy the white part of the ramp, just don't dig up the roots

[@-_8809]

And return to the site in the early to mid fall, to broadcast the seed all over the area. Year after year.

[@nathandrake1447]

Where can you buy these?

[@goneboating123]

so i can cut them at the ground level to propagate?

[@GemBonhamHorton]

Very interesting thank you 🙏 we don't have these in England

[@JergBizcochino]

Watching the updated pasta alle vongole video and the first thing I say is "Wtf are ramps?" and laughed out loud when I saw this video in the description.

[@petterin1]

Just beautiful!

[@starlakelsey2782]

I live in SC. Heard of ramps but never had them. Looked on ramp map...we don't have them wild in SC. Why can't i plant them? We can grow garlic, leaks, scallions etc.

[@tuesdayskittens]

Ramps you say? Okay I trust ya. Let's go!

[@MarcoRp10]

Im from Costa Rica so never heard of ramps before.. Instagram is crazy about em tho

[@teeeeeveeeee314]

We grow 'em in West Virginny! My mom grew them as a girl in Clay County during the Depression.

[@clairewyndham1971]

I have eaten them pretty much all my life- raised in Upper Michigan. Good eating!

[@dwaynewladyka577]

I like anything from the allium family. They taste so good. This was an awesome video. Cheers, Stephen!

[@Schneewittchensarg]

In Sweden this grow everywehere. And we love it!

[@etherdog]

I'm on the on-ramp with these vids, Steve!

[@beccacollins1528]

I've got SO many wild edible and medicinal plants growing like mad all over my yard! Ramps, wild lettuce, plantain (the herb), and more that I recognize but can't remember all the names (oh, and don't forget the dandelions!) - We won't be going hungry any time soon (& may never have to go to a pharmacist)! Now if my stinging nettles will just get their act together and sprout . . .

[@laurastampar2263]

We use ramp every spring in every way possible 😅♥️ it's really good though

[@joe34114]

I remember when they were super cheap and came as part of a $5 all you can eat Buckwheat Pancake and Ramp dinner to help support the local vol. fire dept.

[@bonemarrow21]

I love Ramps! I make a delicious spaghetti with ramps, chile and pistachio every year when ramps are available.

[@gcbwoods]

He makes a green leafy thing so appealing.

[@phschaad]

Is this the same thing as Bärlauch in Europe? We have that in Switzerland, but not sure if it's exactly the same plant or just related, does anyone know?

[@willnicol1684]

We call them wild garlic in the UK, lovely stuff

[@SrbiRodjace]

we have them in serbia, the balkans. just got a bunch from the market and made a pesto. its also called the bears garlic, because theres a story that the first thing a bear does when he awakens from hibernation, he eats a bit of ramps.

[@SrbiRodjace]

anyway, gj stephen, nice idea about pickling the white part.

[@raychuang9922]

enjoy the rare ramps of spring of what mother nature has to offer

[@ExMeroMotu9]

1:23 I be pronouncing similarly like this sometimes when talking to people. I be in my head like I hope they don't think I'm dumb.

[@ExMeroMotu9]

@illegal_opinions No one is speaking ebonics over here. I'm talking about making a common mistake anyone makes with everyday language. Don't try an sit here an say you've never messed up pronouncing a word.

[@StrigWilson]

@@ExMeroMotu9 lol nice

[@travixx07]

So the two of you pronounce it simmerlarely

[@ExMeroMotu9]

@@travixx07 I've never said it quite exactly the way he said it but I've messed up pronouncing that specific word. Everyone has messed up on word's here an there it's normal.

[@Demirel32]

So what's the difference between ramps and wild garlic/ramsons ?

[@samonyak]

has anyone ever had both allium tricoccum and allium ursinum and can tell me if there is any significant difference when it comes to taste and intensity? As an european I have never heard of the american version before and I am curious.

[@Brontesister1]

Not true...we have loads of rampons growing in the UK, wild in the countryside. I’ve been foraging twice already and enjoyed them very much!

[@chaehyunpark86]

And they're not only grown in north america- they're very well known in korea where i was born, and grown here in france, where i live, as well.

[@SuzanneBaruch]

Totally different plant.

[@leephillips2837]

that looks so beautiful

[@joeandersen9038]

We have them all over, here in Denmark.

[@danielm0rk]

While ramps (allium tricoccum) are mostly found in North America, ramson (allium ursinum) can be found in Europe and Asia. From what I can gather, there isn't much of a difference.

[@sanctionedtech]

I find it funnier than hell that this is now a thing and that folks pay an insane price for it. I grew up in Ohio. These grow like weeds. At the Boy Scout camp, we have to weed wack them out of the tent sites. But, we'd always pull some up and eat them fresh and raw. As an adult, we'd pick and use in our stews. They are so good ... and well, in mature forest with a high cannopy, they are abundant.

[@rosarivera8194]

Why are your ramps not red on the stem? Is there different kinds of ramps.

[@matthewpope1382]

In southeastern Ohio, those bad boys grow wild EVERYWHERE in the spring. We dig em' by the clothes basket full, and sell em' by the pound.

[@johonybrawo7434]

This i very common in Poland and is called Czosnek Niedźwiedzi here ;)

[@teeeeeveeeee314]

Try them with diced potatoes, crumbled bacon and bacon grease!

[@Rokhan91]

In europe there's a similar plant, allium ursinum

[@samalander88]

I literally just googled “what the hell are ramps” and bam. Here I am.

[@sonnyr.3842]

I tried it once as side dish for grilled ribeye it's actually quite good. Too bad I can't find any of that here.

[@sanktpaulidude4305]

Bärlauch? Nearly Bärlauch!

[@georgannebeck1293]

Can you grow the roots into new ramps? You can do green onions that way … I always threw them away growing up

[@eldebtor6973]

Never heard of these. Lived in gulf coast US my whole life.