OK, I DO like ramps.

Last week, someone posted on Twitter that they didn't get the hype about certain 'foodie' foods, and ramps being one of them. I concurred.

Then last weekend, we had dinner at the camp, and I sat down to a plate of ramps.

WOW

For these ramps, the recipe was simple: Saute in olive oil.

That's it. The cook apologized for not having any garlic to add to the dish. It didn't need it. They taste like a cross between garlic and scallions, and sweet and buttery.

According to Wikipedia : Allium tricoccum, commonly known as ramps, spring onion, ramson, wild leek, or ail des bois (French), is a member of the onion family (Alliaceae). Found in groups with broad, smooth, light green leaves, often with deep purple or burgundy tints on the lower stems and a scallion-like bulb strongly rooted just beneath the surface of the soil. Both the white lower leaf stalks and the broad green leaves are edible. They are found from the U.S. state of South Carolina to Canada and are especially popular in the cuisine of the US state of West Virginia and the Canadian province of Quebec when they emerge in the springtime. A common description of the flavor is like a combination of onions and strong garlic

Ramps grow on the East Coast of the U.S. in wooded areas. So last Sunday, on our hike with the Labradors, I kept my eyes out for ramps, but found none. But I will keep looking, as my neighbors down in the valley have ramps, so I'm thinking they are up at my house as well, maybe they sprout a bit later. ( i'm hoping )

My Brooklyn neighbors, Food52.com, interviewed Hubert McCabe of Windfall Farm on their blog here, and he says: "They're like a present ... You stumble on them, and nobody will tell anybody else where their secret spots are."

Thanks to Food52, I met a new Brooklyn Food web video person, Lisa, of The Funny Side Up, and here is her video about ramps, direct from her kitchen.

some other food bloggers who have written about ramps are listed below, please check them out.

Closet Cooking

innBrooklyn

Radishes and Rhubarb

Good Food Revolution

The Just in Case Book

What do you know about ramps? How do you cook them? tell us below: