Ramps: sustainable harvesting
I've seen a few posts lately about how to assure that our foraged foods come back next year. So, I wanted to start this discussion for everyone to chime in on how to help our ramp beds grow.
This NY Times article says to avoid taking small, immature or flowering plants. And to only take half of each clump and replant the rest along with the rhizome. Foragers can also scatter ramp seed on their patches in the fall.
For the newbie forager, this raises some questions;
What is an immature plant? How small is too small? And how do you replant the rhizome and scatter the seeds? Also, is taking just the leaves, and not the base, a better option?
Veterans, please weigh in!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Elmer LeSuer on -
Well today is Earth Day... It came up so fast this year I almost missed it... Since I haven't done anything else, I decided to do a little research and share it with as many people as possible... Hopefully Mother Earth will approve and bless me with one hell of an awesome find in the woods this summer!!! :-)
Please Forward To Everyone You Can...
Many MHMA members are proponents of sustainable foraging... However, there are still people out there who are not. I know a couple people who have gone out foraging for local restaurant fare and take the entire crop of mushroom fruits... Or will dig up a whole patch of ramps... especially the bulbs (because selling by the pound, they add more weight)... Guess what... that patch is not there next year, and according to one page referenced below it may take 100 years for a ramp harvest to recover...
There is a HUGE difference between commercial harvesting and personal consumption. And commercial harvesting lends itself to abusive overharvesting and depletion of future foraging potential... Even still in can be very tempting to over harvest with individual harvesting as well...
So maybe in honor of EarthDay 2011 you will join me and make (or renew) a foraging pledge to take some, and make sure to leave some... And maybe you will take a few extra minutes this year to plant or replant some ramps... Then we will always have the pleasure of enjoying this spring favorite!
I hope you do, but whether or not you make (or renew) your pledge... Take some time and look through the links below... I have done a little web research hopefully you will find it helpful...
According to this webpage sustainable ramp harvest is less than 5% of any given patch... A 90% harvest takes approximately 100 years to recover, and even a 25% harvest will require 10 YEARS to recover... For More click HERE
Are you ready to learn more about ramps, or make your own patch to help prevent the increasing over harvesting... Didn't get enough here? Or maybe you would just prefer to have something new for the bathroom? Here is a great book for all things related to ramps... From cooking them to transplanting, to planting from seeds or bulbs... The who what when and where on ramps... HERE
If you just want the ramp cultivation info down and dirty without the recipes, cooking instruction or pictures try this link... HERE
And If you want to go all "Hoity Toity Ramp Botanist" on us, then try this link for a little more science... HERE
Here is the best bit from This Page... Ramps will grow from the few seeds they produce although germination make take a year or more, and then 4 or 5 years to make a bulb. More commonly, ramps are spread by underground rhizomes. Ramp pickers (generally small-scale subsistence harvesters) will usually dig clumps and leave individual ramps to fill the gaps for the next year.
This Page is a must see for "RAMP-ants"... Shows flowering, seeds etc...
This is a picture of young ramps plants in the middle of March.
Notice that there are 3 ramp plants coming from one root system
Last year this was originally just one plant and bulb, over the winter
the plant divided into 3 separate plants. As you see the bulbs are small
right now, but will grow fatter through the spring until they reach full
size in May. (Picture And Info From HERE )IF YOU FIND THIS, SPLIT THEM AND YOU CAN TRANSPLANTTHIS AS THREE YOUNG PLANTS AND TAKE THREE MEATIER MATURE PLANTS IN GOOD CONSCIENCE!
Here is a picture of ramp seeds. The seeds on the left are small, they
have not started to grow and have been stored on my desk in an envelope.
The seeds on the right were put into the refrigerator in January to begin
the sprouting process. Brought out in March to be planted in a warm area.
Just those few months in the fridge caused the seeds to begin growing and
as you see they look much plumper than the seeds that did not get the cold treatment.(PIcture And Info From HERE )
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Permalink Reply by Jutta Middel on -
And, where can you get ramp seeds? Or do you have to gather them as well?
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Permalink Reply by Meghan E. Murphy on -
Yes, you would gather them from the actual plants in late summer or early fall. Check out this link for directions on how to sow them: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-133.html
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