Ian Knauer
What's the big deal about ramps?
Well, first off, they're pretty delicious in a way that is both familiar and very different from their lily cousins. Nary a combination of garlic, scallion, and leek could ever quite match the wild musk that fills your head when you chomp down on a ramp. If the onion family were a line of perfumes, then the ramp would be Sex Panther by Odeon. Or maybe even BK Flame. Needless to say, pretty powerful stuff.
But that's not all.
Ramps have cleverly made themselves scarce, thereby increasing demand. They have a very short season (only about six weeks in the spring) and they have the reputation for being uncultivable. The limited season situation is true, and seemingly unavoidable. But the theory of cultivability is a nasty rumor spread, no doubt, but those who could benefit from ramp scarcity: money-hungry farmers.
I can't get too upset at farmers and foragers for wanting to bump up their prices, but I'm here to tell you that it doesn't have to be this way. You, too, can grow your own ramps. All you'll need are some ramps to get started with and a sugar maple or oak tree close to a wet, swampy area in the Eastern United States. Not too much to ask for, really.