Wild edibles are RAMPant!

By Trevor On May 8, 2012 · Leave a Comment

If one word could describe our first week as Allegheny Mountain School fellows it would probably be gratitude. As we get to know one another, we find ourselves constantly giving thanks – for this opportunity, for these amazing people, and for this land and the food it has already given us and will give to us over the next six months. One of our favorite activities so far is a weekly hike with Pen, who has been teaching us about the plants and animals that we share this amazing place with.

On Sunday, Pen was nice enough to take us on a walk on his land down the road from AMS. The trees aren’t even fully leafed out yet but there are already lots of herbaceous plants emerging from the forest floor. We saw several native plants in bloom such as Trillium (Trillium sp.), Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), and Foamflower (Tiarella sp.). We also discovered that with the incredible biodiversity of the Allegheny forests comes a wide variety of edible plants. As we walked we grazed on Wild Violet, Toothwort root (tastes just like horseradish!), Hairy Mountain Mint, Wood Sorrel, and Rock Lettuce and stuffed enough in our backpacks to add to our salad later that night. Best of all, Pen capped off the hike by taking us to a beautiful patch of wild Ramps and letting us dig a few up to take home. Ramps (Allium tricoccum), also known as Wild Leeks, are in the same family as onions and garlic and taste like a cross between the two. The small bulbs and the leaves are delicious and have been eaten by Appalachian people for generations. We added ours to a salad and also made a tasty ramp, kale, cabbage, and carrot stir-fry. We’ve still got a huge bag of ramps in the fridge and they should keep for about a month. Even though it’s only been a week, we’re amazed at how much we’ve experienced and learned already – we’re bursting with inspiration over here so stay tuned to hear more!