Alexis Nikole Nelson Instagram – Ramp season is often a… dramatic time to be in the foraging community. Their popularity in fine dining is often traced back to one Martha Stewart’s love of them. The city of Chicago is said to take its name from the French rendering of the Miami-Illinois word “Shikaakwa” (a word for Ramps!) Many of us in the Midwest know them as a familiar spring sight, but some states like Tennessee and New York have had ramps tiptoe onto conservation watchlists from over harvest. But awesome folks like Sam Thayer are also in the years long process of proving that sustainable harvest allows for more ramps over time. Lots of folks have opinions on whether you should or shouldn’t, whether bulbs or leaves, and I’m not saying what I do is the BEST way, it’s just the way that I’ve found works for both me and the patches I steward (I love to go back in the late summer and help spread the seeds out so the bulbs don’t end up cramped and stressed!!) I’m lucky enough to live in an area not often touched by foragers who sell en masse to restaurants, but even knowing that, Salted Ramp Leaves (inspired by @66squarefeet !!) are GREAT because they stretch the flavor and allow it to be used all year 🌱 very here for reasonable discussion in le comments… but if I spot you being a booty, YER OUTTA HERE!