Fresh Ramps

The ramp, sometimes called wild leek, is a wild onion native to NorthAmerica. Though the bulb resembles that of a scallion, the beautifulflat, broad leaves set it apart. The flavor and odor of ramps is usuallycompared to a combination of onions and garlic, and the garlic odor isparticularly strong. Strong enough, in fact, that even ramp-lovers willadvise caution. If you sit down to a big meal of ramps, don't besurprised if people continue to keep their distance after a few dayshave passed!  RECIPE also a great cookbook with recipes: Ramps The Cookbook by St. Lynns Press 

Cautions aside, ramps add wonderful and uniquely pungent flavor tosoups, egg dishes, casseroles, rice dishes and potato dishes. Use themraw or cooked in any recipe calling for scallions or leeks, or cook themin a more traditional way, scrambled with eggs or fried with potatoes.Since ramps aren't cultivated in the way leeks are, they're much easierto clean. Just cut off roots, rinse thoroughly, and scrub off any excessdirt on the bulbs.

Ramps aren't available for long, but you can chop and freeze themfor cooked dishes or dry them. The green tops are milder in flavor andare usually used along with the bulbs. I chop about half of the greenleaves separately, air-dry them for a few hours then freeze them in anair-tight container for future use as a seasoning.