The earth has come alive.

A month ago, I went out in the woods with Dustin Raxter, scouting places he collects ramps.  This week, I was in the woods again with Dustin and his father, Ted.  This time, the earth had come alive – ramps, trillium, lily-of-the-valley, branch lettuce, and dozens of other wood-land plants.

Today we were collecting ramps for the last day of ramp “production” at the Smoky Mountain Native Plants Association – where the ramps would be dried and added to their cornmeal product, or powdered and sold as seasonings.  Ramps (“Allium tricoccum”), also called wild leeks, are found growing on rich, wooded slopes in the heart of the Blue Ridge mountains at altitudes greater than 3000′.  Mid-April is prime season.  Our goal today was twenty pounds of ramps.  Yesterday, Dustin and Ted collected 51 pounds, which took eight hours to collect.

Ramps are one of the four favorite Spring greens of the Cherokee.  The other three being sochan, poke sallet and branch lettuce.

Sochan (“Rudbeckia laciniatum”), also known as green-headed coneflower, is one of the most prized spring greens the Cherokees gather. They sometimes call it “sochani.” Closely related to black-eyed Susan (“Rudbeckia hirta”), it grows to 10 feet tall in wet areas and along damp woodland borders.

Poke sallet (“Phytolacca americana”) is also called poke, pokeweed, poke greens, pocan, pigeonberry, and inkberry. It can be found in abundance in open fields and along roadsides.  By various accounts, only young plants should be eaten, after multiple blanchings in boiling water, the older, reddish growth and the roots are poisonous.  In 1969 the song, “Poke Salad Annie”, recorded by Tony Joe White, reached Number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.  I don’t know if it boosted salads of the wild green…

Branch lettuce (“Saxifraga micranthidifolia”) – sometimes called wild lettuce, bear lettuce, or lettuce saxifrage – grows on wet banks and in seepage areas and streams.  On our way in to the ramp patches, we crossed a small stream with an abundant growth and would collect some on the way back out.

All these greens are eaten raw or cooked, the most common method, is “frying them up” in rendered bacon fat – a staple of the mountain kitchen.

My own celebration this time of year is the flavor of “fresh” – after a winter of dull foods numbed by the act of preserving.  A quick mix of these greens, with a little vinegar, salt and pepper is all that is needed – at least for the first week or so.  After the initial thrill of the season’s first wild things, then the urge of creativity can take over.  Here are a few of the recipes I have thought up and tried with ramps and other wild spring things.

Ramps, Smoked Bacon & Branch Lettuce Salad

4 portions

• 2 ounces of bacon, cut into lardons (fat, short “sticks” about 1/4″ x 1/4″ x 1″)
• A healthy bunch of ramps, properly harvested*, cleaned, cut into 1″ lengths
• salt, pepper
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 4 hands-full fresh branch lettuce

Method:  In a heavy iron skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until it renders it’s fat and becomes crispy.  Toss in the ramps and cook for 1 minute, season with salt, pepper and the brown sugar.  Cook another minute.  Add the vinegar, turn off the heat.  Place the branch lettuce in a mixing bowl, toss with the ramp & bacon dressing.  Serve with some corn pone or corn bread sticks.

Mountain Trout Stuffed with Ramps

4 portions

• 4 whole, small fresh trout.  De-boned – having had rib cage and back bone removed
• 2 tablespoons bacon fat or olive oil
• 1 good hand-full of fresh ramps*, cleaned, cut into 1″ pieces, reserve some of the green tops for cooking with potatoes
• 4 hands-full dandelion greens, stems picked, cleaned
• 2  cups of cooked corn grits, fairly soft
• salt, pepper
• 2 more tablespoons of rendered bacon fat or olive oil
• butter
• vinegar

Method:  De-bone the whole trout, leaving them whole.  Season the cavity with salt & pepper.  In a heavy iron skillet (select a skillet large enough to hold all four trout), heat the first two tablespoons of fat over medium heat.  Cook the ramps until lightly browned.  Add the dandelion greens and cook until they are wilted and all the water evaporates.  Season with salt & pepper.  Add the soft corn grits to the mixture, mix well and heat through.  Remove from the heat.

Divide the mixture into four parts and stuff the trout.  Reshape the fish.  Wipe out the skillet.  Over medium heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of fat.  Add the trout and cook on the first side, about 4 minutes, until the skin is crispy.  Turn over and cook on the second side until brown and crispy.  Place the trout on four heated dinner plates.  Wipe out the iron skillet, add a healthy knob of butter.  Cook until the butter just begins to brown.  Add a dash of vinegar (or lemon juice) and pour over the fish.

Serve with some very crispy hash browns, seasoned with the green tops of the ramps, cut up.

Corn Grit Loaf with Ramps and Black Walnuts

1 1/2 quart loaf-shaped mold

some oil

Make ahead:

4 cups of corn grits, well seasoned

• 3 ounces smoky bacon, cut into lardons
• 2 hands-full fresh ramps, cleaned and wood grilled
• 1/2 cup black walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup baby turnips, roasted
• turnip greens, from the baby turnips, grilled and drained
• salt and pepper

Method:  First, assemble all the ingredients – cook corn grits to yield 4 cups.  Grill the ramps and the turnip greens  (wash the greens in 3 changes of water and dry well).  To grill them, toss each separately in oil and grill to desired doneness.  Place in a colander to drain.  Cook the bacon until crispy – reserving the rendered fat for another use.  Toss the black walnuts in with the bacon the last minute or two to crisp.  Drain the bacon and nuts in a colander.  Roast the turnips until tender and cut into quarters.  Season everything well.

To assemble – oil the loaf mold.  If you like, line it with a piece of oiled baking paper to facilitate unmolding later.  Heat the grits just until warm and softened.  Place a half-inch layer of grits on the bottom of the mold, then lay in some ramps, turnip greens, bacon and walnuts.  Add more grits and repeat the layering, finishing the top with grits.  Smooth the top and place a piece of oiled baking paper on top.  Place a weight on top.  Refrigerate for at least six hours.

To serve:  Unmold and serve.  You may serve it cold, or I prefer cutting the loaf into slices and cooking it very slowly in some fat until it is crispy on both sides.  Serve with some very finely cut slaw or early spring greens tossed with a little dressing.

-Mark Rosenstein