Ramp recipe submitted on FB by Debra Strong. 1 lb. of ramp bulbs, trimmed of their taproot, red portion of the stem still attached. 3 cups water, 1 T. kosher or sea salt, 1/2 cup sugar, 1.5 cups apple cider vinegar or champagne vinegar or simply white vinegar, 1 T. dried spices of your choice like star anise and allspice. Make up your own blend and have fun.
By Deby Jo Ferguson
Staff Writer
Being born and raised a city-slicker can have its advantages here in the mountains. As a kid I spent a couple weeks every summer with family James and Martha Carroll in Peachtree and my husband Larry was born in Aquone but moved to the city when he was about 6 years old. Sometimes when you see things every day one begins to take for granted. I feel blessed because over the last 30 years of living in the mountains I have experienced hands-on so many traditions from folks who did it “the old way.”
During my visits as a kid I got to go on jeep rides with my uncle James and family. I remember everyone leaning to one side of the jeep just to keep it from rolling off the mountain. James also taught me to swim against the current of the river which was something he insisted everyone should know.
After moving to the mountains I got to milk a cow while doing an interview at Lynn and Gail Waldroup’s farm. You might say so what, I’ve milked dozens of cows in my lifetime but there’s nothing like the first time doing something. I’ll tell you one thing, that cow looked mighty big from the position I was in to milk it, but thankfully one of the workers pumped the cows tail and explained that’s how you help get the milk to come out faster, smile.
I’ll never forget hunting turkey mustard with Effie Mull and her sharing stories about snake hunting, in a southern slang only Effie could express. She described cooking a opossum in a way that would make your mouth water, although I have no plans of ever eating one.
Years ago, Wayne McDowell who lived up on Qualla at the time, enlightened me on the reason Zang hunters take to the hills to hunt what he called “green money.” Wayne looked to the future by always replanting seeds where he removed a root. He said that if you made tea out of the roots it enhanced your sex life but his wife quietly refused to verify that statement.
Larry and I used to drive up to Robbinsville from Winston Salem every year just for the Ramp Festival before moving to Hayesville. I love the taste of ramps cooked in fried potatoes and okra and had anxiously awaited my chance to go on a ramp hunt.
My first and last ramp hunt was with Larry, his 70 year old aunt, Daisy Lee ,and brother, Frank Ferguson. I felt very confident that I would get a load and bring it back to share with everyone, I actually took three empty bags with me to carry my stash of ramps back in. We drove up the back side of Nantahala to an area they thought would be good to hunt ramps. They said it would be an easy, all we had to do was go down a little hill then we could walk along the path.
I’m letting you know that the 50-foot drop-off wasn’t a little hill and that pig trail covered with briers wasn’t a path. I’ve met and admire true die-hard ramp hunters, unfortunately I’m just not one of ‘em.
I knew one woman who use to work at the paper, Lenora Bacchus who was a true ramp hunter and she had this to say, “I don’t think one or two trips hunting ramps is enough to title one as a “ramp tramp. My goal is to gather strongly scented herbs which may or may not have great nutritious value but they sure make you sleep.”
Of all the things I have experienced since living in these beautiful mountains, ramp hunting was one that really whipped me. After all the best tasting ramps I have ever eaten are the ones someone else gave me.
If you do decide to venture out in the spring of the year and go ramp hunting take caution because there is another plant that can be confused with the ramp plant by those who are not experienced in identifying plants. The Crow’s Foot is a plant that is very similar to ramps but is poisonous. The Crow’s Foot plant has five deeply veined leaves, where the ramp has two leaves. The ramp stem has a purple color and the crow’s foot is white. So be careful what you eat and when you do have ramps be sure to keep a good supply of breath mints handy.
Some of the older folks have told me if they ate ramps back in the day they weren’t allowed to go to school the next day.