Gathering Wild Leeks (Ramps)

wild leek growth habit (photo by jhy)

Wild leeks, Allium tricoccum, also known as ramps, appear early in the spring in April or May, about the same time of year as the hepatica and spring beauty bloom. You will find patches of them in the woods. They grow like this.

They don't have many look-alikes. Clintonia (bluebead) leaves are similar, but the tips of the Clintonia leaves are rounder. Leeks have purplish stems. And the clincher is, that if you break and crush a stem, it will smell like onion.

wild leeks (photo by jhy)

You will need to dig up the plants. Usually, they will just break off if you try to pull them up, and you definitely want the bulbs. Once you have determined how deep you need to dig, just bring up a handful and knock most of the dirt off until you can wash them. You can carry them home in a paper or plastic bag.


To clean: Once they are thoroughly rinsed, I cut off the root ball (leaving the bulb, of course), and then just slide the outermost "skin" down over the bulb to remove any remaining dirt or residue.

wild leeks ready to take home (photo by jhy)

Potato and Wild Leek (Ramps) Soup

potato and wild leek soup (photo by jhy)

There are literally hundreds of recipes on line for potato and onion/leek/ramp soup. I tried to keep this simple.

You will need:
a handful of wild leeks, which includes bulbs
(See Gathering Wild Leeks for tips on identifying and gathering leeks)
1 potato (about 8 ounces)
1 bullion cube- chicken or vegetable
1 T butter/oleo
1 T flour
1 c milk

Equipment:
2 saucepans (one about 2 qts. one smaller or a small frying pan)
spoon or spatula
knife

Prepare the leeks. After I brought mine home, I washed them, cut off the root ball, and then peeled down the outer skin of the bulb which removed any remaining dirt. After cleaning, I had 1.1 oz of leeks. Cut them into pieces- maybe 1/2 inch. Reserve a bit of the greens to dice for a garnish.

Dice the potato and boil in the larger pan with the cut up leeks, in at least 1 c. water and the bullion cube. Cook until soft.

potato and wild leek soup (photo by jhy)

Meanwhile, make a white sauce. Heat the butter and add flour. Stir to make a roux, then gradually add milk. Cook and stir over low heat until thickened.

Add the white sauce to the vegetables. Turn off heat and blend with an immersion blender. Or you can blend with a regular blender or an egg beater. Or you can do it the really old-fashioned way by pressing the soft vegetables through a sieve. If you do this, wait to add the white sauce until after you've done this and returned the sieved vegetables to the cooking water.

Garnish with the remaining leek leaves.

This made about 3 cups- one hearty dinner serving, or 2-3 side servings. The onion flavor was present, but not strong. You could use more leeks.

It took about 20 minutes to make.