Ramps and Morels

Ramp season is by far my favorite time of the year.   Ramps and Morels should be hunted at the same time.   

I am part of a living history group and what I love most about the reenacting community is the diversity of people.  Anyone who is involved in my group particularly is riddled with talents and rich in knowledge; creative and resourceful in ways you can not even imagine.  Not to mention good sports and willing to eat the crazy things I am always bringing around.  

Freshly picked and rinsed ramps.  Ramps are virtually impossible to confuse for a poisonous plant - they smell overwhelmingly of onions.  I really really really love ramps.  A lot.  

Ramps growing on a hillside.   Ramps are protected in New York State, so please only pick them where they are plentiful.   The place where I harvest them has acres covered in them and I take only a few of the population.  

A flower spike

Wild Ginger flowers sit at the base of the plant, on the ground, and attract crawling insects such as ants to pollinate them.  

I only have one Morel hunting spot as of yet, but I will keep looking and hopefully in the next few years I can add to my locations.  

In a half an hour I was able to pick a good number of Morels 

I brought a large armload of ramps to a living history event and traded 1/3 of them for the hindquarters of a beaver.  I butchered it up as well as I could in the dark and sauteed it with butter and onions.   

The beaver meat was delicious - it reminds you of beef and is extremely tender and a bit greasy but not in a bad way at all.  I'm not sure why some people are afraid to eat anything but cows, pigs and chickens.   

Breakfast - bacon, acorn and cornmeal cakes, and Morels waiting to be cooked

Morels and Ramps

Raccoon Brains cooked with onions

really - the Morels were delicious but unfortunately they had a bit of sand in them.   I will have to figure out a way to de-grit them if I can.   Also, next time I will be frying the Morels separately from the Ramps, there was just too much moisture in the pan and they did not caramelize as much as I would have liked.