Tis the season for Wild Leeks and Ramps along with a few others

[nighthawk]

How many of you gather your own wild leeks/ramps, fiddle heads, morels and such? This is a great time of years as life is returning to the Forrest's along the streams we fish. I know of you collect hen of the woods from your posts here so I am willing to bet I am not the only one that collects wild leeks and fiddle heads.

If you have never tried them they are great table fare for that streams side meal or at home. Here is some great info on them:

http://www.wild-harvest.com/pages/ramp.htm

If you have recipes for them it might be a good thing to send into the site or just post them here. Anyone else forage for wild food out there?

[fishdog54]

Nighthawk,

Haven't found a decent place to hunt morels here in Pa. I know there has to be someplace around here to find them. Had some real honey holes when I was in the U.P. of Mich!
You would rather give up your PIN number or SSAN number, BEFORE you divulged your secret morel mushroom hunting spots! Leeks are strong - at least the ones I tried were. They had quite the bite to them. I substituted wild leeks for onions in tuna salad once and had to throw it away! Way too strong!! Never tried cooking with them though - maybe that would be better?? Never did the fiddlehead thing, but read about them in stories written by Ned Smith - he swore by them! Good luck hunting shrooms - always a good reason to get outside after a long winter!!

Best regards, Dave S.

[LadyFisher]

We do get Morals here, not yet though....need a warm rain, even warm would help *S*

[Bamboozle]

My mother instilled the fear of God in me to never eat anything that looked like a mushroom unless it came from Kennett Square, PA in a wooden box with blue paper inside. It worked; these days I hunt my fungi in the supermarket despite having good morel hunting in the woods on my property.

I let my neighbor pick them, he's braver than me when it comes to wild food.

BTW - Is this the kind of wild leeks and ramps we are talking about?

[Featherbender]

If I'm camping in the springtime, I will collect a few ramps to add to whatever I'll be eating for the weekend. For me, ramps are synonymous with rainy spring camping, and a pheasant stuffed with bread and ramps makes a fine dinner on a rainy weekend.

I've always been interested in trying fiddleheads, but never had the courage/hunger to grab one and start munching. which kind are the safe ones or tastiest?

[sagefisher]

Wild leeks be the hissing sound from the bladder on your pontoon boat and ramps be what you make a panic dash for as the hissing sound continues and you slowly sink into the lake.

Larry ---sagefisher---

[nighthawk]

Here is what you are looking for with the fiddleheads. They are actually called the Ostrich Fern but when they emerge in the spring their heads are tightly coiled and look like the head of a fiddle. Click the link:

http://theshopatvictoriagardens.blog...ddleheads.html

Wild leeks/ramps are extremely strong especially later in the season like mid June on in our region. Recipes that would use two or more onions will normally use only one leek or ramp. Use the entire plant greens and all. A very little goes a long way.

Morels in Pennsylvania you should be thinking pasture lands. Got spoiled growing up in N.W. Pa on the plateau and glacial till. Morels and leeks everywhere!

I bought a very good book written by wild man Steve Brill. Kind of a foragers bible.

http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/

Great book to have.

[forthebirds12]

The experts say the morels are a couple weeks out here. Still a little cold in them thar hills it is. Pretty soon tho. Hope to bring some to the WA Fish-In.

Jerry

[luckie88]

Oh man, yum yum yummy!!! My girlfriend used to do Spotted Owl surveys for the Sisters Ranger District a few years back. While out in the woods she would also be rootin' around for some fungi. So many Morels, Chantrels, Fiddleheads (not fungi), ect... Thank God she is a Wildlife Biologist specializing in Birds and Plants, so I never ended up in the hospital after consuming that wonderful T-bone steak topped with wild mushrooms with a wonderful "wild" salad (as she called it) Can't wait for her to get back (if she comes back that is) from her detail in Boise!! Its about that time again!

[MSD53X]

I personally love fiddleheads, and around here they are usually around Mothers Day. I've never eaten morrels or leeks