Ramps Festival

Raise your hand if you know what Ramps are. Keep 'em up if you know I mean something to eat & not drive on! I confess, I never got up close & personal with ramps until I recently spotted a beautiful fresh mound at my favorite specialty produce market. I took a big sniff and the smell was absolutely divine! Now I get what makes them so appealing and why the good folks at Slow Food think we ought to spend a whole day with them.

You didn't hear much about lovely Ramps in the past. I checked my "Farmacopeia" book, which is supposed to have everything "from apples to zucchini, and everything in between," but it goes straight from radishes to rhubarb. To learn more, my suggestion is to head over to the Ramps Fest this Sunday, May 6th at the Callicoon Farmer's Market, where Slow Food UpDeRiVa will be celebrating the Ramp, one of this region's most wonderful wild delicacies. From 11AM to 2PM there will be demonstrations, recipes, and tastings before the start of the great Ramp Tramp in Callicoon Center. This will include plenty of foraging & feasting at the Ramp Potluck at the Channery Hill Farm. Can you imagine Ramp Ravioli? Bob Eckert of Northern Farmhouse Pasta will feed you some at noon. I hear it's pure joy in a dumpling. If you think you'd agree, mark your calendar for the Ramps Fest this Sunday.