Have there been any sightings in or around southern Chester County?
Do you recall the price CindyJ? I paid 5.00 per 1/4 lb at a farmers market.
They were, not surprisingly, quite expensive -- $14.99/lb. Actually, that's less than the price at your farmers market. But I have to say, they really are a treat. I cleaned them, cut the bulb portion off, cut the leaves in half, tossed it all in olive oil, sprinkled with S&P and oven roasted them for about 15 minutes.
It appears that this spring vegetable is very popular now. If you cannot find it there is a substitute that's readily availabe year-round: the Chinese leek.
Chinese leeks taste very similar to ramps. It's a perennial easily grown in your garden. To harvest, simply cut the bundle of slender leaves about an inch above ground and the plant will grow back for another harvest, and another and another until frost appears in late fall.
One noticeable difference is that, once eaten in significant amount (e.g. gorging at a Ramps Festival), the smell of ramps will stay with you and on you until your body is rid of its remnants while the Chinese leek is not that powerful.
You can find Chinese leeks at your local Asian grocery stores. Cheap (under $3/lb.)
Do you know if they care cultivated in the US or imported?
Both US and south of the boarder. Some farms (a few in NJ and PA came to mind) in the US specialize in growing Asian produce. At the Regional Produce Market, once I was marveling at the freshness of the Chinese leek flowering stalks (a delicacy) during off-season, the purveyor told me they were from Mexico.
Many Chinese I know grow them in their yards.
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