Re: Fw: [at-l] You know you are ready to hike when...

[WHHAWKINS@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/28/99 2:33:04 PM EDT, cprudhom@chat.carleton.ca writes:

<< I feel like I've missed something.....are "ramps" wild onions?? 
  >>

No, they are not. 

What exactly are ramps?
The ramp (Allium tricoccum) is a wild leek and belongs to the same 
pungent plant family as onions and garlic. 

The Ramp 

Ramps are native to eastern North America, ranging from the woodlands of 
Nova Scotia though New England and into the central Appalachian states. 

This herb grows in great abundance in the spring. In late winter to early
spring, 
each bulb sends up two or three broad, smooth, ovate leaves -- very similar to
lily-of-the-valley -- from the leaf litter on the forest floor. The ramp is at
its fullest, and to some, its tastiest, in mid-April.

Wildbill 
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