Wine Discussion - Don't you dare disagree

Hoke - Have you ever tasted ramps? Here in WV, children are sent home from school because they ate too many ramps the previous day. Adults know better than to venture out in public after consuming them. I could send you a bottle of the wine if you like.

Edit: Rogov may have an opinion to share.

[David M. Bueker]

I was once served a slice of "Ramp Quiche." I had no idea what a ramp was at the time. Now I will never forget.

So for those of us with absolutely no clue (I'm almost afraid to ask this, after the last few posts) - what exactly is/are 'ramps' in this context?

Ramps are a member of the onion/leek/garlic family. As far as I know, all wild, I've never heard of them being farmed. Quite intense, with a flavor between garlic and leeks. I've had some great ramp-centric dishes, it's worth trying if you ever visit say Blue Hill at Stone Barns in the spring. That said, I don't think I'd care for ramp wine!!!

Alan, thanks for thinking of me, but I have had ramps.

Did not particularly enjoy them, thinkyew. Do not want to even think of them as a wine.

The person that insisted a bunch of us have them for dinner was quite ecstatic to find out ramps were in season and available, and was quite forceful in getting them on our plates for dinner. And it was, apparently, not a joke and seriously done. None of us could quite see what all the fuss was about.

Mind you, as a son of the south, I've had pretty much every green that was in any way edible, domestic or wild. Might be all citified now, but it wasn't always that way. I was, at one time, both hunter and gatherer.

I've just been reading up on ramps. One of the things that is mentioned all the time about them is the terrible body odours they produce when you eat them. Some of the web sites I've read seem to positively revel in this feature of the plant - "eat some of this and celebrate the stench!" Can they be that bad? I'm curious to know.

[David M. Bueker]

I've just been reading up on ramps. One of the things that is mentioned all the time about them is the terrible body odours they produce when you eat them. Some of the web sites I've read seem to positively revel in this feature of the plant - "eat some of this and celebrate the stench!" Can they be that bad? I'm curious to know.

They are!

Matilda - It seems to vary from person to person. It may depend on how many are consumed. A "ramp dinner" might include country ham, canned green beans, white beans with a little onion and/or fatback, cole slaw, corn bread, sweet tea to drink and of course lots of ramps. In the worst cases, if the odor were described as a combination of rotting flesh, butyl mercaptan, fresh night soil and rancid sweat justice would not have been done. And it oozes from the pores for days. Really an unforgettable experience.

I love onions, chives, garlic and leeks ... tried ramps and frankly didn't like them. They did seem to have a "mercaptan"-type smell that is not as fine or crisp as the aroma of a fresh onion. I wouldn't go to the trouble to pick them even if there were a patch nearby ... just my 2¢.

I've just been reading up on ramps. One of the things that is mentioned all the time about them is the terrible body odours they produce when you eat them. Some of the web sites I've read seem to positively revel in this feature of the plant - "eat some of this and celebrate the stench!" Can they be that bad? I'm curious to know.

Absolutely! There is an annual 'Ramp Festival' in a town the next county over from my hometown. It's easy to tell who went.