April 16, 2009
Have your ramps and eat them, too
Retired postal worker in Richwood writes A-to-Z book for lovers of aromatic tuber
Rick Steelhammer
Glen Facemire Jr. examines a handful of freshly dug ramps near his Richwood home.
RICHWOOD, W.Va. -- If anyone knows ramps from turf to table, it's Glen Facemire Jr.
The retired Postal Service employee grew up in the Richwood area, where he dug and helped can ramps as a kid - "Not because they were a special, wild, springtime food, which they are, but because they were food, period," he said.
After spending part of his career in Charleston, he returned to ramp country in Summersville before retiring and returning to Richwood, where he owns more than 60 acres of prime ramp terrain adjacent to his home. He has planted ramp seeds over much of his property and, with his wife, Noreen, operates G-N Ramp Farm and Ramp Farm Specialties - an Internet-based retail outlet for fresh ramps and ramp products.
Over the years, the Facemires developed a line of ramp products, ranging from ramp biscuit mix and pickled ramps to ramp gravy mix and ramp mustard, which they sold for several years from a store they operated on Richwood's Main Street. They have also written three booklets on growing and cooking ramps. These days, though, virtually all of their business is online and focuses on freshly dug ramps.
Last year, the Facemires shipped out 400 pounds of the aromatic tubers to ramp lovers from Florida to Alaska.
"I shake the loose dirt off and keep the skin of the roots on to hold the moisture in," said Facemire. "I bag the roots in plastic bags in half-pound bunches, and leave the tops on to let the ramps breathe." The ramps are shipped in perforated mailers and arrive on the West Coast within three days, in good condition, Facemire said.
This year, Facemire has taken his knowledge of allium tricoccum, as the ramp is known botanically, to the next level: A 144-page book that covers everything from the life cycle of the ramp to information about how to grow, dig, cook, ship and preserve it.
"Having Your Ramps and Eating Them, Too," published by McClain Press in Parsons, also covers the medicinal properties of the ramp, ramp myths and ramp humor.
Wielding a hand-made ramp hoe and carrying a decommissioned letter carrier's pouch converted to ramp duty, Facemire set out on a recent afternoon to show a visitor the state of this year's ramp crop.
"The ramps are a little small for this time of year," he said, after unearthing a small clump of green-topped alliums on a slope up the hill from his home. "I think they taste best when they're this size, but it takes more of them to make a bushel."
Facemire said he harvests ramps by thinning, rather than clearing out patches of the plant. He also reseeds ramp-producing coves on his land.
"It takes a while to replace a ramp," he said. "It can take up to 18 months for a ramp seed to germinate, then another five or six years for the germinated seed to grow big enough for eating."
He said ramps can be found on all slope exposures, but he said north-facing slopes seem to produce better, since they are better shaded from afternoon sun and hold moisture better.
Freshly trimmed ramps await rinsing and a stint in the skillet at the Facemire home.
RICHWOOD, W.Va. -- If anyone knows ramps from turf to table, it's Glen Facemire Jr.
The retired Postal Service employee grew up in the Richwood area, where he dug and helped can ramps as a kid - "Not because they were a special, wild, springtime food, which they are, but because they were food, period," he said.
After spending part of his career in Charleston, he returned to ramp country in Summersville before retiring and returning to Richwood, where he owns more than 60 acres of prime ramp terrain adjacent to his home. He has planted ramp seeds over much of his property and, with his wife, Noreen, operates G-N Ramp Farm and Ramp Farm Specialties - an Internet-based retail outlet for fresh ramps and ramp products.
Over the years, the Facemires developed a line of ramp products, ranging from ramp biscuit mix and pickled ramps to ramp gravy mix and ramp mustard, which they sold for several years from a store they operated on Richwood's Main Street. They have also written three booklets on growing and cooking ramps. These days, though, virtually all of their business is online and focuses on freshly dug ramps.
Last year, the Facemires shipped out 400 pounds of the aromatic tubers to ramp lovers from Florida to Alaska.
"I shake the loose dirt off and keep the skin of the roots on to hold the moisture in," said Facemire. "I bag the roots in plastic bags in half-pound bunches, and leave the tops on to let the ramps breathe." The ramps are shipped in perforated mailers and arrive on the West Coast within three days, in good condition, Facemire said.
This year, Facemire has taken his knowledge of allium tricoccum, as the ramp is known botanically, to the next level: A 144-page book that covers everything from the life cycle of the ramp to information about how to grow, dig, cook, ship and preserve it.
"Having Your Ramps and Eating Them, Too," published by McClain Press in Parsons, also covers the medicinal properties of the ramp, ramp myths and ramp humor.
Wielding a hand-made ramp hoe and carrying a decommissioned letter carrier's pouch converted to ramp duty, Facemire set out on a recent afternoon to show a visitor the state of this year's ramp crop.
"The ramps are a little small for this time of year," he said, after unearthing a small clump of green-topped alliums on a slope up the hill from his home. "I think they taste best when they're this size, but it takes more of them to make a bushel."
Facemire said he harvests ramps by thinning, rather than clearing out patches of the plant. He also reseeds ramp-producing coves on his land.
"It takes a while to replace a ramp," he said. "It can take up to 18 months for a ramp seed to germinate, then another five or six years for the germinated seed to grow big enough for eating."
He said ramps can be found on all slope exposures, but he said north-facing slopes seem to produce better, since they are better shaded from afternoon sun and hold moisture better.
When digging ramps, Facemire tries to keep as much root material as possible attached to the plants. "That way, if you don't cook all the ramps you've dug, you can replant them," he said.
While April is the prime ramp-digging month in West Virginia, Facemire says he harvests some as early as January, looking for withered stems and seed pods to guide him to the aromatic roots, since their green tops have not yet sprouted.
Once an appropriate-sized mess of ramps has been collected for preparation, Facemire slices off the bottom tip of the bulb and then slides off the slimy outer sheath that covers the herb's business end.
"They're almost clean after you slide off that skin," he said. "You don't need to scrub them. These are prime, crisp ramps," he said, admiring a pail-full he had processed at an outdoor pavilion on his ramp farm.
A growing public interest in wild foods and a trend by upscale restaurants to incorporate ramps in recipes has kept demand for the woodland herb high. "We keep getting more and more inquiries about ramps, including from people who want to buy them wholesale," Facemire said. " I think demand for them is as high as it's ever been."
Despite legends that ramps possess one of nature's strongest and longest-lasting aromas, "I don't think they're any stronger than garlic, chives, leeks or any other alliums," he said. "Of course, you can run into some really hot ones every so often."
After bringing the prepared ramps back to his house, Facemire sautéed one pan of topless ramps with mushrooms in butter, and another pan of green-topped ramps in bacon drippings with a few eggs from his free-ranging hens.
"You want them to simmer slowly, and not get too hot and brown," he said, as he stirred the slow-cooking ramps. Facemire added a little water and a sprinkling of salt to the simmering ramps, and kept them covered to allow steam to enhance the cooking process. "A good-sized pan takes about 20 minutes to cook," he said.
As Facemire stirred the ramps on the stovetop, his wife placed an array of pre-cooked ramp dishes on serving plates. They included ramp meatloaf, ramp quiche, ramp dressing balls and ramp hush puppies, all cooked according to recipes she created, which are included in the new book.
All proved to be even better to eat than they were to admire.
Copies of "Having Your Ramps and Eating Them, Too" are available at Tamarack and from the Ramp Farm Specialties' Web site www.rampfarm.com.
Facemire also will sell copies of the book at the 71st annual Feast of the Ramson, the state's oldest and biggest ramp feed, which takes place Saturday at Richwood High School, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Freshly trimmed ramps await rinsing and a stint in the skillet at the Facemire home.
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When digging ramps, Facemire tries to keep as much root material as possible attached to the plants. "That way, if you don't cook all the ramps you've dug, you can replant them," he said.
While April is the prime ramp-digging month in West Virginia, Facemire says he harvests some as early as January, looking for withered stems and seed pods to guide him to the aromatic roots, since their green tops have not yet sprouted.
Once an appropriate-sized mess of ramps has been collected for preparation, Facemire slices off the bottom tip of the bulb and then slides off the slimy outer sheath that covers the herb's business end.
"They're almost clean after you slide off that skin," he said. "You don't need to scrub them. These are prime, crisp ramps," he said, admiring a pail-full he had processed at an outdoor pavilion on his ramp farm.
A growing public interest in wild foods and a trend by upscale restaurants to incorporate ramps in recipes has kept demand for the woodland herb high. "We keep getting more and more inquiries about ramps, including from people who want to buy them wholesale," Facemire said. " I think demand for them is as high as it's ever been."
Despite legends that ramps possess one of nature's strongest and longest-lasting aromas, "I don't think they're any stronger than garlic, chives, leeks or any other alliums," he said. "Of course, you can run into some really hot ones every so often."
After bringing the prepared ramps back to his house, Facemire sautéed one pan of topless ramps with mushrooms in butter, and another pan of green-topped ramps in bacon drippings with a few eggs from his free-ranging hens.
"You want them to simmer slowly, and not get too hot and brown," he said, as he stirred the slow-cooking ramps. Facemire added a little water and a sprinkling of salt to the simmering ramps, and kept them covered to allow steam to enhance the cooking process. "A good-sized pan takes about 20 minutes to cook," he said.
As Facemire stirred the ramps on the stovetop, his wife placed an array of pre-cooked ramp dishes on serving plates. They included ramp meatloaf, ramp quiche, ramp dressing balls and ramp hush puppies, all cooked according to recipes she created, which are included in the new book.
All proved to be even better to eat than they were to admire.
Copies of "Having Your Ramps and Eating Them, Too" are available at Tamarack and from the Ramp Farm Specialties' Web site www.rampfarm.com.
Facemire also will sell copies of the book at the 71st annual Feast of the Ramson, the state's oldest and biggest ramp feed, which takes place Saturday at Richwood High School, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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