GO BEYOND FOUR SEASONS

EARLY

Ramps
Foraged by Rick in Roscoe, New York and Phil in Rutland, Vermont.

Ramps have switched over to Northeast foragers Rick and Phil. Rick forages these sustainably in his corner of the Catskills near Roscoe, NY. Phil, who also grows a diverse range of vegetables and forages in Vermont. Phil and Rick carefully plot the patches they pick, letting each rest for years between harvests to ensure availability for years to come — if you ensure to leave some bulbs in the ground and rotate patches, they will multiply and regrow.

Rick and his crew forage Ramps with permission from privately owned wooded areas near his farm. He rotates forage spots throughout spring, ensuring he harvests only when at prime maturity. Rick only forages from any one location every 6-8 years, which allows him to harvest with the bulbs without clearing out patches for years to come. Plus, he leaves ramps at the top of the hills untouched as seeding plants to allow their seeds to start the next generation of ramps down the hillside. The dug area creates space for new seeds to grow, as the seeds wash down during rains, and the plants multiply by their rhizomes.

Once harvested, both Rick and Phil spend tremendous time sorting and cleaning their ramps before sending them out to ensure the highest quality.

LATE

Witloof Chicory
Grown by Thomas in Weerde, Belgium.

As temperatures increase in Weerde,Thomas has let us know that he has harvested the last of his Witloof Chicories from roots that were put into the ground for cording in mid-February — in opting for slower growth, he gets sweeter plants with pure white leaves that are crisp from tip to core.

In January and February, Thomas was faced with snow and permafrost which put a pause on planting. He was able to make up for it once the soils warmed up, planting roots as quickly as possible, but these were a “heavy three weeks” he tells us. Though dealing with changing weather is evidently much more risky than intensively grown chicories, Thomas continues to provide us with outstanding chicories year over year.

Thomas is a fourth-generation grower and still practices the traditional labor-intensive methods passed down from his great-grandparents for the sake of better flavor. Using saved seed from his best-performing plants, he grows the chicories outdoors for 150 days before uprooting and cutting them back for critical forced regrowth. Burying them under soil and straw — a step that year-round intensive production has removed for cleanliness and speed — he achieves incredible results.

Try raw in salads or bring out their natural sweetness even more through slow roasting.