Foraging the Hudson River Valley

Chanterelle mushrooms are up in the valley in many locations.

Morels are up in most areas of the valley now. This basket of yellow morels was collected today.

Spring onion, wild onion, wild garlic, or meadow garlic. Known by many names, we have all seen this growing along the roadside, in lawns, and the fertile ground of gardens. It is an often overlooked edible spring plant. It can be chopped, pureed, or cleaned and used whole in a variety of ways. I like to use it whole in a clear soup with ginger, noodles, etc. I also use it chopped and in the middle of a grilled cheese sandwich. Spring onion, slices of white cheddar, and a nice bread is dinner tonight. It grows abundantly in the paths of my small fruit garden. Because I garden organically, I do not have to worry about it picking up any chemicals from spraying, etc. Many good recipe ideas can be found on the internet. The season is very long, so you will have plenty of time to experiment if you decide to give it a try.

Ramp update. My patch of ramps 8 days later. They go from just pushing through to fully open in about a week.

Ramps are starting to break through in microclimates in the valley. Please remember to harvest ramps sustainably. This photo is of a small clump breaking through in a warmer, and protected spot on my property. I dug this clump up in the wild several years ago, and moved it to my property for propagation purposes. In the wild I gather only one leaf from mature plants that I intend to consume, and very rarely the whole plant. If I do gather the whole plant, it is only to move it to another location. Commercial harvesters can completely decimate a location in just a few hours. I gather a few plants to move just in case one of them finds my foraging spot(s). By foraging responsibly you insure harvesting in your future, and the future of others.