Ramp Harvest
It’s been a secret for years and we just can’t hold it in anymore! That fresh “herb” butter that appears on your table at Linville Ridge during the dinner service. . .did you know that it’s not only made in-house, but it is made from ramps harvested right here on The Ridge!
Ramps are a wild onion that grow during the early spring and are sometimes referred to as wild leeks; they have a balanced taste somewhere between a garlic and an onion. Though they have been rapidly growing in popularity in the foodie world lately, they have been around for centuries – foraged by the Cherokee Indians and a staple ingredient in Appalachian kitchens.
Ramps are in season for only a few weeks and are very limited in supply, so you can’t just go to the grocery in the middle of winter and pick up a bunch. They grow very slowly, taking up to four years to flower and reproduce, so when the Linville Ridge culinary team set out to harvest them for this season’s culinary delights they took great care to pick just what they will need. Once picked, the ramps are carefully cleaned and frozen so that our chefs can use them throughout the season to tantalize your taste buds in the form of ramp butter and to season some of the dishes on our menus. Our mouths are watering. . .how about you?
A special thanks goes out to everyone who participated:
Dan Carlin, Sous Chef
Matt Franklin, Sous Chef
Taylor Lockhart, Grill Cook
Jordan Corrigan, Sauté Chef
Andrew Hawkins, Pizza Cook
Gary Honeycutt, Garde Manger
Cody Stevens, Steward
Mark Barber, Pastry Chef
