Walk Softly: Foraging for Wild Leeks

by Geoffrey Carpentier

I don’t personally consider myself a forager, but maybe I am?!?! As a refresher, originally foragers were referred to as hunter-gatherers. Then survivalists came to the forefront and now outdoor enthusiasts may share in this practice as a passing interest or a passion. Since I can, I readily stop to nibble on fresh wild raspberries and blueberries and can and do harvest morel mushrooms. Perhaps I at least fit into the category of those who will take advantage of nature’s offerings on occasion! Others, amongst us, are passionate foragers and spend hours and days searching for and harvesting everything from nuts and berries to the greens and roots of many plants for food and their edible attributes. Natural medicinal derivatives of foraged plants are well known and form a fundamental part of the culture of many indigenous peoples across the globe.

One of the true treasures to many foragers are wild leeks, a member of the onion family, that grow wild in our area. Known by several names, such as ramps or wood leeks, wild leeks are a perennial plant that reproduces by producing 4-6 bulbs per plant that manifest themselves as above ground, large flat leaves. Preferring partially open woods, with rich soils, and proximity to damp areas, they emerge early in the spring. They were relished by early settlers as a green for salads long before cultivated crops would be ready to harvest. Perhaps they also offset the risk of scurvy as they are rich in Vitamin C. Both the purple varieties (tricoccum), which has broader leaves and commonly has reddish sheaths at the base and the green variety (burdickii), with white sheaths and narrower leaves, can be found in our area. Both are similar in nature and usefulness. When freshly growing or when the leaves are handled, the characteristic oniony odour is immediately apparent.

Four to six weeks after the leaves appear, the flowers emerge from June through August to complete the reproductive cycle for the following season. Each cluster of bulbs will produce only a single flower leaf stalk, with 12 to 50 flowers in each cluster. Each flower produces three seeds. When fully grown, the plants stand about 35-45 cm (11-17”) tall. As far as what to harvest, it is recommended that, although both the leaves and leaf sheaths can be eaten, only a small sampling of each should be harvested per plant. The growth cycle for these plants is reportedly 7 years, so over-zealous harvesting will assuredly guarantee that the plants will quickly disappear from your patch of forest. Many jurisdictions have laws in place to protect against excessive harvesting or commercial sales. Ontario is not one of these, but Quebec is, so cross-border transfer between these provinces is common unfortunately.

Because of their garlic and onion infused flavours, many recipes are known to capture these seasoning attributes. Pickling, roasting, or frying are commonly utilized to produce soups, mash, corn bread and much more. Certainly, as an integral part of their culture, many US states celebrate the emergence of the leeks (which they call ramps) in late April and early May. Officionados come from great distances to sample the many recipes featuring this local delicacy. In Tennessee you may even be honoured as the Lady of the Ramp, a designation bestowed on a single young woman annually!

Leeks have played an integral part in indigenous medicine, both here and in Europe, where a similar plant has similar benefits. Here it is and was used for treatment of croup, earaches, ringworms in children and it was also utilized to induce vomiting to ‘clean one out’ or as a soothing agent to relieve the discomfort of bug bites.

The city of Chicago derived is name from the leek, when dense stands were found near Lake Michigan in early settlement times. The indigenous peoples, who spoke the Miami-Illinois language, called this plant skikaakwa (chicagou) and hence the name that persists today.

The location of stands of wild leeks is kept secret generally as they are uncommon and such a flavourful treat that sharing them with just anyone seems unjustifiable.

Geoff Carpentier is a published author, expedition guide and environmental consultant. Visit Geoff on-line on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram