Yes, it is almost time for Ramps!!!

Last year at this time, we were having a heat wave -- weather in the 80's -- and we had our first Ramps by March 8.  Almost every other year, we get out first Ramps between the 20th and 25th of March -- and it is likely to be about that time this year.

We will know it is Spring for sure when we get our first ramps in, and our entire warehouse (and offices) smell of ramps  --We just can't wait.

There are some interesting stories about Ramps -- including the legend that the City of Chicago is named after a large patch of Wild Leeks (Ramps)

Chicago   The city of Chicago took is name from a dense growth of ramps near Lake Michigan in Illinois in the 17th century, after the area was described by 17th-century explorer Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle, and explained by his comrade, the naturalist and diarist Henri Joutel.^[2] The plant called shikaakwa (chicagou) in the language of native tribes was once thought to be Allium cernuum, the nodding wild onion, but research in the early 1990s showed the correct plant was the ramp.^[2][4]

                                                                                  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_tricoccum

Soon throughout Appalachia, there will be Ramp Festivals, celebrating the first edible plant to arrive in Spring.  Among them are:

Richwood Ramp Festival   http://www.richwooders.com/ramp/ramps.htm

Flag Pond Ramp Festival  http://www.flagpond.com/festival/ramp/fest.htm

Send us your comments, and we will publish your Ramp Festival too!!

2102 Pawpaw Harvest Has Begun

                           2012 Pawpaw Harvest Has Begun!!

We are so excited to get our first Pawpaws of the year!!  Jim Davis tells us we are going to have a great year this year and it looks like interest is at an all time high.  We sold our of our first 120 lbs in an hour today!!

Pawpaws are Tropical Fruit native to North America.  Pawpaws helped keep Lewis and Clark alive on their journey to the Northwest.  Native Pawpaws grow throughout the Eastern United States.  While delicious, they are very tricky to handle, and so have not been available commercially.  Earthy Delights has been selling Pawpaws for over 20 years, and are happy to be offering them once again.  Please contact Earthy Delights at 1.800.367.4709 or visit www.earthy.com for more information.

It all began with a mushroom.

Merry Christmas to all. Ever wondered what Pine trees, flying reindeer, Santa and his red and white suit have to do with Christmas? There's a very interesting story here, having to do with Siberian Shamans, reindeer, psychoactive mushrooms (fly aminita) and Christmas trees..

http://sagaciousmama.wordpress.com/2010/12/18/the-spiritual-origins-of-santa-claus/

Enjoy...

Flavorful, aromatic Squash Nut Oils from Stony Brook Wholehearted Foods

Wow -- what a great morning tasting!! Squash Nut Oils from Stony Brook Wholehearted Foods in the Finger Lakes Region in Upstate New York!!

All Natural Squash Seed Oils
From Stony Brook Wholehearted Foods

Stony Brook Wholehearted Foods creates one-of-a-kind specialty culinary oils made from locally grown seeds, gently roasted and expeller pressed at low temperatures to preserve depth of flavor and healthful properties.

Nothing in the bottle but pure, 100% roasted pumpkin and squash seed oils made in small batches and bottled by hand in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York.

Stony Brooks Wholehearted Foods Squash Seed Oils are bottled in 6.3 oz bottles and have a shelf life of one year.

Delicata Squash Seed Oil has a rich tawny color with a taste reminiscent of dried figs or currants.

Butternut Squash Seed Oil has a rich amber color and toasted nutty flavor, that is a versatile alternative to olive oil.

Kabocha Squash Seed Oil is made from the roasted seeds of the kabocha squash. The oil has a deep caramel color with a flavor reminiscent of roasted coffee or cocoa.

Stony Brook Roasted Pumpkin Seed Oil is the homegrown American version of the famed Austrian pumpkin seed oil. The oil has a deep mahogany color and smoky, savory flavor.


For more information on these and all of our other gourmet specialties,
visit us online at www.earthy.com or call (800) 367-4709

Yesterday I was driving through a white out, and today we're expecting our first ramps!!


Tomorrow our entire warehouse and office will be filled with the aroma of fresh ramps!! Will have to try a ramp and tomato risotto!!

I'll let you know how it goes.

Also hearing rumors from the west coast of some early morels. Gotta love this time of year!

Paw Paws are here again

I'm so excited. Just spoke to Jim D. and he tells me that he'll be shipping us our first Paw Paws next week!!

Earthy Delights began selling Paw paws over 20 years ago when we were known as Michigan Marketing, and Neal Peterson was on the board. I can hardly wait until next week when our first Paw Paws arrive.

Unlike anything else, Paw Paws are a North American tropical fruit, , with a creamy, custardy texture, and a flavor somewhat like a cherimoya.

Look for details on our website at www.earthy.com (for individuals) or at www. earthydelights.com for commercial sales.

What a week -- Spring and Summers at the same time!!

What a week!! Ramps (wild leeks) were plentiful from the south. We picked up a load every day this week, and sold them all the same day..

The next couple of days are going to be in the 80's however, so we'll be moving north to Michigan for ramps next week. The Michigan ramps will be a little larger, with a milder flavor than the "little stinkers" from W Virginia.





Ramp Festivals will be coming up in the next couple of months, including the Cosby Ramp Festival in Cosby TN http://www.cosbyrampfestival.org/

There are more festivals in West Virginia and North Carolina. Many are listed at this site

http://www.appvoices.org/index.php?/site/voice_stories/ramp_festivals_a_sure_sign_of_appalachian_spring/issue/532

Meanwhile the Orchard Morels from California have come to a halt, and snow in Oregon has made the NWest morels very very expensive and almost impossible to find. We're hearing stories about Morels from Texas and Oklahoma, and hope they'll be coming to the upper mid-west soon.



We are looking for supplies of fresh morels from the south, the mid-west or the eastern US. True morels only -- no verpas, no caps, no broken pieces, and stems must be trimmed.

If you might have commercial amounts of nice morels, contact us at morels@earthy.com. Let us know where you are, how to contact you, how many morels you may have, and the nearest major airport and we'll get back to you.




And finally, I can't sign off with out saying GO GREEN to Tom Izzo and the MSU Spartans, in their 6th Final Four in 12 years. What a record, what a team. Victory for MSU!!