*Guest post by Wendy Burton.*

Usually only registered Girl Scouts are eligible to earn Girl Scout insignia; in this case, however, an exception will be made. Provide documentation of activities to receive your merit badge.

**Rampin’ It Up**

Complete 6 activities, including the two starred.

1. Ramps have been eaten throughout history by many different groups of people. Find at least two different countries where ramps have been popular. How are ramps prepared in those countries? ∗

2. Some people have used ramps for medicine! Find out if ramps are a healthy food. What nutrients do they have? What illnesses did people think they cured?

3. Ramps grow wild, but they are also cultivated. Where are ramps grown in your area? What is the growing season? If you can, talk to someone who grows ramps. Find out when they are planted and harvested, and what kind of soil is best.

4. Visit a restaurant and try a dish cooked with ramps. How are they used? Is the flavor strong or mild? If you can, talk to the chef. Ask her what her favorite way of preparing ramps is.

5. Many different foods can be cooked with ramps. Find at least two recipes using ramps in a cookbook or on the Internet (always ask permission before using the Internet!), and prepare one for your family. ∗

6. Ramps are similar to other foods that many of us are more familiar with, such as garlic, onions, and leeks. Find a recipe that calls for one of these things and substitute ramps. Ask your family to decide which they like better.

7. Experiment! Come up with your own ramps recipe. Share it with others by giving copies to friends or posting on the Internet, with permission.

8. Share ramps with someone who may never have had the chance to eat them. Invite a friend or relative over on an evening when you are cooking ramps.

9. Teach others what you have learned about ramps by sharing your knowledge with younger children. Make sure to include samples!

10. Share what you’ve learned by writing a feature article about ramps. Send it to your newspaper’s food editor, or with help from your parents, post it on a blog.

After calling the ramps “a scary treat,” Iris went ahead and ate two of them anyway and pronounced them “salty and good.” I ate several, and I now smell like I’ve been out playing paintball with heads of roasted garlic. This will probably last for days.

I roasted them on a sheet pan, interspersed with spears of asparagus, and the best part wasn’t even the ramps–it was the asparagus that took on the flavor of slightly charred ramp leaves. This got me thinking about other ramp leaf possibilities: could you slip them under the skin of a roast chicken, for example? Wrap a steamed or roasted piece of fish? I want to hear about your ramp victories, even if only on the paintball field.

So, about that t-shirt contest…

I’ve received zero entries. Apparently a bag of goodies is insufficient compensation for today’s pampered generation of graphic designers. Therefore, I will take my case to the professionals, and I will come bearing a bag of the kind of goodies with Ben Franklin’s face on them. It was worth a shot!